The 2026 college football season is right around the corner.
It’s a great time to survey the field and attempt to identify a few breaking candidates at running back among the SEC’s 16 institutions.
This is actually quite a bit more difficult to do than in a normal year. That’s because of the remarkable continuity the SEC has at the running back position this year.
Six of the SEC’s top 7 rushers from last season are back on their respective campuses in 2026, with the only exception being Arkansas’s Mike Washington, who exhausted his collegiate eligibility and is now in the NFL. Every other SEC running back who rushed for at least 800 yards last season is back for another season: Ahmad Hardy, Kewan Lacy, Jadan Baugh, DeSean Bishop, Jeremiah Cobb and Nate Frazier.
Obviously, this list will be looking elsewhere for breakout candidates. Some light criteria to be considered a breakout — under 500 rushing yards in 2025 while playing in a power conference. All Group-of-5 transfers qualify.
SEC breakout running backs
Let’s dive in:
CJ Baxter, Kentucky
CJ Baxter had a very encouraging true freshman season with Texas back in 2023, rushing for 659 yards and 5 touchdowns. However, his next 2 campaigns in Austin were disappointing — he missed virtually the entire 2024 season with a knee injury and was a backup for the Longhorns in 2025, totaling just 54 carries.
Now at Kentucky, Baxter is poised to emerge as the lead back for Will Stein and the Wildcats. A former blue-chip recruit, Baxter has the size and speed to be an elite SEC running back when healthy. His injury record is certainly a question, but he’s a great athlete in an awesome offensive system for running backs — Stein’s Oregon program averaged 5.4 yards per carry last season.
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Braylen Russell, Arkansas
I’m expecting a big season from Braylen Russell. With Mike Washington now in the NFL, there’s a clear path to lead tailback reps for Russell in Fayetteville. The former 4-star recruit has been productive in a backup role over the past 2 seasons, but has been limited to just 122 total carries.
Still, what he’s produced has been impressive. Russell averaged over 5 yards per carry in both collegiate seasons. He’s done well against SEC opposition in-particular — at least on a per-attempt basis. Russell went for 5+ yards per carry in 7 SEC games over the past couple of campaigns. That includes a 175-yard showing in a win over Mississippi State in 2024. I think Russell has 1,000+ yard upside this fall.
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Harlem Berry, LSU
Harlem Berry just snuck under our arbitrary 500-yard limit to be eligible for this list. Last year as a freshman, Berry rushed for 491 yards while splitting carries with Caden Durham. Competition will be stiff for carries once again, as Durham is back at LSU along with incoming Wisconsin transfer Dillin Jones.
However, Berry is a former 5-star recruit for a reason — he’s an elite athlete who put up huge numbers as a true freshman last year. Berry posted better success rate and EPA numbers than Durham a season ago and should be poised to have a larger share of touches as a sophomore.
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Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
