The Top 50 College Football Running Backs of the 21st Century
From 2000 through 2009, many running backs have entered the college football landscape and left their mark on the sport.
Electrifying runs, breakneck speeds, unbelievable cutbacks and touchdown after touchdown are all things fans look for out of their starting back.
While some may have had outstanding seasons or the longevity to get into the record books, here are the 50 best running backs of the 21st Century.
No. 50: Jeremiah Johnson, Oregon
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Jeremiah Johnson may have found himself much higher on this list if he was able to stay healthy and didn't have to share carries his junior and senior seasons.
Johnson was a quick back who had great vision and also could catch the ball. His most successful season was in 2008 when he shared carries with LaGarrette Blount and still rushed for 1,201 yards and 13 touchdowns.
No. 49: Michael Bennett, Wisconsin
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Another running back to cash in on his success as a junior was Michael Bennett. Bennett spent his time at Wisconsin and was the back-up to Ron Dayne his first two years on campus.
Once Dayne was out of the way, Bennett had a great junior season, rushing for 1,592 yards and 10 touchdowns.
No. 48: Jerome Harrison, Washington State
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Coming to Washington State after his sophomore year, Jerome Harrison showed what he could do as a featured back. In 2004, Harrison shared carries, but still managed to gain 900 yards and score nine touchdowns.
When the 2005 season began, Harrison was on his own and flourished in the spotlight. He had a breakout season that saw him rush for 1,900 yards and 16 touchdowns.
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No. 47: Luke Staley, BYU
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From 1999-2001, Luke Staley quietly put together a tremendous career at BYU.
In his junior year, Staley had his best season, rushing for 1,596 yards, 24 touchdowns and he led the nation with a 8.1 yards per carry average.
To cap off his season, Staley was awarded both the Jim Brown and Doak Walker awards.
No. 46: LaMichael James, Oregon
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Despite only playing one season in the 21st Century, LaMichael James made his mark in 2009.
During the 2009 season, James was pushed into the starting role after LaGarrette Blount was suspended indefinitely. When he stepped in, he proved the Ducks would not miss a beat. James broke the Pac-10 freshman rushing record by going for 1,546 yards and also scored 14 touchdowns.
Now in his third year at Oregon, James is continuing to make his mark on a new decade of college football.
No. 45: Stephen Jackson, Oregon State
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From 2001-2003, Stephen Jackson played for Oregon State. Despite playing a limited role as a freshman, Jackson would rush for more than 1,500 yards in his sophomore and junior seasons.
Jackson rushed for 39 touchdowns in his career with the Beavers and is one of the best backs the school has seen.
No. 44: Marion Barber III, Minnesota
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From 2001-2004, Marion Barber III played for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. During his time there, Barber got over the 1,000-yard mark twice, and when he teamed up with Laurence Maroney, the two were virtually unstoppable.
He would skip his senior year with Minnesota and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.
No. 43: Branden Ore, Virgina Tech
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While at Virginia Tech, Branden Ore made tremendous contributions.
During his three years, Ore rushed for 2,776 yards, but more impressive was his 31 career touchdowns.
Ore's college career came to a strange end when it was announced he would not be returning to the Hokies for his senior season.
No. 42: Jahvid Best, Cal
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While Jahvid Best had a good career at Cal, his years there came to a scary end. Late in his junior season, Best scored a touchdown against Oregon State, but was upended and sustained a season-ending injury.
Best was a member of the Golden Bears from 2007-2009 and had his best year as a sophomore. During the 2008 season, he rushed for 1,580 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Best is now early in his pro career with the Detroit Lions.
No. 41: William Green, Boston College
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Despite keeping a low profile at Boston College, William Green put together a couple of great seasons for the Eagles.
In 2000 and 2001, Green rushed for 1,164 and 1,559 yards respectively and ran for 29 touchdowns.
Once his time was done at Boston College, Green went on to be drafted by the Browns.
No. 40: Shonn Greene, Iowa
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Shonn Greene's college career leaves something to the imagination. After only playing in a few games during the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Greene had to leave Iowa due to academic issues.
Despite the year off, Greene came back to Iowa in 2008 and had a great year. He rushed for 1,850 yards and 20 touchdowns, and also won the Doak Walker award.
No. 39: Michael Turner, Northern Illinois
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When you open up the Northern Illinois record book and take a look at the rushing records, you will see Michael Turner's name all throughout. Turner is the record holder for yards, touchdowns and all-purpose yards.
Nicknamed Michael "The Burner" Turner, he lived up to that during his four years in college and in the pros, and is certainly one of the best backs to come out of the MAC.
