Nicholas Singleton of Penn State is one of a few rising College Football Running Backs for the ’23 season.

The countdown to the 2023 college football season has already started, as spring practices and battles for positions on the depth chart are already happening or will soon happen for all 133 teams across the country. Eight of the top 10 rushers in yards from ’22 have moved on to the NFL, so college football’s running back position will see a lot of new stars this offseason and during the season.

Some of the next big stars at running back could be Trey Benson from Florida State, Nicholas Singleton from Penn State, Ja’Quinden Jackson from Utah, and Damien Martinez from Oregon State.

Let’s look at some rising running backs and a few names to keep an eye on for next season. With spring practice coming up and some carries still up for grabs, this list will look a little different in the fall. We tried to stay away from running backs who had already gained more than 1,000 yards in a season if we could.

It’s hard to say what a “running back on the rise” is, but we tried to pick backs who had quiet seasons in 2022 or who we think will have big years in 2023.

Top College Football Running Backs on the Rise for 2023

These are the top College Football Running Backs that are on the rise for the 2023 season.

College Football Running Backs: Jovantae Barnes/Gavin Sawchuk, Oklahoma

College Football Running Backs: Jovantae Barnes/Gavin Sawchuk, Oklahoma

Even though Eric Gray is going to the NFL, Oklahoma’s backfield is still in great shape because Barnes, Sawchuk, and Marcus Major are all coming back. And the Sooners saw what Barnes and Sawchuk could do together in the Cheez-It Bowl, when both players had more than 100 yards in a close loss to Florida State. Barnes had more touches (519 yards) than Sawchuk (105 yards) in ’22, but both should play a bigger role in the offense in ’23.

College Football Running Backs: Kevorian Barnes, UTSA

College Football Running Backs: Kevorian Barnes, UTSA

Last season, Sincere McCormick left big shoes to fill in San Antonio, but Barnes eventually took over as the No. 1 player and did a great job for coach Jeff Traylor. Barnes ran for only 20 yards in the team’s first six games. By the end of the year, he had 845 yards and six touchdowns, including 132 against Troy in the bowl game. If the Texas native builds on his strong finish to last season, he should be one of the best backs in the AAC in ’23.

College Football Running Backs: Trey Benson, Florida State

College Football Running Backs: Trey Benson, Florida State

Since moving to Tallahassee in 2020, Florida State coach Mike Norvell has done a great job of finding and developing talent from the transfer portal. Benson was one of these finds. He came from Oregon, where he had a major knee injury in 2020, and became one of the best running backs in the ACC. In his first year with the Seminoles, the Mississippi native ran for 990 yards and nine touchdowns. In the last six games, he ran for 100 yards four times. PFF says that Benson was sixth in the country with 79 missed tackles after a rush.

College Football Running Backs: Shaadie Clayton-Johnson, Tulane

College Football Running Backs: Shaadie Clayton-Johnson, Tulane

It won’t be easy for Tulane to fill the spot left by Tyjae Spears, but the running backs fighting for snaps this offseason look good. Clayton-Johnson played for Colorado for the first two years of his career. Before 1922, he moved back to his home state of Louisiana. Clayton-Johnson ran for 333 yards and two touchdowns on 57 carries as Spears’ top backup last year. His best game was against Tulsa. He ran for 106 yards on 14 carries, and the Green Wave beat Tulsa 27-13. Clayton-game Johnson’s is built around his speed (4.42 in the 40-yard dash, according to reports), but his 6-foot-1 frame can handle a lot of work. Iverson Celestine is another player to keep an eye on in ’23 at Tulane.

College Football Running Backs: C.J. Donaldson, West Virginia

College Football Running Backs: C.J. Donaldson, West Virginia

Donaldson is one of the most interesting stories from the college football season of 1922. The Florida native was a three-star tight end prospect in Florida, but he signed with West Virginia as a versatile player. Early in the year, Donaldson found his place as a running back. He ran for 125 yards against Pitt in the Backyard Brawl and 106 yards against Virginia Tech. But he hurt his leg in late October, which ended his season. In the end, he had 526 yards and eight touchdowns. West Virginia’s quarterback situation is uncertain going into the 2023 season, so Donaldson and a strong group of running backs should be the focus of coach Neal Brown’s offense.

College Football Running Backs: John Lee Eldridge, Air Force

College Football Running Backs: John Lee Eldridge, Air Force

After Brad Roberts leaves, Eldridge probably won’t take over all of his 345 carries, but the Falcons need to find more ways to get the ball to the Ohio native. Last season, Eldridge ran for just under 100 times and ran for 766 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged a strong 7.7 yards per carry.

