College football rankings: 10 best running backs going into 2026

This year's NFL Draft just saw one of the weakest running back classes in recent memory, with only three players selected within the first three rounds — two of whom, Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, hailed from the same school. But the NFL's loss is college football's gain, because the flip side to that coin is that there are a ton of proven backs coming back to campus for (at least) one last ride in 2026.

A full 18 of the top 25 FBS rushers from a year ago will be back this fall, whether at the same school or somewhere else. But which running backs combined enough proven production and potential to crack our list of the 10 best in the country? Here's who we're riding with ahead of the upcoming season.

(Honorable mentions: Caleb Hawkins, Oklahoma State; Hollywood Smothers, Texas; Cam Cook, West Virginia)

1. Ahmad Hardy, Missouri

• 2025 stats: 256 carries, 1,649 yards, 6.4 YPC, 16 TDs; six catches, 22 yards (13 games)

It's rare that a player transfers from the G6 to an SEC school and gets better, but that's exactly what Hardy pulled off in his first year at Missouri in 2025. He came over from Louisiana and promptly led all power-conference rushers — yes, even Jeremiyah Love — despite being at times the sole engine of a Tigers offense that could charitably be described as "one-dimensional" (Mizzou only had one receiver crack 500 yards on the season).

He doesn't provide much of any value as a receiver, and if you want to pick nits, you could point out that his production fell off a cliff against the best defenses on Missouri's schedule. Still, he feels like the single surest thing among all returning running backs given his production last season and how darn difficult he is to tackle at 5-foot-10 and 200-plus pounds.

2. Jadan Baugh, Florida

• 2025 stats: 220 carries, 1,170 yards, 5.3 YPC, 8 TDs; 33 catches, 210 yards, 2 TDs (12 games)

This ranking puts Baugh ahead of several running backs with gaudier stat lines and more high-profile performances. But while everything was collapsing around Billy Napier in his final year at Florida, Baugh just kept on chugging, closing the season with 131 total yards against Tennessee and a whopping 266 on the ground against Florida State. Heck, he even averaged 4.8 yards per carry against Georgia, a minor miracle considering the Dawgs' defense and the lack of any kind of passing offense around him.

Guys that big (6-foot-1, 231 pounds) simply should not be able to move like this, and if I were starting a team tomorrow, there are very, very few college running backs I'd take over him given just how well-rounded he is. If Jon Sumrall gets the pieces in place in year one, Baugh is about to become a household name.

3. Mark Fletcher Jr., Miami

• 2025 stats: 216 carries, 1,192 yards, 5.5 YPC, 12 TDs; 17 catches, 140 yards, 2 TDs (14 games)

It's remarkable to look back and remember that Fletcher began the 2025 season stuck in a committee, with plenty of Miami fans ready to move on after a solid but underwhelming first two years on campus. Safe to say they don't feel that way anymore, not after he set a record for rushing yards in a single College Football Playoff run by going for over 100 apiece against Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Indiana (plus 90 against Ohio State). I'm knocking Fletcher down ever so slightly because of his lack of track record as a true bellcow, and because I'm curious to see how he fares with a less dominant offensive line in front of him. But there's a good chance we're talking about him as a potential second- or third-round pick in next year's NFL Draft.

4. Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss

• 2025 stats: 306 carries, 1,567 yards, 5.1 YPC, 24 TDs; 29 catches, 177 yards (15 games)

Lane Kiffin loves nothing more than to find a workhorse and ride him into the ground, but no matter how much he put on Lacy's plate last season — and his 306 total carries led all of FBS — the former Mizzou transfer never buckled, grinding out tough, critical yards in close wins against LSU, Oklahoma and Georgia. Keeping your offense on schedule while soaking up that sort of volume is no small thing, especially considering how often Ole Miss asked him to operate in tight areas and make something out of nothing. He's not the flashiest guy, but he might have the single highest floor in the entire country.

5. Nate Frazier, Georgia

• 2025 stats: 173 carries, 947 yards, 5.5 YPC, 6 TDs; 16 catches, 116 yards, 1 TD (14 games)

Sure, some projection is involved here. Frazier saw at least 15 carries in a game just four times last season, and spent much of the year mired in a classic Kirby Smart committee. But I think that's about to change in a big way: Frazier's looked like he belonged in the SEC from the moment he stepped on the field as a true freshman in 2024 — no small feat — and when the chips were down, the Dawgs knew where their bread was buttered. It's no coincidence that he was the team's clear back of choice in games down the stretch against Texas, Georgia Tech, Alabama (in the SEC title game) and Ole Miss (in the CFP).

