Fox Sports ranks 3 SEC running back groups among the best in college football
By Andrew Olson
Published:
As many forsee an SEC running back going to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist, it’s safe to call this season a big year for conference running backs. According to Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman, three conference backfields are among the top six in college football.
On Thursday, Feldman revealed his Top 10, which includes:
- No. 6 Georgia
- No. 4 Tennessee
- No. 1 LSU
The Tigers are obviously on top primarily because of Leonard Fournette, Feldman’s pick to win the Heisman. LSU has more than Fournette, though, as coach Les Miles can turn to a stable of capable ball-carriers:
Behind (Fournette), the Tigers have 222-pound sophomore Derrius Guice, who ran for 436 yards last season and averaged a gaudy 8.5 yards a carry. Darrel Williams, a 232-pounder, has run for almost 600 yards in his first two college seasons, and Nick Brossett, another former blue-chip RB recruit, provides strong depth behind those two. J.D. Moore, a 6-foot-4, 238-pounder who runs a 4.67 40, is a quality fullback who helped pave the way for Fournette for half of last season until being lost for the rest of the season an injury. Moore’s back, and that’s very good news for LSU.
Before any Bulldogs fans rush to fire off an angry e-mail to Feldman, it’s worth noting that he says he would likely rank UGA hire if all its running backs were healthy:
If the Dawgs RBs are 100 percent, this group probably is a few spots higher. Nick Chubb is a fantastic talent. He essentially ran for 747 yards in five games last fall after rushing for 1,547 in his rookie season. The 5-10, 220-pounder has great feet and vision, but he is coming off a devastating knee injury. Sony Michel, a terrific change-up back, is coming back from a fractured forearm. He ran for 1,181 yards and eight TDs and also caught 26 passes. Senior Brendan Douglas (745 career rushing yards) is reliable and can pick up the slack in a pinch but doesn’t scare defenses the way the two guys ahead of him do.
The full list can be viewed 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.
