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College Football's Top 20 Running Back Units for 2024
By Steven Lassan,
9 hours ago
With the 2024 college football season less than one week away, it's time to hand out preseason hardware and honor the best running back units for the upcoming year. While every college football team would prefer to have an established, superstar No. 1 running back, a committee of options has proven to be just as effective, especially to save wear and tear on the starter. However, for this exercise, a committee of backs versus one clear-cut starter doesn't make for an easy ranking.
Ohio State takes the top spot for '24 with the standout tandem of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson leading the way on the ground for coach Ryan Day's offense. Big Ten rival Penn State takes the No. 2 spot, with Georgia, Oklahoma State, and Alabama rounding out the top five.
How did we come up with these rankings? Several factors were considered. Depth, overall talent, production, level of competition and projected output in 2024 all factored into the rankings for the backfield. These rankings reflect projection for '23, not solely what teams have accomplished in '23. Additionally, we tried to weigh having one standout player without much depth, as opposed to teams with multiple proven options.
College Football's Top 20 Running Back Units for 2024
The Buckeyes own the nation's top running back tandem for 2024, as TreVeyon Henderson (926 yards in 2023) will be joined by Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins this fall. Judkins transferred to Ohio State after rushing for 2,725 yards and 31 touchdowns in two seasons with the Rebels. Henderson's career average sits at 6.2 yards per carry over 446 attempts, and he's added 32 rushing scores and 50 catches in three years. Freshmen James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon provide additional depth.
The one-two punch of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen return to power Penn State's rushing attack for the third year in a row. Singleton paced the team in yardage (1,061) in '22, while Allen took the top spot with 902 yards last fall. This duo combined for 34 runs of 10-plus yards last season and also contributed significantly (40 catches) as a safety valve for the quarterbacks in the passing game. The depth behind Singleton and Allen is inexperienced - but also very talented. Expect Cam Wallace, Quinton Martin, and Corey Smith to fight for the No. 3 role.
The Bulldogs lost their top two rushers (Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton) from last season. But as always in Athens, Georgia has the next wave of stars ready to emerge to power the ground game. Florida transfer Trevor Etienne is expected to lead the way for coach Kirby Smart and could be the SEC's top running back in '24. In two years with the Gators, Etienne ran for 1,472 yards and 14 scores. Branson Robinson and Roderick Robinson II will see significant time, with four-star freshman Nate Frazier also in the mix for touches.
One player - Ollie Gordon II is enough for Oklahoma State to rank high on this list. The Cowboys may not have the established depth of some of the teams ahead or behind on the rankings, but Gordon II is enough for this backfield to place among the nation's best. In his first season as Oklahoma State's No. 1 back, Gordon II ran for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns and added 39 catches for 330 yards. Gordon's yardage (1,732) ranked second nationally, while his per-game average (123.7) ranked first. With Arkansas transfer AJ Green sidelined indefinitely, coach Mike Gundy could turn to another transfer (Indiana's Trent Howland) to work as the No. 2 option.
Jase McClellan (890 yards) and Roydell Williams (560) departed Tuscaloosa at the end of the 2023 college football season. New coach Kalen DeBoer inherits an unproven group, but the Crimson Tide aren't hurting for talent at running back. Jam Miller (201 yards last year) and Justice Haynes (168) are slated to handle the bulk of the carries and both are breakout candidates for the '24 season. Former four-star prospect Richard Young should also factor into the mix.
6. Kansas 7. UCF 8. Miami 9. Kansas State 10. Liberty 11. North Carolina 12. Boise State 13. Oregon 14. Florida State 15. West Virginia 16. Ole Miss 17. California 18. Texas 19. Michigan 20. Texas A&M
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