No. 38: Joseph Addai, LSU
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During his five years at LSU, Joseph Addai was consistent and helped Nick Saban and the Tigers through their SEC schedule.
Addai played at LSU from 2001-2005, but was granted a medical redshirt his first season. During his career, Addai did spend time as a blocking back, but was clearly a better runner than blocker.
He currently sits fifth in the LSU record books in terms of rushing yards with 2,577 and also had 18 touchdowns.
No. 37: Mark Ingram, Alabama
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Mark Ingram certainly saved his best for the last year of the 21st Century.
After a solid 2008 season, Ingram followed it up with an unforgettable 2009. He was able to rush for 1,658 yards, 17 scores, won the Heisman Trophy and helped Alabama win the National Championship.
Ingram would come back to Alabama for one more year and was drafted by New Orleans with the 28th overall pick in this year's draft.
No. 36: Jerious Norwood, Mississippi State
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Despite being more well known as a running back for the Atlanta Falcons, Jerious Norwood spent 2002-2005 playing for Mississippi State and got better every year he was there.
Norwood was a three-year starter for the Bulldogs and was able to break the record for most 100-yard games in Bulldogs history. He finished his career with more than 3,000 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns.
No. 35: Jamaal Charles, Texas
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Jamaal Charles spent three years at Texas and got his opportunity right away as a true freshman. In his first year, Charles rushed for 878 yards and 11 touchdowns.
After a solid season as a sophomore, Charles had a career year as a junior, rushing for 1,619 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Charles finds himself in some pretty good company at the University of Texas, as he currently sits fourth all-time in rushing yards.
No. 34: Clinton Portis, Miami (Fla.)
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Clinton Portis saved his best season for the 21st Century. While he played at Miami from 1999-2001, 2001 saw him rush for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns.
While his career numbers of 2,523 yards and 20 scores are not eye-popping, Portis has gone on to have a solid NFL career.
No. 33: Donald Brown, Connecticut
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From 2006-2008, Donald Brown was in the Connecticut backfield. For his first two years, he had back-to-back seasons with 800 yards and scored 15 touchdowns over those two years.
Brown's break-out year proved to be his junior season when he rushed for 2,083 yards and 18 touchdowns. He would also forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft.
No. 32: Ronnie Brown, Auburn
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Together with Cadillac Williams, Ronnie Brown was a part of one of the best running back duos Auburn has ever seen.
From 2000-2004, Brown spent five years at Auburn, redshirting his freshman season. His best season came in 2002 when he saw most of the carries due to a Williams injury.
During that year, many got glimpses of what Brown could do on his own. While sharing carries though, Brown finished his time at Auburn with 2,707 yards and 28 touchdowns.
No. 31: Jonathan Stewart, Oregon
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Jonathan Stewart may have been one of the best-kept secrets on the West Coast.
Stewart played at Oregon from 2005-2007 and averaged 5.6 yards per carry during his career. He was also a part of the 2007 Oregon offense that was led by Dennis Dixon. In his junior year, Stewart rushed for 1,722 yards and scored 11 touchdowns.
No. 30: Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
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Knowshon Moreno was at Georgia for three seasons, but did not play during his first year, so he redshirted.
After entering his second season, Moreno was the go-to back and did not disappoint.
During two years as a starter, he rushed for 2,736 yards and 30 touchdowns. Moreno was an electric back who took his game to the NFL and currently plays for Denver.
No. 29: Antonio Pittman, Ohio State
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Another three-year man is Antonio Pittman, who played for Ohio State from 2004-2006. Pittman did not get a lot of carries in his first year at Ohio State, but had back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons in 2005 and 2006.
After his junior year, Pittman made the move to the NFL, ending his career in college with 2,945 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. He would not be missed long though, as Chris Wells would soon step in to fill the void.
No. 28: Felix Jones, Arkansas
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The one thing that plagued Felix Jones throughout his career was he was never given the opportunity to be the featured back with Arkansas.
Jones spent three years at Arkansas and despite sharing carries, he still rushed for 2,956 yards and put together back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. In his junior season, Jones not only rushed for 1,162 yards, but he also added 11 touchdowns.
No. 27: LeSean McCoy, Pittsburgh
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After redshirting his first year at Pittsburgh, LeSean McCoy took the college football world by storm.
In the two years he played for the Panthers, McCoy rushed for 2,816 yards and 35 touchdowns. He was also a threat out of the backfield, as he caught 65 passes during his two seasons.
No. 26: Marshawn Lynch, Cal
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Despite only spending three years at Cal, Marshawn Lynch left his mark in a hurry. In his first year with the Golden Bears, Lynch found himself in a back-up role, but got some much needed experience that would pay off the next two years.