Now he enters his junior year as the undisputed lead guy, and if he can stay healthy and keep putting his ball-security issues further and further in the rearview mirror, he could be ready to take off. Georgia will likely never give any one back the lion's share of the work as long as Smart is around, but pound-for-pound, I'm not sure there are many backs better than Frazier in 2026.

6. Justice Haynes, Georgia Tech

• 2025 stats: 121 carries, 857 yards, 7.1 YPC, 10 TDs; 13 catches, 50 yards (seven games)

I'm not sure people realize just how good Haynes was before his season was cut short due to injury after just six-plus games. So here's a reminder: He averaged over seven yards per carry on more than 17 carries per game and cleared the 100-yard mark in all but one contest — a stretch that included a 125-yard performance on the road at Oklahoma. Oh, and he did all of that with an essentially non-existent passing game as Bryce Underwood was still finding his sea legs.

Now Haynes is off to Georgia Tech, where Brent Key sure knows how to run the ball. The Jackets offense faces some tough questions with Haynes King moving on, but if the requisite pieces are in place around him, Haynes should be in for a monster year that finally makes good on all the hype that's followed him since he was a true freshman at Alabama.

7. Antwan Raymond, Rutgers

• 2025 stats: 244 carries, 1,241 yards, 5.1 YPC, 13 TDs; 18 catches, 225 yards, 2 TDs (12 games)

If you didn't much feel like paying attention to the Rutgers offense last season, well, I don't blame you. But you missed the latest in an increasingly long line of impressive running backs, as Raymond took over from the departed Kyle Monangai and didn't miss a beat. His piece de resistance was a 189-yard effort to close the year against Penn State, but he more than held his own against the likes of Ohio State, Oregon, Washington and Iowa even when nothing else was really working for the Scarlet Knights. He's a really, really tough runner who has some wiggle out of the backfield as a receiver, too, and his production in spite of how little help he got from his teammates speaks volumes.

8. Isaac Brown, Louisville

• 2025 stats: 101 carries, 884 yards, 8.8 YPC, 7 TDs; 13 catches, 48 yards (nine games)

You know the True Detective meme where Matthew McConnaughey is ripping a cigarette with a crazed look in his eye? That's a pretty tidy summation of the Isaac Brown Experience. One day you'll swear he's the best running back in the country, an instant big play from anywhere on the field. And then the next he'll be fumbling the game away before leaving with some injury or another.

The talent is undeniable — seriously, he averaged almost nine yards a carry last season on a not-insignificant workload. But at 5-foot-9, the durability questions are just as loud. If Brown wants to prove that he really is worth of being considered as a Heisman Trophy candidate, now is the time.

9. Wayne Knight, UCLA

• 2025 stats: 207 carries, 1,373 yards, 6.6 YPC, 9 TDs; 40 catches, 397 yards, 1 TD (14 games)

There were plenty of other G6 candidates worthy of consideration for this list, from Cam Cook to Caleb Hawkins to Dylan Riley. Why was Knight the one who made the cut? For starters, his versatility; he's a legitimate weapon out of the backfield, as his 40 catches last year attest. He also did it against better competition, both in Sun Belt play (the best non-power conference in the country, for my money) and when he got the chance against the big boys (126 yards against Washington State, 110 yards to go along with three receptions against Oregon). I can't wait to see whether his game (and his diminutive frame) can translate to the Big Ten as he follows coach Bob Chesney to UCLA. But of all the up-transfers this offense, he's the one in whom I have the most faith.

10. LJ Martin, BYU

• 2025 stats: 236 carries, 1,305 yards, 5.5 YPC, 12 TDs; 36 catches, 255 yards (13 games)

I'm sure BYU fans are up in arms over this, and I don't blame them; Martin's done yeoman's work for this offense over the past couple of years, and he was a huge part of their success in 2025. He's much more floor than ceiling, though, and he was nowhere to be found in the Cougars' two blowout losses to Texas Tech. Martin is a very good running back, but I'm not fully convinced he's a great one, and that's tough given the quality of competition he's up against.

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