College Football Running Backs: Trevor Etienne, Florida

College Football Running Backs: Trevor Etienne, Florida

Since there are questions about who will be Florida’s quarterback in 2023, coach Billy Napier should focus his offense on the ground game with Montrell Johnson Jr. (841 yards) and Etienne. Last year, Etienne made a big splash in Gainesville as a true freshman. In 118 tries, he ran for 719 yards and six touchdowns, which was a lot for a freshman. You can expect Napier to find even more ways to involve Etienne in ’23.

College Football Running Backs: Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State

College Football Running Backs: Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State

Going into the spring, Gordon’s overall stats (308 yards) might not get much attention. But if you look at his stats more closely, you can see that he did better at the end of the season. For example, he ran for 136 yards on 17 carries against West Virginia and 45 yards against a tough Wisconsin defense in the bowl. If the former four-star prospect keeps getting better after a good first year, he should become coach Mike Gundy’s first choice.

College Football Running Backs: Rodney Hammond, Pitt

College Football Running Backs: Rodney Hammond, Pitt

Israel Abanikanda, who ran for 1,431 yards in Pitt’s backfield in ’22, left after that season, but his absence in the Sun Bowl gave Hammond a chance to show what’s to come in ’23. Hammond ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns against the Bruins, giving him 460 yards and five rushing touchdowns for the season on 109 yards. Early in the ’22 season, Hammond ran for 124 yards against Syracuse and 74 against West Virginia in the season opener.

College Football Running Backs: Roman Hemby, Maryland

College Football Running Backs: Roman Hemby, Maryland

The running backs in the Big Ten—Mohamed Ibrahim, Chase Brown, Blake Corum, and Braelon Allen—got most of the attention in ’22. So Hemby’s season was mostly forgotten on a national level. The Maryland native ran for 989 yards and scored 10 touchdowns while staying out of the way. He also caught 33 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown. Hemby should be one of the best backs in the Big Ten in ’23, even though the offensive line will be changed.

College Football Running Backs: Jarquez Hunter, Auburn

College Football Running Backs: Jarquez Hunter, Auburn

Hunter has done a great job as Auburn’s No. 2 running back for the past two years. Now that Tank Bigsby is leaving for the NFL, Hunter is expected to take on more of the No. 1 workload. Last fall, the Mississippi native ran for 675 yards, which was third on the team. In the last two years, he has run for 1,261 yards. Brian Battie, who came from USF, should also carry the ball for new coach Hugh Freeze, but Hunter is set to play a bigger role in ’23.

College Football Running Backs: Ja’Quinden Jackson, Utah

College Football Running Backs: Ja’Quinden Jackson, Utah

Jackson started his career at Texas, where he was ranked as the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2020. Now, he seems to have found a home at a different position in Salt Lake City. Last fall, the Utes moved Jackson to running back. The Dallas native quickly became a key part of the offense. He ran for 531 yards and nine touchdowns on 78 tries. In the Pac-12 Championship against USC, he ran for 105 yards, and in the Rose Bowl against Penn State, he ran for 81 yards. Jackson will likely become a star in the Pac-12 if he has the whole offseason to work on running back.

College Football Running Backs: Kaleb Johnson, Iowa

College Football Running Backs: Kaleb Johnson, Iowa

As a team, Iowa’s offense had trouble running the ball (2.9 yards per carry), but Johnson stood out as a true freshman. He played in all 13 games and ran the ball 151 times for 779 yards and six touchdowns. If the offensive line improves this offseason, Johnson should be able to get close to 1,000 yards in ’23.

College Football Running Backs: Damien Martinez, Oregon State

College Football Running Backs: Damien Martinez, Oregon State

Martinez was one of the best running backs in the Pac-12 as a true freshman. He came close to getting 1,000 yards (982), and he scored seven touchdowns in 13 games. Martinez got stronger as the season went on. In the second half of the season, he had six straight 100-yard games. This includes 103 against rival Oregon and 178 against Colorado. This was a sign of things to come.

Jase McClellan, Alabama

College Football Running Backs: Jase McClellan, Alabama

As usual in Tuscaloosa, Alabama has a lot of good backfield players. Jahmyr Gibbs and his ability to play any position will be missed. But McClellan leads a talented group that also includes Roydell Williams, Jamarion Miller, and freshman Justice Haynes. McClellan has to compete with those three for carries. But last year’s results (655 yards and 7 touchdowns on 111 carries) show that he’s ready to become the Crimson Tide’s top RB. Also, his toughness (388 yards after contact) should help a team that wants to run the ball and protect a young quarterback.