Lynch broke into the starting role as a sophomore and junior, and rushed for 1,246 and 1,356, respectively. In his junior year, Lynch was named Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year.
No. 25: Kevin Smith, UCF
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In 2005 and 2006, Kevin Smith was a solid back, but did not truly turn heads until 2007.
Smith was on track for a record-breaking season in 2007. Despite having an unbelievable season, he came up 62 yards short of breaking Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record. Smith finished the season with 2,567 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Despite only playing three seasons at UCF, Smith became the school's all-time rushing leader.
No. 24: Kenneth Darby, Alabama
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Kenneth Darby had a steady career at Alabama from 2002-2006, and during his last three years, he was named to either the First or Second Team All-SEC.
Darby had a chance to break the Alabama rushing record as a senior, but came up a couple hundred yards short. He would finish with 3,324 rushing yards.
No. 23: Toby Gerhart, Stanford
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Nobody ran harder from 2006-2009 than Toby Gerhart. While managing to put up 3,522 yards rushing and 44 touchdowns, the numbers could have been even higher if he didn't miss all but one game in the 2007 season.
2009 was his best year by far, as he was able to get himself into the Heisman Trophy talk and finished second to Mark Ingram.
No. 22: C.J. Spiller, Clemson
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When C.J. Spiller started at Clemson, he found himself in the back-up role to James Davis. It did not take long for Spiller to make an impression though, as he rushed for 938 yards and 10 touchdowns his first year on campus.
During much of his career, Spiller had to share carries, but he still managed to gain 3,547 yards and score 32 touchdowns. He was also a threat in the passing game, seeing his yards and touchdowns go up each year.
No. 21: Laurence Maroney, Minnesota
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Another back to have success at the collegiate level despite splitting carries was Laurence Maroney.
During his time at Minnesota, Maroney shared carries with Marion Barber for two years, then shared carries again in 2005.
Even though he was not the main back, Maroney had three straight seasons with more than 1,000 yards rushing and finished his career with 3,933 yards and 32 scores.
No. 20: Chris "Beanie" Wells, Ohio State
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Taking over for Antonio Pittman was Chris "Beanie" Wells. Even with the production Pittman provided Ohio State in 2005 and 2006, Wells was certainly not a step down.
Wells was eased into his role during the 2006 season and took off in 2007. During that season, he rushed for 1,609 yards and 15 scores. He was also a three-year player who ended up rushing for 3,382 yards and 30 scores.
No. 19: Carnell Williams, Auburn
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Carnell Williams was a record-setter at Auburn. Once his career finished with the Tigers, Williams broke Bo Jackson's touchdown record by scoring 45 of his own.
Williams also set another Auburn record with 741 carries over his career. His 3,831 career rushing yards wasn't too shabby either.
No. 18: James Davis, Clemson
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James Davis spent four years at Clemson and enjoyed a great career.
He had a break-out season as a sophomore when he rushed for 1,187 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2006.
After graduating in 2008, Davis had accumulated 3,897 yards and 47 touchdowns.
No. 17: Kevin Jones , Virginia Tech
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Kevin Jones is one of the better backs to come through Virginia Tech and was one of their most highly-rated recruits out of high school.
During his career in college, Jones accounted for 3,475 yards and 35 touchdowns. He also had an impressive 5.6 yards per carry over his career.
While he had a good career in college, things have not gone well for Jones since being drafted by the Detroit Lions.
No. 16: Willis McGahee, Miami (Fla.)
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Willis McGahee will be most remembered for the season he had in 2002.
McGahee rushed for 1,753 yards and 28 touchdowns, and he also broke a school record with 10 100-yard games.
McGahee was with Miami when they won the 2001 National Championship and was hoping to lead them to another in 2002, but saw his collegiate career end in the fourth quarter of the National Championship when a knee injury put his career in jeopardy.
No. 15: Ian Johnson, Boise State
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While most people will remember Ian Johnson for his role in Boise State's victory over Oklahoma, he did have a great four-year career in college.
Johnson had a stand-out year as a sophomore when he rushed for 1,714 yards and 25 touchdowns. He graduated with 4,184 yards and 58 touchdowns.
No. 14: Mike Hart, Michigan
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Mike Hart had a great career for one of the most storied programs, Michigan. Hart spent four years with the Wolverines and turned down the NFL to return for his senior season.
As a freshman, he set the Michigan freshman rushing record with 1,455 yards. He also finished fifth in voting for the Heisman Trophy his junior season.
Despite rushing for 5,040 over his career, Hart could have had even more success if he did not miss time during his sophomore season with an injury.
