• Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II: The reigning Doak Walker Award winner is the clear choice to be the top returning running back in college football.
• Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins: The Ole Miss transfer leads all Power Five running backs since 2022 in rushing yards, yards after contact and forced missed tackles.
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Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes
With the 2023 college football season in the books, it’s time to turn our attention to 2024 by ranking the top returning players at every position.
Next up is perhaps the most loaded position in college football for 2024: running back. Of the 15 leading FBS rushers from this past season, 12 are returning to school. That group doesn’t even account for five of the players mentioned in this article.
Below is a list of PFF’s top-10 returning running backs in college football in addition to an honorable mention nominee. Please note that NFL projection was not taken into account in these rankings.
(Click here to view PFF’s top-10 returning quarterbacks list)
1. Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State Cowboys
As the reigning Doak Walker Award winner, Gordon was the obvious choice to lead this list. The true sophomore led the nation this past season with 1,732 rushing yards while placing second in rushing touchdowns (21) and yards after contact (1,056). Gordon did all of that while only receiving 19 total carries over the first three games, averaging nearly 150 yards over the final 11 contests. Oklahoma State also finished just 103rd in team PFF run-blocking grade (55.3), making his dominance even more impressive. Gordon was also relied on heavily in the Cowboys’ passing game, as his 330 receiving yards were the third-most by a Power Five running back in 2023.
Next year, he’ll attempt to join Jonathan Taylor, Darren McFadden and Ricky Williams as the only running backs to win the Doak Walker Award twice.
Ollie Gordon II is a superstar
That jump cut in the hole is ???????? pic.twitter.com/yJXCmegYlS
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) October 21, 2023
2. Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State Buckeyes
Judkins is the only running back on this list who’ll be playing for a new school in 2024, transferring to Ohio State from Ole Miss in January. He's been the most productive back over the last couple seasons. Since 2022, Judkins leads all Power Five running backs in rushing yards (2,726), yards after contact (1,800) and forced missed tackles (154). Those also happened to be his first two years of college football. Judkins will likely be relied on heavily as a junior to carry Ohio State back to prominence, along with his teammate further down this list.
The only player with more forced missed tackles than Quinshon Judkins is Bijan Robinson.
Judkins is a true freshman.pic.twitter.com/Ipx09mraHw
— Max Chadwick (@MaxChadwickCFB) November 1, 2022
3. Omarion Hampton, North Carolina Tar Heels
Hampton had a massive breakout season as a sophomore, leading the nation with 1,072 yards after contact. Like Gordon, Hampton’s production came behind an offensive line that was outside of the top-100 in PFF run-blocking grade (101st). With star quarterback Drake Maye off to the NFL, Hampton should be relied on even more in his junior campaign.
Omarion Hampton against Clemson:
• 19 carries
• 178 yards
• 2 touchdownsAnother huge performance by Hamptonpic.twitter.com/DsfrZOHfKs
— Ensign Gridiron (@EnsignGridiron) November 19, 2023
4. Jaydn Ott, California Golden Bears
Similarly to Judkins, Ott dominated his first two seasons of college football. Since 2022, his 1,394 yards after contact and 108 forced missed tackles rank third among returning Power Five running backs while his 2,201 total rushing yards are fourth. He’s also proven to be a capable receiver out of the backfield with 517 receiving yards over the last couple years (sixth among Power Five running backs). Ott will be the driving force for California’s offense as it makes its way into the ACC.
It’s just the beginning for this freshman. ????
Jaydn Ott’s second 70+ yard TD in @CalFootball’s win over Arizona is this week’s @76 #FanFueledMoment. pic.twitter.com/radUcXSjQl
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) September 29, 2022
5. Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech Red Raiders
Brooks possesses a stocky build at 5-foot-10, 230 pounds that defenders routinely bounce off of. The senior led the nation this past season with 96 forced missed tackles and was fourth in the country in both yards after contact (998) and rushing yards (1,547). He also moved the chains more than anyone else in the country in 2023, with 96 of his carries going for a first down or touchdown. Brooks will once again be the bell-cow for Texas Tech’s offense in 2024.
Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks has been showcasing his rugged running style against Texas all night. Impressive contact balance here.
Brooks is an underrated RB prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft class. pic.twitter.com/mNf6jAe5ql
— Seven Rounds in Heaven (@7RoundsInHeaven) November 25, 2023
6. TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State Buckeyes
Between Judkins and Henderson, Ohio State has far and away the best backfield in college football next season. After an injury-plagued sophomore season, Henderson began to look more like himself as a junior. His 90.0 PFF grade in 2023 was seventh among Power Five running backs. Henderson’s 5.9 yards per attempt were second among Big Ten running backs in 2023.
He still missed three games due to injury as a junior, so the addition of Judkins should hopefully keep Henderson fresh in his senior year as the Buckeyes use more of a committee backfield.
