Ranking CFB's Top 10 Running Backs for 2025

Liam Donnan
May 16
6 min read

Contrary to the NFL, the importance of the running back in college football never died truly died (outside of the air raid systems), and that was evident last year. We saw one of the best running back seasons of all time in 2024 with Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, and there was a total of 25 tail backs taken in the NFL draft.

Unlike last year, there is not as strong of a consensus RB1 in the sport, as the consensus best in the nation was Oklahoma State's (now Miami Dolphin) Ollie Gordon. That didn't end up being true -- at all. The production of the position can vary significantly, as we saw with Gordon. He had nearly 1000 less yards in 2024 than he did in 2025. There could have been plenty of reasons for this, but I lean toward the fact his yards before contact dipped significantly, indicating a massive dip in the performance of his offensive line.

Running back is dependent on their offensive line, and their teams performance through the air. The better it is, the lighter the box they see from the defense. Therefore, on this list, I will consider primarily the quality of the back, but also give consideration to the quality of their offensive line, and the offense around them.

1) Jeremiyah Love - Notre Dame

Jeremiyah Love has been an impact player for Notre Dame since his true freshman season in 2023, and became one of the best players overall in the nation in 2024. He put together over 1300 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns in his sophomore season, as (arguably) the most important player en route to a national championship appearance.

Love is a perfect blend of quickness, long speed, power, and agility. He frequently utilizes his impressive hurdling ability, as seen all throughout the season, even when playing through injury in the playoff. The biggest plus for Jeremiyah Love? He is running behind what should be one of, if not the best offensive lines in the nation, and should succeed even with the question marks at quarterback for ND.

2) Nick Singleton - Penn State

One half of the nation's best running back duo, Nick Singleton surprised many by returning to Penn State, rather than going into the draft. Despite having significantly less carries than his running mate, Kaytron Allen, Singleton had significantly more yards, and was more efficient overall.

Singleton was most productive when it mattered, with four of his eight most productive games coming in post-season play, also his fourth-highest rushing total came against Illinois, who finished the season with ten wins. While there is no true lead back for the Nittany Lions, Singleton gets the edge here.

3) Makhi Hughes - Oregon

No running back returning to college football had more rushing yards in 2024 than Makhi Hughes, none had a higher rushing grade from PFF than Hughes, and he is stepping into an elite situation with the Ducks. Though Tulane is one of the premier programs in the group of five, the offensive line and quality of team around him are unlike anything Hughes had with the Green Wave.

Oregon has had at least one running back go over 900 yards every year since 2005, and Hughes should almost certainly fall in line, unless Oregon's RB2 or 3, Noah Whittington or Dink Riggs get a significant bump in usage. The scheme and talent around Hughes should allow for him to flourish, and his size, speed, and overall talent should make the jump from the G5 to Big Ten seamless.

4) Kaytron Allen - Penn State

The other half of the Penn State running back duo, Kaytron Allen is just as dangerous as Singleton is. Although pointing at Singleton's efficiency being significantly better than Allen's may have felt like a dunk on Allen, it was not; merely a way to find any divide between the two.

Allen is a touch more explosive, thus, offering some more home-run ability. Like Singleton, Kaytron Allen significantly elevated his game in the post-season, a spot that a loaded Penn State team should return to again this season.

5) Jonah Coleman - Washington

After being an Arizona Wildcat for two seasons, Coleman followed head coach Jedd Fisch to Washington for 2024, and was the heart and soul of their offense. His 1053 yards, 10 TD and 5.5 Y/A he had were all hard fought, as Washington had one of the worst offensive lines in all of the Big Ten.

The good news for the Huskies and Coleman: The offensive line should be improved, they have a good receiving corp, and their quarterback, Demond Williams is electric. Those factors considered with another year of development have Coleman primed for a dominant senior season.

6) Jaydn Ott - Oklahoma

O-T-T-O-G-O. Jaydnt Ott was apart of a flurry of Cal Golden Bears to enter the spring portal, including the first five running backs on the depth chart. But that's a story for another time. Ott was one of the premier running backs in the nation in 2023, and led the Pac-12 in rushing yards that year, in a conference that included backs like Damien Martinez, Bucky Irving, Dillon Johnson, Jonah Coleman, Carson Steele, and Cam Skattebo.

His production in 2024 was severely hindered by a lingering ankle injury, which did not necessarily impact how many times he appeared in games, but certainly depleted his work load, and performance. Ott's yards per attempt dropped by two yards, and he did not look the same as he did in 2023 from the eye test alone. Oklahoma as his transfer destination was definitely an interesting choice, as incoming offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle runs an air raid system. A healthy Jaydn Ott and a spread out defense from opposing teams should lead to success for the senior tail back.

7) Isaac Brown - Louisville

Isaac Brown was one of the premier running backs in the nation in 2024, and one of the best true freshmen in the nation as well. He had over 1300 yards from scrimmage, with 12 touchdowns to boot. Louisville have reloaded and revamped their offensive line from a season ago, bringing in six transfers.

Relying on the portal to that extent at any position, but especially the offensive line is always a risky game to play. If the line is even average by ACC standards, Isaac Brown should be great. With Omarion Hampton, Phil Mafah and Bhayshul Tuten all moving on to the NFL, Isaac Brown is a near-lock to be the ACC's best running back in 2025.

8) Darius Taylor - Minnesota

Taylor put together a fairly efficient near-1000 yard season in 2024, and is returning to the Gophers for 2025, to the surprise of some. It is can be rare for a program like Minnesota to have a skill position player of this caliber who sticks around despite being productive. He is now a two time all-Big Ten honorable mention, and has been overlooked by most, likely due to the overwhelming amount of great running backs in the Big Ten.

He is elite after contact, compiling over 1300 yards after contact since 2023, which is good for second in the nation in that span. Minnesota could play above their ceiling if Darius Taylor and elite safety Koi Perich continue to be among the best in the nation at their respective positions.

9) Jamal Haynes - Georgia Tech

Rushing for over 2000 yards and 20 touchdowns from scrimmage in the last two seasons, Haynes has cemented himself as one of the top tail backs in the country. Georgia Tech intensly out-played expectations in 2024, and Haynes was obviously a major part of that. GT's quarterback, Haynes King, is also a more than capable rusher, making a great duo.

He is twitchy, and has combined that with elite run-blocking to this point in his career. He has the most rushing yards before contact in the last two years (856) per PFF. If the run blocking can hold up, expect more great work on the ground from Jamal Haynes.

10) Desmond Reid - Pitt

Reid began his college football career with the West Carolina Catamounts from the FCS, before transferring to Pitt for his junior season. For a first year FCS transfer going into a power conference, Reid was surprisingly productive in 2024. Small in stature, Reid is able to evade defenders at an elite rate, and is more than capable in the pass game.

While Pitt may have some struggles as a team, they have a reliable back, capable of hitting big plays.