NCAAF · 6 hours ago

Ranking the Top 15 College Football Running Backs Right Now

TJ Inman

Host · Writer

15. Turbo Richard - Indiana Hoosiers
Turbo Richard 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 749
- Yards Per Carry - 5.17
- Touchdowns - 9
The Indiana Hoosiers will have as good of a rushing attack as any team in the country. The Hoosiers have three running backs that are extremely capable, but Turbo Richard is the top-ranked back because of his ability to contribute as a pass blocker and pass catcher. I think Khobie Martin is actually the most talented runner of the group and one of the best pure running backs nationally, but Richard offers a bit more of a complete game. None of these backs will put up monster numbers because of how the carries will be split, but Richard averaged 5.17 yards per rush playing behind a bad Boston College line. Give him a great offensive line and Mike Shanahan’s offensive system, and the sky is the limit.
1. Jadan Baugh - Florida Gators
Jadan Baugh 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 1,170
- Yards Per Carry - 5.3
- Touchdowns - 10
Retaining star running back Jadan Baugh in Gainesville was the first major victory as the Florida head coach for Jon Sumrall. Baugh is a rare combination of size, quickness, vision and agility. He’s 6’1” and 231 pounds, and while his stats last season were not eye-popping, that had more to do with the limitations of the Florida offense than any issues with Baugh’s game. He was seventh nationally in forced missed tackles and 12th in yards after contact, and he’ll thrive in Buster Faulkner’s offensive scheme. One Big Ten scout told ESPN’s Max Olson, “Baugh might be one of the best backs I’ve ever watched on tape.”
2. Kewan Lacy - Ole Miss Rebels
Kewan Lacy 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 1,567
- Yards Per Carry - 5.1
- Touchdowns - 24
The consensus among experts is that Kewan Lacy and Jadan Baugh are the best healthy running backs in the SEC. I have the Ole Miss star ranked at No. 2. Lacy was not a high-profile transfer, but he exploded on the scene last season with 1,567 rushing yards and 24 total touchdowns as the Rebels ran to the College Football Playoff semifinals. Despite overtures from Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers, Lacy chose to return to Oxford, and he gives Ole Miss a fantastic QB/RB punch. He’s a tough runner with good speed, and he did a great job as a pass protector for Trinidad Chambliss. Because of his speed, he’s projected as the number one running back for the loaded 2027 NFL Draft.
3. Caleb Hawkins - Oklahoma State Cowboys
Caleb Hawkins 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 1,434
- Yards Per Carry - 6.2
- Touchdowns - 2
There is some doubt about how Caleb Hawkins will perform at the Power Conference level. Still, I’m confident in his ability and have him ranked No. 3. Hawkins starred as a freshman at North Texas, rushing for 6.2 yards per carry, adding 32 receptions and scoring a ridiculous 29 touchdowns. His performance helped North Texas reach the doorstep of the College Football Playoff, and head coach Eric Morris rode the success to Stillwater as Oklahoma State's new head coach. Hawkins followed him, so he’ll have the same offensive system in place and another year of growth and maturity to help him deal with the Big 12. No player produced more broken tackles (62) in the FBS in 2025.
4. LJ Martin - BYU Cougars
LJ Martin 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 1,305
- Yards Per Carry - 5.5
- Touchdowns - 12
We stay in the Big 12 and head to Provo for No. 4: BYU’s LJ Martin. Martin was the Big 12’s Offensive Player of the Year as the BYU Cougars won 12 games and reached the Big 12 Championship Game. Martin is a big back at 6’2” and 225 pounds, and he surpassed 100 yards from scrimmage in ten games. That success came despite a shoulder injury that limited his effectiveness in the closing stretch of the season. When BYU needs tough yards, they give the ball to Martin, and he delivers. While he’s not flashy, he’s as tough and reliable as they come and has terrific respect from opposing coaches.
5. Antwan Raymond - Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Antwan Raymond 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 1,241
- Yards Per Carry - 5.09
- Touchdowns - 13
