Summer is for sunshine -- and in the case of college football, sunshine-pumping. All evaluations and intel trend on the side of optimism this time of year.
Countless players will report to camp "in the best shape of their career." Every contender has depth. Every five-star is ready. Every transfer was the missing piece. But I'll tell you from experience that every position room is one injury, one bad camp or one locker room blowup from being a lot thinner than it looks on paper.
So before the season starts breaking things, we are going position by position to rank the best rooms in college football as a lead-up to our top 150 preseason player rankings. This is about more than star power. It is about who has real players, real answers and enough talent behind the headliner to still matter when the season gets ugly -- because it will.
Here are the top 10 running back rooms in college football.
1. Miami
The Hurricanes return a deep stable of backs with different skill sets, led by Mark Fletcher Jr., who enters the season as my No. 2 running back. Fletcher is elite in all areas and a leader who can take over games, as he did in the College Football Playoff last season. Fletcher rushed for almost 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is a nice blend of power and speed, understands blocking concepts and is rarely tackled for a loss.
CharMar Brown is a nice blend of power with good vision and scored seven touchdowns while rushing for nearly 500 yards. Jordan Lyle started the season as RB1 and has good speed, but got in the doghouse early and disappeared. Gerard Pringle is more of a smaller speedster who excels on outside runs and has excellent speed. He rushed for 375 yards on limited touches. Those three all have the ability to start at many college programs and each brings a unique skill set to complement Fletcher.
2. Texas Tech
The Red Raiders return an impressive trio of Cameron Dickey, J'Koby Williams and Quinten Joyner. Dickey and Williams ran through the Big 12 last season, combining for 20 rushing touchdowns while averaging more than five yards per carry.
Dickey was a massive piece of Texas Tech's explosive offense, rushing for more than 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding two receiving scores. Dickey churned out 30 explosive runs and has the patience to let his blocks develop and the acceleration to take it the distance once he gets into space.
Williams has elite speed and is a threat to score any time he finds a crease. Joyner is healthy this season and has the juice to start if needed, as he did before his injury last season.
3. Oregon
The Ducks return two impressive sophomores in Jordan Davison and future superstar Dierre Hill, who should form an electric duo in the Big Ten. Davison averaged 5.9 yards per touch with 15 rushing touchdowns and offers a nice blend of power, speed, vision and cutback ability.
Hill has barely scratched the surface of his potential and averaged 8.75 yards per carry. He has home-run speed and excels in Oregon's outside-zone scheme and on jet sweeps for huge gains. Hill also has good power and a nice stiff-arm and projects as a future NFL star. Da'Juan Riggs and Simeon Price saw limited action last season and will compete with freshman Tradarian Ball for carries.
4. Louisville
The Cardinals have an electric duo in Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown, who have only been slowed by minor injuries. Isaac Brown is a smaller, slashing back who is electric in the open field. He thrives in outside-zone schemes and has an excellent ability to plant his foot and get north.
Brown has the ability to change a game at any moment and averaged 8.8 yards per carry on just 101 attempts. He rushed for more than 700 yards, scored six touchdowns and had 23 explosive runs despite missing three games. Keyjuan Brown is a power back who is a yards-after-contact machine. The duo forms a nice power-and-lightning combination. Marquise Davis is likely the next man up after gaining valuable experience last season.
5. USC
The Trojans return a dynamic duo in former walk-on King Miller and Waymond Jordan, who combined to average more than 6.2 yards per carry in 2025. Jordan started the first six games before suffering a season-ending injury and finished with 576 yards and five touchdowns. He shows great vision, a nasty jump cut and hesitation move that can freeze defenders, along with a nice blend of speed and power.
Miller stepped up and delivered nearly 1,000 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He has the ability to run inside and outside with good vision, cutback ability and the speed to take it the distance. The Trojans always have a talented stable of backs. Deshonne Redeaux, Shahn Alston and Riley Wormley are all expected to have roles in Lincoln Riley's offense in 2026.
6. Florida
Jadan Baugh leads the Gators' rushing attack after averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He excels in inside-zone runs with good patience, vision and the ability to break arm tackles. Baugh had almost 800 yards after contact and should be featured even more in Jon Sumrall's scheme.
Florida also has quality depth behind Baugh with Evan Pryor and Logan Montgomery, who were productive starters at Cincinnati and East Carolina, combining for 1,300 rushing yards last season. Duke Clark is also expected to have a role after gaining limited experience last season.
7. Missouri
Ahmad Hardy's availability remains in question after he was shot in May, but I will assume he returns at some point. Hardy is a powerful runner who excels after contact thanks to a thick lower body, excellent feet and strong vision. He finished with 1,649 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, dominating weaker opponents last season but struggling against many of the SEC's top teams. Jamal Roberts is next in line and is another powerful runner who averaged more than six yards per carry while rushing for more than 750 yards last season. Roberts excels between the tackles but also has the ability to bounce runs outside.
8. Texas
The Longhorns reset their running back room after a disappointing 2025 rushing season. Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers should provide a massive upgrade and form a dangerous duo. Brown rushed for 1,141 yards with 31 explosive runs last year. He is a lightning-quick back who can cut on a dime and also has the ability to grind out tough yards. Brown has an alpha mentality as a runner and is also a receiving threat after hauling in 34 catches for more than 300 yards at Arizona State last season.
Smothers is a slashing runner with good patience and vision who led the ACC with more than 85 rushing yards per game and averaged 5.8 yards per touch. Derrek Cooper and Michael Terry provide talented depth with bright futures.
9. Ohio State
It's hard to think of a program that has been more consistent over the past few decades at recruiting and developing running backs than Ohio State. Bo Jackson returns as RB1 after an impressive freshman season in which he averaged six yards per carry while rushing for almost 1,100 yards and more than 700 yards after contact. Jackson has good power, excellent contact balance and does most of his damage between the tackles.
Zay West added more than 300 rushing yards on limited carries before suffering an injury during spring practice. Ja'Kobi Jackson has the talent to take over the No. 2 role if he rediscovers his 2024 form after showing flashes last season at Florida. Anthony Rogers and Sam Dixon are expected to add depth to another talented room.
10. Georgia
Georgia always features a punishing running game behind its massive offensive line. Nate Frazier returns as the alpha after averaging nearly 5.5 yards per carry while producing 17 explosive runs in 2025. Frazier loves to run downhill, sets up his blocks well and finished with more than 551 rushing yards after contact. He is also a threat as a receiver.
Chauncey Bowens rushed for more than 500 yards while averaging more than 5.1 yards per touch as a freshman, and some believe he is just as good as — or even better than — Frazier. Dwight Phillips Jr. has world-class speed and provides a nice change of pace. Dante Dowdell is expected to serve as the short-yardage and goal-line specialist. Add quarterback Gunner Stockton's designed runs to the mix, and this is a scary group.
