Top 25 College Football Running Backs

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 2025 season.

Note: There is some projection in these rankings for the upcoming season. These are not NFL Draft rankings, but rather focus on the best players in college football.

25-21

25. Jadan Baugh, Florida Gators

Baugh rushed for 673 yards as a true freshman last season. He is a well-built back who has the potential to be one of the best backs in the SEC. 

24. George Pettaway, James Madison Dukes

Pettaway began his college journey at North Carolina, but started being productive at JMU last season. He rushed 980 yards and also had 200 receiving yards. With a good season, he could lead the Dukes to a Sun Belt title and maybe more. 

23. Rahsul Faison, South Carolina Gamecocks

After rushing for 1,109 yards alst season at Utah State, Faison is now with South Carolina. He and quarterback LaNorris Sellers can create a good ground attack for the Gamecocks. 

22. CJ Baxter, Texas Longhorns

Baxter rushed for 659 yards as a freshman at Texas, but was injured last season. If he is healthy and he can regain his form, there is a chance he can finish even higher than his ranking on this list. 

21. Anthony Hankerson, Oregon State Beavers

Hankerson started his career at Colorado, but really broke out at Oregon State last season. He rushed for 1,082 yards and had 151 receiving yards and can improve this season. 

20-16

20. Jadarian Price, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Price was a great complement to Jeremiyah Love, as he had 746 rushing yards in 2024. While he doesn’t make an impact in the passing game too much, Price is a great runner capable of picking up tough yards. 

19. Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Claiborne rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2024 and also had over 250 receiving yards. While Wake Forest doesn’t have a ton of talent around him, Claiborne should still have a great 2025 season. 

18. Darius Taylor, Minnesota Golden Gophers

All defenses key on stopping Taylor when they play Minnesota, but he is still tallying stats. He had 986 rushing yards and 350 receiving yards last season as the Gophers’ star player. 

17. Le’Veon Moss, Texas A&M Aggies

Moss has improved every season at Texas A&M and rushed for 765 yards last season. Rueben Owens is returning from injury and will likely take some of the work away from Moss this season, but both can be productive. 

16. Jaheim White, West Virginia Mountaineers

White averaged 7.7 yards per attempt as a freshman and that dipped a little in 2024, but he was still productive. He rushed for 734 yards and will have more work this season in a new offense, especially with C.J. Donaldson transferring to Ohio State. 

15-11

15. Quintrevion Wisner, Texas Longhorns

Wisner racked up over 1,300 total yards and became Texas’s best running back. He will have a chance to be productive again, but will share the load with C.J. Baxter, who was injured last season, but is now healthy. 

14. Dylan Edwards, Kansas State Wildcats

Edwards transferred from Colorado last season and teamed with D.J. Giddens before he headed to the NFL. He rushed 546 yards and added 166 receiving yards, but now will have a much larger role. 

13. Desmond Reid, Pittsburgh Pirates

Reid had 1,500 total yards last season as a threat to run and catch the ball. He is a game-changing player who could help Pitt do better in the ACC this season. 

12. Bryson Washington, Baylor Bears

With over 1,000 rushing yards and 200 receiving yards as a freshman, Washington really helped the Bears play better than expected. He will be the focal point of the Baylor offense this season. 

11. Ahmad Hardy, Missouri Tigers

Hardy was very productive at UL Monroe last season as a freshman. He rushed for 1,351 yards and is now at Missouri to prove that he can play against the best. 

10-6

10. Nate Frazier, Georgia Bulldogs

Frazier saw some time as a freshman for Georgia, as he totaled 671 rushing yards and 85 receiving yards. Now, he will get a bigger share of the workload and Georgia will want to emphasize running the ball better this season. 

9. Caden Durham, LSU Tigers

Durham didn’t start last season as the starter, but the freshman proved to be LSU’s best running back by the end of the season. He had 753 rushing yards and 260 receiving yards last season, with more being expected of him this season. 

8. Makhi Hughes, Oregon Ducks

With 2,779 rushing yards over two years at Tulane, Hughes is one of the most productive running backs in the country. He’ll have the chance to prove his talent this season in a bigger conference at Oregon. 

7. Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Haynes dipped below 1,000 rushing yards last season, but just barely. He provides a good running threat, but also catches the ball well as a former receiver. His speed can be game-changing. 

6. Isaac Brown, Louisville Cardinals

Louisville found a star last season in their freshman running back. Brown accounted for over 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns. Jeff Brohm will have the offense humming again this season and Brown should benefit. 

5-1

5. Kaytron Allen, Penn State Nittany Lions

Allen is one of two great Penn State running backs. He had the most rushing yards on the team and is a good between-the-tackles runner. 

4. Jonah Coleman, Washington Huskies

Coleman started his career at Arizona and then followed his head coach Jedd Fisch to Washington. He has improved every season and had 1,053 rushing yards last season for the Huskies. 

3. Jaydn Ott, Oklahoma Sooners

Ott struggled with injuries last season and managed just 385 rushing yards. The Cal transfer had 1,315 rushing yards in 2023 and if he is healthy, he can be productive in the SEC. 

2. Nicholas Singleton, Penn State Nittany Lions

Singleton is half of a great running back tandem for Penn State. He could’ve gone pro after rushing for 1,099 yards and totaling 375 receiving yards, but opted to return to Penn State where he’ll hope to compete for a national tite. 

1. Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Love is the best running back in college football, but also the frontrunner to be the first one taken in the NFL Draft. He has a good offensive line in front of him and is coming off a year where he had over 1,300 total yards. 

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