Antwan Raymond is not going to get much hype or attention, but on a team without many weapons, he is the primary focus of every defense and still produces at a high level. As a sophomore last season, Raymond carried the ball 244 times for 1,241 yards (5.09 yards) with 13 touchdowns. That included 161 yards against Minnesota, 89 against Washington, 240 against Maryland and an impressive 189 yards against Penn State in a close defeat. Raymond added 225 receiving yards and two more touchdowns, and if he were on a more explosive offense, his numbers would fully reflect his quality. I’m higher on him than most, but he’ll be on a lot more radars with another great season.
6. Cam Cook - West Virginia Mountaineers
Cam Cook 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 1,659
- Yards Per Carry - 5.62
- Touchdowns - 16
Jeremiyah Love was widely considered the best running back in the country last season, and he almost certainly was. Do you know who actually led the nation in rushing? It wasn’t Jeremiyah Love, it wasn’t one of Indiana’s outstanding backs, and it wasn’t a stud from the SEC. No, it was Cam Cook of Jacksonville State. After rushing for 1,659 yards with 16 touchdowns, Cook is now playing for Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia. To be blunt, I absolutely love the fit at WVU in a “Rich Rod” offense. Cook is powerful enough that I don’t worry about the step up in competition, and he’ll be getting plenty of carries in an RB-friendly attack.
7. DeSean Bishop - Tennessee Volunteers
DeSean Bishop 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 1,076
- Yards Per Carry - 5.91
- Touchdowns - 16
Josh Heupel’s offenses are known for wide splits from the wide receivers and an aerial assault, but the general perception is completely wrong. Heupel’s Volunteers run the ball quite a lot, and that will definitely continue in 2026, as Tennessee will lean on the running game to help whichever young quarterback is taking snaps. DeSean Bishop will lead the rushing attack after racking up more than 1,000 yards while averaging nearly six yards per carry with 16 touchdowns. Bishop is outstanding in short-yardage situations and a very physical runner who is in store for a huge season.
8. Isaac Brown - Louisville Cardinals
Isaac Brown 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 884
- Yards Per Carry - 8.8
- Touchdowns - 7
The top ACC running back on this list (though certainly not the only one) is speed demon Isaac Brown. The Louisville Cardinals utilize Brown in several ways, and he averaged 8.8 yards per carry last season. An injury to a leg caused him to miss four games in November, but he has nine runs of more than 50 yards in his two-year career and is the purest definition of a home run-hitting tailback. Durability is a concern, and he’s only 190 pounds, but his game-changing ability is rare.
9. Mark Fletcher Jr. - Miami Hurricanes
Mark Fletcher Jr. 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 1,192
- Yards Per Carry - 5.5
- Touchdowns - 14
We stay in the ACC but go to a completely different type of running back. While Isaac Brown is a big-play merchant, Miami’s Mark Fletcher Jr. is a physical bruiser who punishes defenders trying to tackle him. He was outstanding in the College Football Playoff and excels in short-yardage situations (converted 31 of 39 runs on two-yard-or-less situations). Fletcher has limitations: he lacks top-end speed, and he’s not a threat as a pass catcher. That written, he is a tone-setter for the Hurricanes and wears defenses down with his physical play.
10. Ahmad Hardy - Missouri Tigers
Ahmad Hardy 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 1,649
- Yards Per Carry - 6.4
- Touchdowns - 16
If Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy was completely healthy and there were no questions about his availability for the coming season, he would be somewhere inside the top five of this list. Hardy was awesome for the Tigers last year with 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns while averaging 6.4 yards per rush. He stepped up from Louisiana-Monroe and had no problem running all over SEC defenses as one of the more elusive runners in the country. A gunshot wound during the offseason has left his status murky, but he’s with the team and expected at least to start the season as a part of the rotation. If he can return to form, Hardy is one of the best in the country.
