Darren McFadden Named Walter Camp Player of the Year

November 7, 2014

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – After a regular season in which he gained a school-record 1,725 yards on the ground and led the Southeastern Conference in rushing, Arkansas’ Darren McFadden was honored with the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. He was also selected to the Walter Camp All-America team with Razorback teammates Felix Jones and Jonathan Luigs.

McFadden rushed for 100 yards or more nine times during the regular season, including efforts of 206 and 321 yards against LSU and South Carolina, respectively. Following the Razorbacks’ triple-overtime win against LSU in which McFadden gained 255 all-purpose yards and accounted for four touchdowns, he was named the national offensive player of the week by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

The junior tailback’s 321-yard performance against the Gamecocks on Nov. 3 tied an SEC record set by Vanderbilt’s Frank Mordica in 1978. Including his rushing yards total, McFadden racked up 2,172 all-purpose yards, also a UA record.

With his rushing total this season, the Little Rock, Ark., native has moved into third place on the SEC career rushing list behind Herschel Walker and Kevin Faulk. McFadden also joined Walker as the only backs in league history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark as a freshman, sophomore and junior.

McFadden has also been honored this season as an American Football Coaches Association and a Rivals.com first-team All-American, an SEC Coaches’ and Associated Press first-team all-conference selection and the SEC coaches’ offensive player of the year.

The other Walter Camp finalists were Missouri’s Chase Daniel, Oregon’s Dennis Dixon, Boston College’s Matt Ryan and Florida’s Tim Tebow. McFadden was also a finalist for the Walter Camp Award last season as a sophomore.

McFadden is the first player from the SEC to win the award since Florida’s Danny Wuerfful was selected 1996 as the nation’s top player.

McFadden was also the recipient of the Doak Walker Award. He is the second player—joining Texas’ Ricky Williams—to win the nation’s top running back award.