College football power rankings: Top 10 running backs for the 2022 season

6. Lew Nichols III, Central Michigan

When looking at the top rushers in the entire nation in 2021, one of the names listed at the top was Lew Nicholls III, the freshman running back for the Central Michigan Chippewas.

A three-star recruit in the 2019 class, Nichols made the most of his opportunities last season. He not only ran for over 100 yards in 10-of-13 games last year, but also ran for 200 yards (215 vs. Kent State, 219 vs. Ball State). Not only that, but he ran for 138 yards and one touchdown on 30 carries in Central Michigan’s 24-21 Sun Bowl win over Washington State.

Nichols led the entire nation in rushing yards (1,848) and carries (341), while accumulating 16 rushing yards (tied-10th). He won the oMAC Offensive Player of the Year award as a result.

Based on his impressive freshman year, Nichols makes it into the Top 10.

5. Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State

Deuce Vaughn arrived at Kansas State in 2020, and he ran for 642 yards and seven touchdowns on 123 carries in his freshman year. But as a sophomore, those numbers vastly increased.

Vaughn ran for 1,404 yards and 18 touchdowns while averaging 6.0 yards per carry (235 carries) in 13 games. His best game was the Wildcats’ final game of the 2021 season, and that was against the LSU Tigers in the Texas Bowl. In that game, Vaughn accumulated 146 carries and three touchdowns on 21 attempts.

For being one of the best running backs in football, Vaughn was named a Consensus All-American for the 2021 season.