11. Darius Taylor - Minnesota Golden Gophers
Darius Taylor 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 670
- Yards Per Carry - 4.69
- Touchdowns - 4
Darius Taylor’s 2025 was far from his standard: 670 yards on just 4.69 yards per carry with only four touchdowns. Rewind to the 2025 campaign, and he had nearly 1,000 yards with ten scores for a very solid Minnesota team. The Gophers will run the ball quite a bit, so the opportunity is there for Taylor to rebound, and he is now 100% healthy from the injury that limited him last season. He’s a good all-around running back who will be the anchor for the Gophers’ attack.
12. Hollywood Smothers - Texas Longhorns
Hollywood Smothers 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 939
- Yards Per Carry - 5.9
- Touchdowns - 7
The best running back in the transfer portal was, by many accounts, Hollywood Smothers. Beyond having an awesome name, Smothers was first-team All-ACC at North Carolina State, and it appeared he was headed to Alabama before switching his commitment to Texas. Combined with Raleek Brown, Smothers gives Texas an explosive dimension at the running back position. He is a good pass catcher and extremely elusive in the open field with spin moves and jukes to rival anyone nationally. Steve Sarkisian should have a lot of fun figuring out how best to utilize him.
13. Nate Sheppard - Duke Blue Devils
Nate Sheppard 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 1,132
- Yards Per Carry - 5.7
- Touchdowns - 12
The Duke Blue Devils lost quarterback Darian Mensah to Miami, but they managed to keep one of the better running backs in the country when Nate Sheppard opted to stay in Durham. He shined as a true freshman with an ACC-best 1,418 yards from scrimmage as Duke surprised and won the league. He forced 70 missed tackles and had 777 rushing yards after contact and should now be the focal point of Duke’s offense.
14. Justice Haynes - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Justice Haynes 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 857
- Yards Per Carry - 7.1
- Touchdowns - 10
Justice Haynes is now at his third school, and the former blue-chip recruit is hoping to finish his collegiate career on a high in Atlanta. After starting out at Alabama, Haynes transferred to Michigan last season and was awesome for the first half before a foot injury sidelined him. He finished with 857 yards and 7.1 yards per carry, and he now gets to run against ACC defenses instead of playing against the Big Ten. If he can stay healthy, Haynes will wreak havoc on the league.
15. Turbo Richard - Indiana Hoosiers
Turbo Richard 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 749
- Yards Per Carry - 5.17
- Touchdowns - 9
The Indiana Hoosiers will have as good of a rushing attack as any team in the country. The Hoosiers have three running backs that are extremely capable, but Turbo Richard is the top-ranked back because of his ability to contribute as a pass blocker and pass catcher. I think Khobie Martin is actually the most talented runner of the group and one of the best pure running backs nationally, but Richard offers a bit more of a complete game. None of these backs will put up monster numbers because of how the carries will be split, but Richard averaged 5.17 yards per rush playing behind a bad Boston College line. Give him a great offensive line and Mike Shanahan’s offensive system, and the sky is the limit.
1. Jadan Baugh - Florida Gators
Jadan Baugh 2025 Stats Profile
- Rushing Yards - 1,170
- Yards Per Carry - 5.3
- Touchdowns - 10
Retaining star running back Jadan Baugh in Gainesville was the first major victory as the Florida head coach for Jon Sumrall. Baugh is a rare combination of size, quickness, vision and agility. He’s 6’1” and 231 pounds, and while his stats last season were not eye-popping, that had more to do with the limitations of the Florida offense than any issues with Baugh’s game. He was seventh nationally in forced missed tackles and 12th in yards after contact, and he’ll thrive in Buster Faulkner’s offensive scheme. One Big Ten scout told ESPN’s Max Olson, “Baugh might be one of the best backs I’ve ever watched on tape.”

Ranking the Top 15 College Football Running Backs Right Now

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