College Football’s Top 25 Running Back Units for 2025 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
With the 2025 college football season just over a month from kickoff, 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.
Advertisement
Penn State takes the top spot for ’25 with the return of standout tandem Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. The Nittany Lions are joined by Notre Dame, Texas, Louisville, and Texas A&M in 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 2025 all factored into the rankings for the backfield. These rankings reflect projection for ’25, not solely what teams accomplished in ’24. Additionally, we tried to weigh having one standout player without much depth, as opposed to teams with multiple proven options.
College Football’s Top 25 Running Back Units for 2025
The return of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen to Happy Valley instead of entering the NFL Draft came as a surprise. However, the return of this duo is a big factor why Penn State was one of the top offseason winners and a reason this team can win it all in 2025. Singleton enters his senior year with 2,912 career rushing yards and 32 touchdowns. He’s also added 78 receptions and scored twice on kickoff returns. Allen is coming off his first 1,000-yard season (1,108), which brought his career total to 2,877 yards since ‘22. Promising redshirt freshmen Quinton Martin and Corey Smith provide depth.
Advertisement
Related: Ranking All 136 College Football Teams for 2025
Jeremiyah Love returns as college football’s No. 1 running back after a breakout season in 2024. In 16 appearances, Love rushed for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also averaged 6.9 yards per rush en route to leading Notre Dame to an appearance in the national championship. A late-season injury slowed Love’s production, but the Missouri native still ended ‘24 with five 100-yard efforts and scored on a memorable touchdown run against Penn State in the Orange Bowl. Jadarian Price (746 yards), Aneyas Williams (219), and Kedren Young (116) form a deep trio of options behind Love.
Injuries hit Texas’ backfield hard prior to last season, as projected starter CJ Baxter was lost for the year in August due to a knee ailment, and backup Christian Clark was ruled out with a torn Achilles a few days later. Despite losing Baxter and Clark, the Longhorns still averaged 153.1 rushing yards a game in SEC play behind breakout star Quintrevion Wisner. The Texas native entered ‘24 with only 12 career carries, but emerged as the go-to back for coach Steve Sarkisian, rushing for 1,064 yards and catching 44 passes in 15 appearances. With Baxter, Clark, and Jerrick Gibson (377 yards last year) all returning, the Longhorns are loaded with depth behind Wisner.
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2025-26
Advertisement
The Cardinals lost a combined 1,938 rushing yards with Jawhar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo departing for the NFL last offseason. However, coach Jeff Brohm’s ground attack didn’t miss a beat in 2024. Freshmen Isaac Brown (1,173 yards), Duke Watson (597), and Keyjuan Brown (243) went from preseason unknown to one of the deepest backfields in the nation. Watson (8.9) led all ACC rushers in yards per carry, while Brown (7.1) ranked third. Additionally, this trio was a big reason why the Cardinals led the ACC in runs of 30-plus yards (14), 40-plus (13), and 50-plus (seven).
Behind an offensive line that ranks among the best in college football, the Aggies should have no trouble imposing their will on defensive fronts in 2025. Running back Le’Veon Moss emerged as the team’s top back last year, rushing for 765 yards and 10 touchdowns before a season-ending injury in November. Amari Daniels also returns after running for 661 yards and eight scores last year. Additionally, Texas A&M’s ground game will regain the services of former five-star prospect Rueben Owens. The Texas native was poised to lead the backfield last fall but suffered a significant foot injury in August and missed the bulk of ‘24. With Owens back in the mix at full strength, the Aggies have three players capable of handling the No. 1 role this year.
Related: SEC Football Predictions for 2025
Tulane transfer Makhi Hughes (1,401 yards and 15 touchdowns last season) will slide into the No. 1 backfield role for the Ducks to replace Jordan James (1,267 yards in ‘24). Noah Whittington (540 yards) returns to work as the No. 2 behind Hughes. Redshirt freshman Da’Jaun Riggs is a name to watch as the team’s No. 3 back.
Advertisement
The Sooners landed one of the portal’s top players this spring in California transfer Jaydn Ott. Although injuries took a toll on Ott in 2024, he showcased his dynamic ability with the Golden Bears the previous season with 1,315 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. New coordinator Ben Arbuckle doesn’t lack depth here, as Jovantae Barnes (577 yards), Taylor Tatum (278), and Xavier Robinson (233) return in ‘25.
Improving the ground attack is a top priority for coach Kirby Smart and coordinator Mike Bobo after Georgia finished 15th in the SEC last season. The pieces are in place for a jump in production, as Nate Frazier is back after a standout freshman season (671 yards), with Illinois transfer Josh McCray expected to handle the No. 2 role. Receiver Dillon Bell could also see a handful of carries, while freshman Bo Walker is also expected to contribute after an impressive spring. Senior Cash Jones should help as a receiver out of the backfield, while Chauncey Bowens and Roderick Robinson round out the key contributors.
Related: Ranking All 136 College Football Teams for 2025
Baylor’s offense found its rhythm in the second half of 2024 and is poised to rank among the best in the Big 12 with quarterback Sawyer Robertson back at the helm. The backfield is deep once again, as ‘24 breakout Bryson Washington (1,028 yards) and Dawson Pendergrass (671) return.
Advertisement
Helping to make five-star freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood’s life a little easier in 2025 is the one-two punch of Jordan Marshall and Alabama transfer Justice Haynes at running back for coach Sherrone Moore.
11. Florida
12. LSU
13. Ohio State
14. Minnesota
15. Alabama
16. Miami
17. Georgia Tech
18. Washington
19. Kansas State
20. West Virginia
21. Pitt
22. Illinois
23. Missouri
24. Arizona State
25. Boise State
Related: College Football Top 136 Team Rankings for 2025
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2025-26
Related: 10 Teams That Won College Football’s 2025 Offseason
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
