Auburn RB Placed On Prestigious Award Watchlist Amidst Health Concerns

The Auburn Tigers are set up to be quite strong on the ground this year, and Baylor transfer running back Bryson Washington is an instrumental part of that.

The junior, who transferred in this past offseason, is largely expected to carry quite a big workload this year, and on Tuesday, Washington was placed on the Campbell Award Watchlist for the upcoming season.

The Campbell Award, named for legendary contact rusher Earl Campbell, is presented annually to the best offensive player in the country with a Texas connection, and Washington, a Franklin, Texas, native, certainly meets the criteria.

However, there are a few wrinkles in this story that could lead to Washington missing out on this award. First, Washington will almost certainly not take over the RB1 position this year, barring an injury to senior Auburn returner Jeremiah Cobb, who has been something of a lock for the position since the beginning of the spring.

Additionally, there have been some concerns as to how Washington’s health will affect his performance this year, as he has missed quite a bit of time in the preseason this year due to an injury and, according to Auburn head coach Alex Golesh, Washington was ‘not there yet’ as of about a month ago.

However, Washington has been on the rise over the past few weeks; this past week, the Baylor transfer took reps with the starting squad, which is certainly a good sign for his chances at being the Tigers’ RB2 this year.

“Bryson [Washington], in the past week, has shown why he's been able to do what he's done the past couple years,” Golesh said.

Washington rushed for over 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns during his best season with the Baylor Bears in 2024, though injuries kept him limited in 2025 before he transferred to the Plains. Clearly, the only pain point in his play is his ability to stay healthy, as he is an incredibly effective runner when healthy.

‘All of this for RB2, though?’ I hear you ask, and I don’t blame you. However, Auburn’s RB2, according to Alex Golesh, will rotate with RB1 from drive to drive or situation to situation, as needed by the staff, so in reality, it seems as if Auburn is looking for more RB1-A and RB1-B.

So, if Washington can prove himself to the coaching staff, his rushing prowess, especially when mixed with Cobb and elite dual-threat quarterback Byrum Brown, could very well net him the Campbell Award, though he’ll need to turn in a career season to be considered.

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