When you think of the best backfields in the country on an annual basis, programs like Alabama, Wisconsin, LSU, Texas, Ohio State, Miami (Fla.), and many others may come to mind.
But what about Georgia? Former star running back Todd Gurley — who is coming off a debut season with the St. Louis (now LA) Rams in which he was awarded Offensive Rookie of the Year — thinks the Bulldogs should get more credit when it comes to producing top talent coming from the backfield.
So much that he believes Georgia should be called “RBU.”
“That’s what we do at Georgia, we breed running backs. We’re Running Back U,” Gurley told TMZ Sports. “LSU might think they’re Running Back U. Y’all after us and then maybe Bama.”
LSU, of course, currently boasts arguably the best running back in the nation with Leonard Fournette — a potential top-five pick in next year’s NFL draft. Meanwhile, the last two backs to win the Heisman Trophy — Derrick Henry (2015) and Mark Ingram (2009) — hail from Alabama.
Still, Gurley may be on to something here. Georgia could very well have the country’s strongest overall unit in 2016 with the likes of Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and Elijah Holyfield revving up for what should be a productive season.
Gurley rushed for 3,285 yards (6.4 ypc) and 36 touchdowns during his three-year career in Athens, which was cut short about seven games in 2014 due to an ACL injury. He made up for lost time in what was a breakthrough rookie campaign, though, producing 1,106 yards and 10 scores for the Rams in 2015.
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
