Ranking the top 5 college football running backs in 2024

As the college football season approaches, it's the time of year when fans and analysts alike break down the top players around the country.

While quarterbacks reign supreme at any level of football, the running back position has been one with several superstars to emerge in the last decade. 

With so many incredible players at the position this year, FOX Sports college football experts Michael Cohen and RJ Young each ranked their top five running backs ahead of the 2024 season.

Let's take a look: 

RJ:

1. Ollie Gordon II , Oklahoma State

The reigning Doak Walker Award winner and unanimous All-American averaged 6.1 yards per carry on 285 rushing attempts in 2023. That means he's the only FBS player who averaged more than 6 yards per rush and 20 rushes per game. He ran for over 1,700 yards and accounted for over 2,000 yards from scrimmage last year.

2. Jarquez Hunter , Auburn

Hunter has averaged better than 6.0 yards per carry for his career at Auburn, which means that if he was asked to carry the rock as often as Gordon, he'd likely put up Gordon-like numbers. In a sport where a bell cow tailback feels like a luxury item, Auburn has a player it can depend on to pick up hard yards and be explosive in the SEC.

3. TreVeyon Henderson , Ohio State

Henderson rounds out a trio of tailbacks that could enter the 2025 NFL Draft and come off the board on Day 1. After a brilliant freshman campaign and a down sophomore year, he led the Buckeyes in rushing with 926 yards at 5.9 yards per clip last year. But his superpower is his explosiveness and his ability to take over a game when necessary, like he did last September when he tore off a 61-yard scamper that proved to be the difference in Ohio State's 17-14