The college football season is approaching. There is always debate over ranking the best players in the sport. Here are the top 25 college football running backs heading into the 2023 season.
Note: While projection of what a player can be is taken into account, most rankings are from what has been seen on the field so far. These are not NFL Draft rankings, but rather focus on the best players in college football.
Top College Football Running Backs
25-21
25. Kaytron Allen, Penn State Nittany Lions
Allen is one-half of a dynamic running back duo at Penn State. Last season, he had 867 rushing yards, 188 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He may not get the same number of touches as other players on this list, but he has plenty of talent.
24. George Holani, Boise State Broncos
After a big season as a freshman in 2019 where he rushed for 1,014 yards. There have been some injuries and inconsistencies in between 2019 and now, but he was able to rush for over 1,000 yards in 2022 again. If he can stay on the field, he will be one of the best running backs out west.
23. Kaleb Johnson, Iowa Hawkeyes
Johnson had a fantastic freshman season for Iowa with 779 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. What’s impressive about his production is that Iowa couldn’t pass the ball and Johnson had to run against stacked boxes a lot. If the passing offense improves, Johnson can produce more.
22. Michael Wiley, Arizona Wildcats
Wiley has improved every season at Arizona to make the list. In 2022, he had 771 rushing yards, 349 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns. The Wildcats were much improved as a team in 2022 and Wiley deserves some of the credit.
21. Jarquez Hunter, Auburn Tigers
Hunter has had two solid seasons as a backup at Auburn, but now he’s taking over the starting role. Backing up Tank Bigsby, he has 1,261 rushing yards, 285 receiving and 13 touchdowns over two seasons. If he is on the field this year, he will be able to show his talent.
20-16
20. Montrell Johnson, Florida Gators
Johnson rushed for over 800 yards at Louisiana in 2021. He decided to transfer following the season and joined his coach at Louisiana, Billy Napier, at Florida. In 2022 he had 841 rushing yards, 58 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns.
19. Nakia Watson, Washington State Cougars
Watson started his career at Wisconsin, then transferred to Washington State. He didn’t do much until last season, when he had 769 rushing yards, 296 receiving yards and 13 total touchdowns. His ability to run and catch to help the offense puts him this high on this list.
18. Miyan Williams, Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State has two talented running backs. Williams filled in last season when TreVeyon Henderson went down with an injury. He rushed for 825 yards and 14 touchdowns. Henderson will likely get a lot more carries this year, but Williams will still get some work out of the backfield.
17. Jaydn Ott, Cal Golden Bears
Ott had a great freshman season, even though his team didn’t have the best success. He had 897 rushing yards, 345 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. If he progresses at all, he will likely be top 10 on this list next season.
16. Damien Martinez, Oregon State Beavers
Oregon State had a good rushing offense last season and Martinez is a big reason why. He rushed for 982 yards and seven touchdowns. Martinez won’t offer much as a receiver, but his ability to run the ball makes him one of the better running backs in the country.
15-11
15. Richard Reese, Baylor Bears
Reese is one of the running backs who had great freshman seasons and is now set up for a big college career. He rushed for 972 yards, but needs to improve his pass-catching to make an even bigger impact on the game.
14. Ray Davis, Kentucky Wildcats
As one of the more experienced running backs on this list, Davis started his career at Temple, made a stop at Vanderbilt and is now playing for Kentucky. He has 2,512 rushing yards, 439 receiving yards and 20 total touchdowns in his career.
13. Audric Estime, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Estime came out of nowhere last season and rushed for 920 yards. He added 135 receiving yards. The Fighting Irish had a bad passing offense, so Estime showed his power running through plenty of defenders crowding the line of scrimmage.
12. Devin Neal, Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas made a bowl game last season and they were able to rely on Neal for their running game. He put up 1,090 rushing yards, 183 receiving yards and 10 total touchdowns. The Jayhawks had some improvement last season, so with Neal back, Kansas could push for even more wins.
11. Frank Gore Jr., Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
Gore Jr. has worn many hats for Southern Miss over his first three seasons. He has 2,891 rushing yards, 471 receiving yards and even 368 passing yards in his career as a “wildcat” quarterback. Gore Jr. has plenty of yardage, but also has 17 total touchdowns in his career.
