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The SEC sent an NCAA-best 12 running backs to this week’s NFL Combine, including several earl-entry guys.
It’s a testament to the conference’s talent at the position that there shouldn’t be a drop-off. Five of the seven 1,000-yard rushers from 2014 will return, as well as four other players with at least 899 yards.
Four of the 10 best returnees are only sophomores this fall, making for an exciting season vying for the title of best in the conference.
Here are the Top 10 returning SEC running backs ranked by their rushing yards in 2014.
Player | ’15 Class | School | ’14 Rushing Yards | TDs | Yds/Carry |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Nick Chubb | Sophomore | Georgia | 1,547 | 14 | 7.1 |
2. Jonathan Williams | Senior | Arkansas | 1,190 | 12 | 5.6 |
3. Alex Collins | Junior | Arkansas | 1,100 | 12 | 5.4 |
4. Russell Hansbrough | Senior | Missouri | 1,084 | 10 | 5.3 |
5. Leonard Fournette | Sophomore | LSU | 1,034 | 10 | 5.5 |
6. Derrick Henry | Junior | Alabama | 990 | 11 | 5.8 |
7. Dak Prescott | Senior | Mississippi State | 986 | 14 | 4.7 |
8. Ralph Webb | Sophomore | Vanderbilt | 907 | 4 | 4.3 |
9. Jalen Hurd | Sophomore | Tennessee | 899 | 5 | 4.7 |
10. Jaylen Walton | Senior | Ole Miss | 586 | 5 | 5.5 |
Auburn produced the SEC’s leading rusher in each of Gus Malzahn’s seasons as head coach, but will have to count on junior college transfer Javon Robinson in pursuit of a three-peat.
The sophomore class of Chubb, Fournette, Webb and Hurd could produce four 1,000-yard rushers.
Can Williams and Collins go back-to-back at more than 1,000 yards?
Which running backs will enter the NFL draft early after the season?
There’s plenty of intrigue at the position.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.