Nick Chubb, Leonard Fournette and Jalen Hurd.

Three former five-star prospects who have all panned out early in their respective careers. How often can that be said in the age of inflated scouting reports by various recruiting services?

Not often.

RELATED: Running backs will own the SEC next season

It’s incredible to think about this trio’s opportunity at owning the SEC next season, all capable of 1,000-plus yard seasons for championship contenders. Chubb will no longer play in the shadow of Todd Gurley, Fournette becomes the primary option for Cam Cameron and Hurd’s total touches should increase substantially as a run-receiving threat alongside quarterback Joshua Dobbs in Tennessee’s spread.

There’s another rising sophomore who wants his piece of the SEC pie, too. Lesser-known back Ralph Webb who won the starting job over Vanderbilt over Jerron Seymour as a true freshman finished with 907 yards and four touchdowns on an offense that fired its coordinator.

Which one of these four has the edge?

By most accounts, Nick Chubb was the biggest surprise in an overcrowded backfield at Georgia rushing for 1,547 yards — most coming after Gurley’s suspension began on Oct. 11. Fournette and Hurd each have a slightly different skill set, more power than speed thanks to tremendous size.

2014 season for SEC freshman RBs

  • Nick Chubb, Georgia — 219 carries, 1,547 yards, 14 TD (SEC-high)
  • Leonard Fournette, LSU — 187 carries, 1,084 yards, 10 TD
  • Ralph Webb, Vanderbilt — 212 carries, 907 yards, 4 TD
  • Jalen Hurd, Tennessee — 190 carries, 899 yards, 5 TD

In recent years, touted incoming freshmen running backs have made quite a splash in the SEC, but you would be hard-pressed to find a quartet this dominant.

Palmetto State five-star Marcus Lattimore rushed for 1,197 yards at South Carolina as the nation’s top-ranked newcomer in 2010, 104 yards more than Auburn freshman Michael Dyer, while Todd Gurley and T.J. Yeldon each posted 1,000-yard seasons as rookies two years later.

Over the last decade, the only comparable group to this season’s crop along with the Gurley-Yeldon combo came in 2004 when two freshmen ballcarriers hit 1,000-yards — Alabama’s Kenneth Darby and Mississippi State’s Jerious Norwood — while another finished with 875 (Thomas Brown, Georgia).

In the era of quarterback-driven offenses, there’s something to be said for teams who can still move the football — and score a ton of points — between the tackles. Thanks to Chubb’s expertise, Georgia averaged a school-record 41.3 points per game during Mike Bobo’s final campaign as offensive coordinator.

The points totals weren’t nearly as impressive at Tennessee, LSU and Vanderbilt who each finished ninth or worst in scoring and total offense. Spotty quarterback play doomed the Tigers and Commodores, but the Vols showed why they are a 2015 threat after Dobbs took over as starter in November and led Tennessee to four wins — and 185 total points — over its final five games.

If these four running backs can stay healthy next season and beyond, at least three — Chubb, Fournette and Hurd — should be early-entry NFL draft picks in 2017.