Marv’s injury sucked the energy out of the TD run, but my goodness is TreVeyon Henderson so back. pic.twitter.com/vusBxCbRIi
— Buckeye Fett™ (@BuckeyeFett) September 24, 2023
7. Devin Neal, Kansas Jayhawks
Neal has been one of the most productive running backs in the nation over the last couple seasons. Since 2022, the junior’s 2,373 rushing yards trail only Quinshon Judkins and Blake Corum among Power Five rushers. His 25 rushing touchdowns in that span are third in that same group to Corum, Judkins and Audric Estime. He’s an incredibly shifty back with elite change-of-direction ability, frequently breaking defenders’ ankles. He and Jalon Daniels combine for one of the best returning quarterback/running back combinations in college football next season.
Devin Neal is in store for a HUGE season????
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 2, 2023
8. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State Broncos
Jeanty is the only Group of Five player on this list, but it’s well-deserved considering how elite he’s been through his first two seasons of college football. In 2022, he led all FBS true freshmen with an 89.5 PFF grade. Jeanty proceeded to lead all FBS running backs in 2023 with a 94.9 PFF grade and was the most valuable back according to PFF’s wins above average metric. He was the only running back in America with 90-plus PFF grades as a runner and receiver.
Jeanty was third among FBS running backs with 82 forced missed tackles while leading them all with 578 receiving yards. Based on how his first two years have gone, it’s fair to expect a dominant 2024 from the junior as well.
#BoiseState RB Ashton Jeanty should be high in your watchlist for what looks like a loaded ‘25 RB draft class. Does this as a runner and receiver, so explosive in the open field. pic.twitter.com/PodXyoEplS
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) November 24, 2023
9. RJ Harvey, UCF Knights
Harvey had his best year yet as a redshirt senior in 2023, placing sixth among FBS running backs with 1,417 rushing yards. He’s a home-run threat every time he touches the ball, with 17 carries of 20-plus yards. The only running back in the country who had more was Ollie Gordon II, who led the nation in rushing yards and was the top player on this list. While Harvey is a smaller back at 5-foot-8, 195 pounds, that low center of gravity allowed him to force 74 missed tackles which were tied for the sixth-most in the FBS.
Harvey enters his sixth season of college football as one of many superstar running backs in the Big 12, as the conference leads the way with four players on this list.
RJ Harvey to the moon! Citronauts up 31-3 vs. Oklahoma State. pic.twitter.com/lwwzxqKqjZ
— Max Olson (@max_olson) November 11, 2023
10. Damien Martinez, Oregon State Beavers
Martinez has quietly been one of the most productive running backs in college football over his first two seasons. Since 2022, his 1,304 yards after contact are fourth among returning Power Five backs. In that same span, 68 of his carries have gone for 10-plus yards, trailing only Quinshon Judkins among Power Five rushers.
It should be noted that Oregon State led the Power Five in run-blocking grade this past season and was sixth in the FBS the year before, so Martinez has had the privilege of running through some massive holes. With the Beavers losing some stars along the offensive line like Taliese Fuaga, more pressure will be placed on the junior to create for himself next season.
Damien Martinez takes the first Oregon State snap 64 yards to the house.
Starting the new Reser Stadium era with a bang pic.twitter.com/od5KWFAB3R
— T.J. Mathewson (@tjmathewson) September 10, 2023
Honorable Mention: Donovan Edwards, Michigan Wolverines
Edwards had a disappointing junior campaign, rushing for just 497 yards on 119 attempts as he served as the complementary back to Blake Corum. He’s flashed superstar ability before though, especially in the biggest games of the season last year when Corum went down with a knee injury.
Donovan Edwards in Michigan’s final three games of the 2022 season:
| Game | Rushing Yards | Rushing Touchdowns | Yards Per Carry |
| at Ohio State | 216 | 2 | 9.8 |
| vs Purdue (Big Ten Championship) | 185 | 1 | 7.4 |
| vs TCU (College Football Playoff Semifinal) | 119 | 0 | 5.2 |
In the national championship game against Washington this year, Edwards had six carries for 104 yards and two scores, averaging a ridiculous 17.3 yards per attempt. He’s a proven receiver as well, with 456 receiving yards over the last two seasons. With Corum and quarterback J.J. McCarthy moving on to the NFL, Edwards has a chance to finally show what he can do as Michigan’s bell-cow back.
“I’ll go down as one of the greatest running backs to play the game. I’ll be up there with Walter Payton and Barry Sanders.”
Donovan Edwards doesn’t have high expectations for himself, he has ???? expectations.
Interview with @DEdwards__ dropping tomorrow!@UMichFootball x @PFF pic.twitter.com/M5neNb7EPK
— Max Chadwick (@MaxChadwickCFB) August 6, 2023
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