Who are the best Auburn running backs in program history? With plenty to choose from, we narrowed it down to a top five. 

5. James Brooks (1977-80) — Brooks played during a relative down era in Auburn history, but that doesn’t diminish his accomplishments at all; in fact, it may be more impressive that he piled up big totals on teams that hovered around .500. He left school as the Tigers’ all-time rushing leader, although he’s been passed by the top two names on our list since then. Not just a dangerous running back, Brooks was devastating in the return game, which is why he sits at the top of Auburn’s all-purpose yardage leaderboard. Brooks was named first-team All-SEC as a senior, averaged nearly 110 yards per game for his career and had more than 1,200 yards in each of his final two seasons. He went on to a successful NFL career, making four Pro Bowl appearances.

Career stats: 3,523 yards rushing, 24 TD; 219 yards receiving, 5 TD; 5,596 all-purpose yards

4. Tucker Frederickson (1962-64) — Although he barely had more than 1,000 yards for his career — a number players regularly top in their freshman season these days — Frederickson is considered one of the most complete backs in Auburn history. An All-American in 1964, Frederickson had the best season of his career, winning the SEC’s Jacobs Award as the conference’s best blocking back while finishing second in Heisman voting. After that year, he was chosen first overall in the NFL draft by the New York Giants. Frederickson was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

Career stats: 1,079 yards rushing, 8 TD; 228 yards receiving, 2 TD

3. Tre Mason (2011-13) — A two-year starter for the Tigers, Mason posted more than 1,000 yards in both his sophomore and junior seasons. His final year on campus is what makes him one of the best backs in SEC history. Or, more specifically, the second half of that season, when he carried Auburn to an SEC title and a national title game appearance. He had more than 1,100 yards in his final six games, including a combined 499 in the SEC and BCS championship games (and an SECCG record 304 yards against Missouri that year). Mason took home the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Year award in 2013 along with a first-team All-SEC selection.

Career stats: 2,979 yards rushing, 32 TD; 249 yards receiving, TD

2. Carnell “Cadillac” Williams (2001-04) — Paired with another future pro in Ronnie Brown, Cadillac was half of one of the best rushing duos in SEC history. By the time he left school after his four-year career, Williams owned the school’s rushing touchdowns record, was tied for the most touchdowns in a single season and had the second-most rushing yards in school history. Williams made the decision to return for his senior year and helped lead Auburn to a 13-0 season and an SEC championship, although the Tigers were pushed out of the BCS title game by Oklahoma and Southern California. He went No. 5 overall in the 2005 NFL draft, playing seven years in the pros.

Career stats: 3,831 yards rushing, 45 TD; 342 yards receiving, TD

1. Bo Jackson (1982-85) — Jackson isn’t just one of the greatest running backs in SEC history, he’s also one of the conference’s best athletes, period. A star baseball player who ended up playing both sports professionally, Jackson was a force on the gridiron for Auburn. He scored the game-winning touchdown against Alabama as a freshman to start working his way to legendary status, then topped 1,200 yards as a sophomore, averaging 7.7 yards per carry. After dealing with injuries as a junior, Jackson took over the football world in 1985. Bo won the Heisman trophy with a monster year, posting 1,786 yards and 17 touchdowns, both Auburn records at the time. He holds Auburn records for career rushing yards and yards per game and still holds the SEC record for yards per attempt (min. 400 rushes) at 6.6 yards per carry. Jackson was drafted into the NFL twice (including No. 1 overall in 1986), eventually starting his pro football career with the Oakland Raiders. He remains the only professional athlete to be selected as an All-Star in both baseball and football.

Career stats: 4,303 yards rushing, 43 TD; 272 yards receiving, 2 TD