Former LSU Tiger Leonard Fournette was the first running back taken in the most NFL Draft (going No. 4 to the Jacksonville Jaguars), but across the board, the SEC’s top running backs from last season are back in 2017.
LSU’s Derrius Guice, entering his junior year, led conference running backs last season in total rushing yards (1,387), yards per carry (7.58) and touchdowns (15). The leader in attempts per game (20.9) and rushing yards per game (122.4), Auburn RB Kamryn Pettway, will be back for his redshirt season. The leader in total carries last season was Vanderbilt RB Ralph Webb (250).
ESPN’s Ed Aschoff recently named the SEC’s top five running backs for 2017. While Guice nabs the top spot, fellow stat leaders Pettway and Webb don’t make the top three.
Here’s the top five:
- Derrius Guice, LSU
- Nick Chubb, Georgia
- Bo Scarbrough, Alabama
- Kamryn Pettway, Auburn
- Ralph Webb, Vanderbilt
Aschoff pointed to Guice’s sophomore stats, as the No. 2 back to Fournette, for why the tops the list:
As the sort of No. 2 running back in LSU’s offense, Guice led the SEC with 1,387 yards and 7.6 YPC. He also had 15 touchdowns. Guice might not have been the bruiser that future first-rounder Leonard Fournette was for the Tigers, but he’s the ultimate slasher and could hit a mighty long run in an instant. He can cut on a dime, while still being able to level a defender with his strength. He had six 100-yard games last year, all of them clearing the 135-yard mark. Also, 41.8 of his 115.6 YPG came after contact last year. Guice is getting a ton of first-round love, just like his predecessor, and he’ll be one of the nation’s most exciting players to watch in 2017.
Explanations for all five rankings can be found in the rankings here.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
