• Penn State leads the list: The Nittany Lions were the only team to feature two players on PFF’s top-10 returning running backs list.
• Notre Dame was a close second: The Fighting Irish’s backfield is headlined by the best running back in college football, Jeremiyah Love.
• Get a head start on the 2026 class: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Running back is one of the most physically demanding positions in football. The hits they endure every play often caps their career at around 30 years old.

NFL teams, and even colleges, try to limit the wear and tear their tailbacks endure by opting for a committee approach to their backfield instead of relying on one workhorse. With that in mind, here are the top 10 running back units in college football entering the 2025 season.

PFF’s position unit rankings

Quarterback Room

1. Penn State

The Nittany Lions were the only team to have two players on my top-10 returning running backs list in seniors Nicholas Singleton (No. 3) and Kaytron Allen (No. 6). Among returning Power Four backs since 2023, Singleton has the most receiving yards (682) and is the second-most valuable one according to PFF’s wins above average metric. Allen is second among returning Power Four rushers with a 92.5 rushing grade and 2,000 rushing yards since 2023.

Penn State also has a trio of former four-star recruits behind them in redshirt freshman Corey Smith, redshirt freshman Quinton Martin and true freshman Jabree Wallace-Coleman.

2. Notre Dame

While Notre Dame doesn’t have two top-10 running backs like Penn State, the Fighting Irish still almost led this list for me. That’s because their backfield is headlined by the best running back in America, Jeremiyah Love. He was the second-most valuable running back in college football this past season, according to our WAA metric, and his 38% forced missed tackle rate was second among Power Four halfbacks.

Redshirt junior Jadarian Price is an excellent No. 2 option after leading all Power Four running backs with 4.5 yards after contact per attempt this past season. Notre Dame also has Aneyas Williams, who was second among true freshman backs with 172 receiving yards last year. Redshirt freshman Kedren Young was also the No. 9 running back recruit from the 2024 class, while true freshman Nolan James Jr. was No. 15 in 2025. 

3. Texas

While the Longhorns didn’t have a top-10 running back on my list, their backfield is still loaded. Quintrevion Wisner is back for his junior year after placing third among SEC backs in 2024 with 1,060 rushing yards and 695 yards after contact. 

Wisner wasn’t even meant to be the starting back last year though. That job was supposed to go to CJ Baxter, who was the top running back recruit in the 2023 class and earned an impressive 74.6 PFF grade during his true freshman season. However, he missed all of 2024 after tearing his LCL and PCL before the season. Baxter looks to now bounce back in his redshirt sophomore campaign. 

Texas also has three former four-star recruits at running back in sophomore Jerrick Gibson, redshirt freshman Christian Clark and true freshman James Simon. 

4. Louisville

In 2023, the Cardinals had two star running backs in Jawhar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo. Even though both moved on to the NFL, Louisville found its next dynamic duo in a pair of true freshmen this past season. 

Despite not even ranking as a top-40 running back recruit coming out of high school, Isaac Brown was an instant star for the Cardinals. The former three-star recruit ran for 1,168 yards as a true freshman, the most of any returning Power Four tailback. Brown’s 7.2 yards per carry also led all Power Four running backs, returning or not. He’s my No. 2 running back in college football. 

Duke Watson didn’t have the volume that Brown had, but he was incredibly efficient. The former four-star recruit’s 8.7 yards per carry led all FBS backs with at least 50 attempts. His 90.6 PFF grade was also the best mark of any true freshman Power Four back with at least 100 snaps. 

Le’Veon Moss’ junior season was cut short after nine games, but he was proving to be incredibly difficult to tackle before his knee injury. His 4.4 rushing yards after contact per attempt were sixth among Power Four backs last year. 

His backup, Amari Daniels, is back for his redshirt senior season after posting an 80.2 rushing grade with 661 rushing yards in 2024. Rueben Owens only had 16 carries this past year due to a Lisfranc injury, but he was the No. 3 running back recruit in the 2023 class and ran for 385 yards as a true freshman with another 109 yards as a receiver. E.J. Smith was a backup tailback for the Aggies last yea,r but he was Stanford’s leading rusher in 2023. The son of all-time great Emmitt Smith was also 15th among Power Four backs that year with 242 receiving yards.  

6. Oregon

The Ducks picked up the top running back in the transfer portal this offseason in Makhi Hughes. The Tulane transfer has 1,982 rushing yards after contact across his first two seasons, trailing only a pair of first-round picks in Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton. His 2,776 total rushing yards since 2023 are the most of any returning FBS back by 476 yards.

Noah Whittington is once again one of Oregon’s backup running backs and has posted an impressive 87.1 rushing grade and 1,499 rushing yards across three years with the Ducks. 

7. Oklahoma

While Hughes is the best running back who transferred this offseason, Jaydn Ott is a close second. The former California Golden Bear could only muster 385 rushing yards due to a nagging ankle injury, but he was dominant during his first two seasons. Across 2022 and 2023, Ott was sixth among Power Four backs in forced missed tackles (108) and receiving yards (517). 

The Sooners also brought back their leading rusher from 2024 in senior Jovontae Barnes. His 3.4 rushing yards after contact last year stood 10th among SEC halfbacks. Taylor Tatum is also entering his sophomore year and was the top running back recruit from the 2024 class.  

8. Georgia

Nate Frazier entered Athens with a lot of hype as the No. 2 running back recruit from the 2024 class and had a strong freshman year, leading the Bulldogs with 671 rushing yards and posting an 84.2 rushing grade. The Bulldogs also picked up Illinois’ Josh McCray in the transfer portal, who was the seventh-most-valuable Big Ten running back last year, according to PFF’s wins above average metric.

Redshirt senior Cash Jones is one of the best receiving backs in college football, placing fourth among FBS running backs with an 81.7 receiving grade. Georgia also has a quartet of former four-star recruits in redshirt sophomore Roderick Robinson II, redshirt freshman Chauncey Bowens, redshirt freshman Dwight Phillips and true freshman Bo Walker.

9. Minnesota

Darius Taylor enters his junior year as my No. 7 running back in college football and is a do-it-all back for the Golden Gophers. His 79.9 PFF receiving grade since 2023 leads all Power Four halfbacks, and his 1,317 yards after contact in that span rank second among returning Power Four runners.

Minnesota also added Marshall running back A.J. Turner from the transfer portal, who led the nation with 8.3 yards per carry last year. Turner’s 87.9 PFF grade was also 15th among FBS tailbacks with at least 250 snaps. 

10. Baylor

Bryson Washington ran for 1,035 yards in his redshirt freshman season and was 13th among Power Four running backs with an 87.9 rushing grade. His 4.1 yards after contact per attempt were also 12th in that same group.

Dawson Pendergrass also had a strong second season, posting an 80.5 rushing grade while running for 671 yards. The Bears also welcome in a four-star true freshman in Michael Turner this year.

Honorable Mention: LSU

Caden Durham was fantastic during his debut season. The former four-star recruit was second among Power Four true freshmen with 749 rushing yards, trailing only Louisville’s Isaac Brown. He also led all true freshmen backs in America with 261 receiving yards.

The Tigers also added two top-10 running back recruits from the 2025 class in Harlem Berry and JT Lindsey. Berry was the top running back coming out of high school and a five-star recruit.