Kentucky running back Seth McGowan has been named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list, as announced by SPORTyler on Wednesday. The award is presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding Division I offensive player who graduated from a Texas high school or plays at a four-year college in Texas.
McGowan, originally from Mesquite, Texas, was a standout at Poteet High School. He will be starting his first season at Kentucky after transferring from New Mexico State. His previous collegiate experience includes playing one season at Butler (Kansas) Community College and another at Oklahoma.
Over his career in Division I football, McGowan has played in 20 games—eight with Oklahoma and 12 with New Mexico State—with 11 starts, all at New Mexico State. He has accumulated 210 carries for 1,193 yards and six touchdowns. At Oklahoma, he recorded 58 rushes for 370 yards and three scores; at New Mexico State he notched 152 rushes for 823 yards and three touchdowns. His overall rushing average stands at 5.68 yards per carry.
In addition to his rushing statistics, McGowan has made 36 receptions for 478 receiving yards and four touchdowns throughout his collegiate career.
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Selection Committee is comprised of journalists based in Texas along with college football dignitaries and previous recipients of the award. Each week during the regular season, an Earl Campbell Tyler Rose National Player of the Week will be selected until semifinalists are announced in November and up to five finalists are named in December. The recipient will be announced in January.
The award is named in honor of Earl Campbell, who graduated from John Tyler High School in Tyler, Texas before playing college football at Texas. In his senior season there, Campbell led the nation with 1,744 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns—becoming Texas’ first Heisman Trophy winner. He later played professionally for the Houston Oilers where he earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1978 and led the NFL in rushing three times. Campbell was named NFL MVP in 1979 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.
Each candidate must exhibit integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, community involvement and tenacity—the characteristics associated with Earl Campbell himself.
Kentucky opens its football season on Saturday, Aug. 30 against Toledo at Kroger Field.