10-6
10. Bucky Irving, Oregon Ducks
Oregon had a jump in production last year from Irving. He went from 699 rushing yards in 2021 to 1,058 in 2022. He added 299 receiving yards and eight total touchdowns last season. Big things are expected of Oregon and Irving this season.
9. Donovan Edwards, Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines have made back to back CFPs behind a good rushing attack. Last season, Edwards was injured to start the year, but came back and played well behind Blake Corum. He also filled in for him well when Corum went down with injury. In a split backfield, he had 991 rushing yards, 200 receiving yards and nine total touchdowns.
8. TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State Buckeyes
A fully healthy Henderson would rank higher on this list, but he struggled to stay healthy last season. In eight games played, he rushed for 571 yards. His talent level could have him finish as one of the top five running backs in the country.
7. Trey Benson, Florida State Seminoles
Benson started his career off at Oregon, but transferred to Florida State where he had his first big season. He rushed for 990 yards, had 144 receiving yards and 10 total touchdowns. Last season, he was part of a three-headed rushing attack, but now he looks to be the lead back.
6. Will Shipley, Clemson Tigers
Clemson had trouble moving the ball through the air, but Shipley was able to carry the team on the ground. He rushed for 1,182 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. Shipley also had 242 receiving yards. While there are exciting players on the offense, Shipley’s consistency needs more appreciation.
5-1
5. Nicholas Singleton, Penn State Nittany Lions
As a freshman, Singleton rushed for 1,061 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also had 85 receiving yards and one touchdown. His natural talent and production make him worthy of a top-five spot on the list.
4. Braelon Allen, Wisconsin Badgers
Allen has been the model of consistency for the Badgers over the last two seasons. He rushed for 1,268 yards in 2021 and then 1,242 in 2022. He has 23 rushing touchdowns in his career, but could add more as a pass catcher. Allen will play a big role in Luke Fickell’s new offense.
3. Rocket Sanders, Arkansas Razorbacks
Not only does he have a great name, Sanders has great production as well. He rushed for 1,443 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022. Sanders also tallied 28 receptions for 271 yards and two touchdowns. Arkansas will be leaning on him this season.
2. Blake Corum, Michigan Wolverines
Corum was looking like a Heisman-finalist before going down with an injury last season. He had 1,463 rushing yards, 80 receiving yards and 19 total touchdowns. Assuming he is able to return to form after his injury, Corum will give Michigan a great running game again this season.
1. Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss Rebels
While he wasn’t the most highly-touted recruit, Judkins had a great freshman season at Ole Miss. He had 1,567 rushing yards, 132 receiving yards and 17 total touchdowns. Doing what he did as a freshman in the SEC earns him the top spot on the list.
Notable Running Backs Outside the Top 25
Anthony Grant, Nebraska Cornhuskers
Grant had 915 rushing yards last season for Nebraska and now returns for Matt Rhule to utilize.
Roman Hemby, Maryland Terrapins
Maryland’s receivers got a lot of attention last season, but Hemby had over 1,000 total yards.
Jawhar Jordan, Louisville Cardinals
After time spent at Syracuse and Louisville, Jordan broke out last season with 815 rushing yards.
Jase McClellan, Alabama Crimson Tide
McClellan takes over as the lead back at Alabama after serving his time as a backup with 655 rushing yards last season.
Kendall Milton, Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia uses plenty of running backs, but Milton had 592 rushing yards last season.
Devin Mockobee, Purdue Boilermakers
Mockobee has just one season of production, but it was for over 1,000 total yards in Jeff Brohm’s offense.
Aidan Robbins, BYU Cougars
Robbins transferred from Louisville to UNLV last season, where he rushed for 1,000 yards. Now, he’ll try to do the same at BYU.
Jabari Small, Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee has two running backs to use heavily this season. Small rushed for 734 yards last season.
Jaylen Wright, Tennessee Volunteers
As the other half of the good running back duo, Wright had 875 rushing yards in 2022.
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