Two Doak Walker Candidates? What It Says About Illinois' Offense

Kaden Feagin and Aidan Laughery both landed on the Doak Walker Award watch list. Is that a good or bad thing for the Illini?

Sep 28, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Kaden Feagin (3) runs during the second quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Football has an old adage: If you have two quarterbacks, then you have none. Now, like most football adages – or sayings of any kind – you'll want to take it with a grain of salt (or maybe even a giant block). But let's entertain this too-many-cooks-in-the-kitchen theory for a moment, only shift the focus just a bit further into the backfield.

If you happened to see the recent announcement that Illinois had not one but two running backs – Kaden Feagin and Aidan Laughery – placed on the 2025 Doak Walker Award watch list, your reaction might have ranged from impressed to confused. Possibly even both. So what does it mean for the players, for the Illini offense and for Illinois as a team?

Why pick one when you can have two? @AidanLaughery and @FeaginKaden named to the @DoakWalkerAward watch list. pic.twitter.com/T59i3OyUKK

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) August 5, 2025

Are two Doak Walker candidates better than one?

A starting point: The feat of landing multiple candidates on the Doak Walker Award watch list isn't exactly unprecedented. This year alone, 26 teams have at least two – including Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Penn State, UCLA and USC just in the Big Ten. Like the Trojans, East Carolina and Temple have three. Temple!

In fact, had Josh McCray stuck around Champaign instead of transferring to Georgia, the Illini almost certainly would have fallen into that group of programs with a trio of Doak Walker candidates. All of this isn't meant to knock the honor but to highlight that there is a reason the watch list contains 103 names, including selections from Delaware, Fresno State and Liberty: because nobody knows anything.

In today's game, running backs are deployed like hair dye colors among teenage girls: indiscriminately. And as coach Bret Bielema and offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. showed over and over again last season, the Illini have a plethora of talented backs – and they aren't afraid to use them.

Some Kaden Feagin reps: pic.twitter.com/rHsFaiOv6I

— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) August 5, 2025

Is Illinois better off with Kaden Feagin, Aidan Laughery or both?

A quick comparison between the work of Feagin and Laughery last season (and allow us to direct you to pay special attention to the players' respective averages and touchdowns):

Player – 2024	Games	Carries	Yards	YPC	TDs	Rec.	Yards	YPR	TDs
Kaden Feagin	5	67	306	4.6	3	5	37	7.4	0
Aidan Laughery	12	97	589	6.1	4	9	32	3.6	0

In a nutshell, Laughery was the more productive (and explosive) runner overall, while Feagin provided the most punch around the goal line and marginally better output as a receiver. But keep in mind that the numbers are a bit skewed by Laughery's 172-yard, three-touchdown massacre of Northwestern's run defense in the regular-season finale. His numbers for the rest of the season (417 rushing yards, one TD and 4.9 yards per carry) are much more comparable to Feagin's.

In the end, the Illini are undeniably better off with Feagin and Laughery. (And we have yet to mention Ca'lil Valentine, who reportedly packed on 20 pounds over the offseason and is another quality runner Illinois can turn to.) Depth at the position is critical. The Illini only have to look back to a season ago – when Feagin was lost to an injury over the final seven games – for evidence. Running backs are targets. They get hit. A lot. Injuries, regretfully, are bound to happen.

Nov 30, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Aidan Laughery (21) runs for a touchdown against Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

But there is plenty more to love about this group. At 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, Feagin is built more like a defensive end than a running back, while Laughery has more burst and big-play potential. It's the best of all worlds. Yet there is overlap, and it's significant: Feagin has more explosiveness than would be expected from a player of his size, while Laughery is sturdier and more productive between the tackles than he might appear to be. That – the element of surprise, the uncertainty that can be thrown at opposing defenses while keeping weapons at the position sharp – is the special sauce for the Illini offense.

At the running back position, generally speaking, the more the merrier. And in the particular case of Feagin, Laughery and the Illini, there appears to be infinitely greater strength in numbers.

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