Michigan State football's Kenneth Walker III a finalist for 2 major awards

Kenneth Walker III is a finalist for two major college football awards.

The Michigan State football standout junior running back is officially one of three finalists nominated for The Maxwell Award, and one of three finalists for The Doak Walker Award.

The Maxwell Award is given to the best player of the year. The other two finalists are Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett and Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.

The Doak Walker Award is won by the nation's premier running back. Missouri's Tyler Badie and Iowa State's Breece Hall are the other nominees.

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Walker is second in the nation with 1,498 rushing yards on 233 carries, and fourth in rushing touchdowns (17). He is among the leaders in yards per carry (6.4) and is second averaging 132.6 rushing yards per game.

He's coming off a season-low 25 yards on six carries against Ohio State, when he appeared hobbled with a nagging ankle injury and sat for most of the second half. He remains a question mark going into the No. 13 Spartans' regular-season finale vs. Penn State on Saturday at Spartan Stadium.

Walker has become the premier transfer portal success story for coach Mel Tucker, running for five touchdowns in a 37-33 win over Michigan.

The Heisman Trophy has yet to announce its finalists, but Walker is likely to be among the few players invited.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State's Kenneth Walker III finalist for 2 CFB awards