
2026 Universe Guest
Darren McFadden
2x Doak Walker Award, 2x Heisman Finalist, Dallas Cowboys

Darren McFadden was must-watch college football. At Arkansas he won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's best running back in both 2006 and 2007, finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up in both of those seasons, and ran for more than 4,500 yards in three years while lining up at quarterback in the Wildcat often enough to throw touchdown passes too.
The Raiders took him fourth overall in 2008, and at his healthy best he was as explosive as anyone in the league, including a 2010 season with more than 1,150 rushing yards and a 2011 stretch where he was among the NFL's leading rushers before injury.
He came to Dallas in 2015 and immediately led the Cowboys in rushing with 1,089 yards, including a 152-yard game and back-to-back 100-yard performances down the stretch, which was no small feat behind a season that lost Tony Romo. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and remains one of the most beloved players in Arkansas history.