No. 13: Steve Slaton, West Virginia
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One of the only players to not be overshadowed by Pat White at West Virginia was Steve Slaton.
Slaton was a three-year starter and a threat in and out of the backfield, rushing for 3,923 yards and 50 touchdowns. Slaton was also able to pull in 65 receptions for 805 yards and five scores.
He was named a consensus All-American in 2006.
No. 12: Quentin Griffin, Oklahoma
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Quentin Griffin was part of a Oklahoma Sooners team that won the 2000 National Championship.
Griffin started three years with the Sooners and rushed for 4,732 total yards and 41 touchdowns.
No. 11: Avon Cobourne, West Virginia
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By many in the Big East, Avon Cobourne is considered the best back to ever play at West Virginia. He spent four years with West Virginia and broke the 1,000-yard mark every year.
During his four years, Cobourne rushed for a total of 5,164 yards and 42 touchdowns. He currently sits atop the Big East record books for career rushing yards.
No. 10: Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois
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Garrett Wolfe called the University of Northern Illinois home from 2003-2006. His first year was spent on the sidelines, but once he got his shot as a sophomore, Wolfe never turned back.
He never rushed for less than 1,500 yards and 16 scores, and the only thing that could slow him down was a knee injury in 2005.
At the end of his career, Wolfe rushed for an impressive 5,164 yards and 52 touchdowns.
No. 9: Ray Rice, Rutgers
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Rutgers can thank Ray Rice for putting the program back on the map. From 2005-2007 Rice ran wild, breaking the 1,000-yard mark in all three of his seasons.
He saved his best for last, as he was able to run for 2,012 yards and 24 touchdowns. Rice also holds the school record for most career rushing touchdowns and rushing yards in a game.
No. 8: Larry Johnson, Penn State
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Larry Johnson spent his time in college at Penn State. While having quiet sophomore and junior seasons, Johnson's senior season was incredible.
Johnson rushed for 2,087 and 20 touchdowns in 2002. His season got even better by winning the Doak Walker, Walter Camp and Maxwell awards.
No. 7: Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma
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Adrian Peterson did not take long to get noticed.
In his freshman season, Peterson broke the rushing record for a freshman by running for 1,925 yards. He also found himself in the running for the Heisman Trophy, but ended up finishing second.
Peterson continued to have success in his sophomore and junior seasons. He finished with 4,045 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns, and has gone on to be a dynamic back in the NFL.
No. 6: LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU
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While LaDainian Tomlinson has had a terrific pro career, many are sometimes surprised to find out he spent four years with TCU.
From 1997-2000, LT saw his role increase every year until he had his break-out season in 2000. During that year, LT rushed for 2,158 yards and 22 touchdowns.
As a Horned Frog, he finished with 5,263 yards and 54 touchdowns. LT has also had his number retired by the program.
No. 5: Darren Sproles, Kansas State
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While Sproles has gone on to a have a good career with the San Diego Chargers, he was a great collegiate athlete who spent four years at Kansas State.
During his time with the Wildcats, Sproles ended up just shy of 5,000 rushing yards and scored 45 touchdowns—44 coming in his last three seasons.
Sproles currently finds himself in the top 10 for college players in all-purpose yards.
No. 4: Cedric Benson, Texas
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Cedric Benson spent four years at the University of Texas and was an outstanding back. Despite being compared to Ricky Williams, Benson did enough on the field to stand out on his own.
He finished his four-year career at Texas with 5,540 rushing yards and 67 total touchdowns. In 2004, Benson won the Doak Walker award and was also named to the All Big-12 Team.
No. 3: Darren McFadden, Arkansas
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Darren McFadden had one of the best careers of the past decade. He stepped right out of high school, onto the football field and rushed for 1,113 yards and 11 touchdowns.
McFadden didn't stop with his freshman season. In his sophomore and junior seasons, he rushed for more than 1,600 yards, won the Walter Camp award both years and was also the Heisman runner-up for two straight seasons.
No. 2: DeAngelo Williams, Memphis
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From 2002-2005, DeAngelo Williams spent his time with the Memphis Tigers. Williams made the most of his time becoming a threat all over the field.
During his career, Williams ran for 6,026 yards and got into the end zone 60 times. He also holds the NCAA record for most all-purpose yards at 7,573.
No. 1: Reggie Bush, USC
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Despite everything that has come out after his college career, when judging Reggie Bush, you have to look at what he did on the field rather than off it.
During his time at USC, Bush accumulated quite a list of accomplishments. He was a two-time All-American, won the Doak Walker, Walter Camp and Heisman Trophy.
While he has been stripped of a lot of these accomplishments, Bush still was an electrifying athlete who was on highlight reels across the nation.
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