Josh McCray, Illinois

College Football Running Backs: Josh McCray, Illinois

Last season, Chase Brown ran for 1,643 yards. This fall, Champaign will have to fill big shoes. But coach Bret Bielema doesn’t have anything to offer at running back. Reggie Love III, who had 317 yards last year, is back, and McCray, who was hurt for most of the year in ’22, should be back to full strength. The Fighting Illini should expect the 235-pound running back to play closer to how he did as a true freshman in 21 when he ran for 549 yards and two touchdowns on 112 carries.

Kendall Milton, Georgia

College Football Running Backs: Kendall Milton, Georgia

Milton has been waiting three years to play in Athens. He has been behind Kenny McIntosh, Zamir White, and James Cook. But since McIntosh, who led the team in rushing in ’22, is now in the NFL, Milton seems ready to take over as the No. 1 back with help from Daijun Edwards and Branson Robinson. Last year, Milton, the No. 54 recruit in the class of 2020, ran for 592 yards and eight touchdowns on just 85 carries. Most of the time, Georgia doesn’t have a problem with their running backs. You can count on Milton to keep the backfield running well this fall.

Jaydn Ott, California

College Football Running Backs: Jaydn Ott, California 

Ott’s role and overall workload have been changed a bit by the transfers of Byron Cardwell and Justin Williams-Thomas, but he’s still likely to play a big part in the California backfield. He led the team in rushing last year with 897 yards and eight touchdowns. The Californian was also a valuable backfield weapon, catching 46 passes for 321 yards.

Rueben Owens, Texas A&M

College Football Running Backs: Rueben Owens, Texas A&M

Since Devon Achane went to the NFL, Texas A&M’s backfield has a huge hole to fill this offseason. Owens hasn’t had an official carry in an SEC game yet, but as the No. 3 running back in the signing class of ’23, he has the skills and playing time to make a big difference in the Aggies’ running game this fall.

Nicholas Singleton, Penn State

Singleton is a sure bet to be one of the best running backs to break out in the country in 2023. As a five-star freshman, people had high hopes for him as soon as he stepped on campus last fall, and Singleton didn’t let them down in his first year at Happy Valley. On just 156 carries, the Pennsylvania native ran for 1,061 yards and 12 touchdowns. And he finished the year by destroying Utah for 120 yards in the Rose Bowl. Last fall, Singleton’s 6.8 yards per rush put him in second place among all Big Ten running backs.

Jalen White, Georgia Southern

Last season, Georgia Southern’s offense changed a lot under Clay Helton, who was in his first year as coach. Instead of using the triple option, the Eagles became one of the best passing offenses in college football. They finished third in the country in passing attempts (612) and fourth in yards per game (329.9). But Helton and offensive coordinator Bryan Ellis didn’t give up on the running game, and in his first year as the team’s main back, White showed big-time potential (914 yards and 10 touchdowns).

College Football Running Backs: Other Names to Look Out For

Here are a few other College Football Running Backs you might like to also keep an eye on:

Robert Briggs, Utah State

Briggs is only 5 feet 6 inches tall, so it’s not likely that he will carry 300 times this fall. But his 353 yards of work in a limited role in ’22 behind starter Calvin Tyler Jr. showed promise.

Texas Jonathon Brooks (or Cedric Baxter)

Brooks did well last season (he ran 30 times for 197 yards and five touchdowns). And could easily become one of the best backs in the Big 12. But Keilan Robinson, Jaydon Blue, and five-star freshman Cedric Baxter are also trying to get on the field.

Marquis Crosby, Louisiana Tech

Crosby had a good first year as a player under first-year coach Sonny Cumbie. In 12 games, he ran for 918 yards and nine touchdowns and caught 9 passes. He should play a bigger role in ’23. But transfers Craig Williams (Baylor) and Tyre Shelton (Miami, Ohio) will also try to get snaps.

R.J. Harvey, UCF

Harvey, a former quarterback from Virginia who switched positions, ran for 796 yards and five touchdowns last year. That shows why he should replace Isaiah Bowser as the team’s best player. But Johnny Richardson, Mark-Antony Richards, and Demarkcus Bowman, who came from Florida, will compete with him for carries.

Malik Sherrod, Fresno State

Since Jordan Mims is leaving for the NFL, the Bulldogs will rely on Sherrod and Damien Moore. Moore transferred from another school, to compete for carries this offseason.

Dre’lyn Washington, Louisiana

When Chris Smith (628 yards) left Lafayette, Louisiana’s No. 1 running back spot became open. Washington is a name to remember because he had 350 yards as a freshman in 1922.

Thank you for reading this article on the top College Football Running Backs on the rise!