Top 30 Running Back units...




CollegeKingRex

CollegeKingRex

CTG Regular
This is going to be the seond in a series of 11 units where I project my Top-30 units at each position going into the start of fall camp.

Remember, this is not just the best player, but the best units.


Here's my Top 30 at RB... Will be spitting these out with greater consistency later in the weekend and early next week.


1. California
2. Louisville
3. Oklahoma
4. Arkansas
5. Texas
6. Auburn
7. Ohio State
8. LSU
9. Michigan
10. Miami (Florida)
11. Iowa
12. Rutgers
13. Georgia
14. TCU
15. Navy
16. N.C. State
17. Texas A&M
18. West Virginia
19. Northern Illinois
20. Northwestern
21. Boston College
22. Florida State
23. Notre Dame
24. Alabama
25. Illinois
26. Oregon
27. Kentucky
28. San Diego State
29. Maryland
30. Tennessee


A couple of individuals are so solid (Stewart of Oregon and Wolfe of NIU come to mind) that if they get hurt, the unit is totally out of there. But with those guys healthy, alone, they merit a decent ranking. This is where the objectivity of the thread comes in. I do the best I can fellas. Close but no cigar here include Clemson, UConn and North Texas (the last 2 feature running backs I respect immensely but nothing after the starter)...

Thoughts, opinions, agreements, disagreements, etc., all welcome...

:cheers:
 
Personally I think Michigan should be a bit higher at least compared to Ohio State.

Wolfe is such a stud, that the "unit" alone should be up in the top 10 or 15 with him.

What do you like from Kentucky?
 
With Grady, Hart and Frosh Carlos Brown..I would have UM more about 4-5

They droppin like flys at Arky..lol

Def agree with Cal as number one.

Nice job
 
B.A.R. said:
With Grady, Hart and Frosh Carlos Brown..I would have UM more about 4-5

They droppin like flys at Arky..lol

Def agree with Cal as number one.

Nice job
Click to expand...

Didn't notice arky so high up, but with what's going on there I'd drop them down a bit...

Where's wisky by the way? They have a ton of walk ons and freshmen to play this year!
 
Fondy: I do like Hart but not convinced he's any better than Pittman and Chris Wells has more potential than anyone at either institution. That's primarily why I have OSU a little higher. Hart was dinged up last year and with the Wolves averaging over 4.0 ypc just twice in the last 10 years, it was hard for me to put them any higher than ninth.

You might well be right about Wolfe. We'll find a lot out about him at 'The Shoe' in a few weeks.

Kentucky has Rafael Little; he's by far their best talent and will win them 2-3 games by himself this season.

Al: Yeah, I've noticed the probs at Arkansas. Not having McFaddon will definitely hurt them against USC (I will probably have a big bet on Southern Cal)... but Hillis and Jones are big-time talents in their own rights. Sure Razor has to be pulling his hair out over McFaddon though lol...

Thanks fellas...
 
CollegeKingRex said:
Fondy: I do like Hart but not convinced he's any better than Pittman and Chris Wells has more potential than anyone at either institution. That's primarily why I have OSU a little higher. Hart was dinged up last year and with the Wolves averaging over 4.0 ypc just twice in the last 10 years, it was hard for me to put them any higher than ninth.

You might well be right about Wolfe. We'll find a lot out about him at 'The Shoe' in a few weeks.

Kentucky has Rafael Little; he's by far their best talent and will win them 2-3 games by himself this season.

Al: Yeah, I've noticed the probs at Arkansas. Not having McFaddon will definitely hurt them against USC (I will probably have a big bet on Southern Cal)... but Hillis and Jones are big-time talents in their own rights. Sure Razor has to be pulling his hair out over McFaddon though lol...

Thanks fellas...
Click to expand...

Hell, all he's thinking about right now is how he can please his fiancee!! LOL He's getting married soon! (I need to give him a call.)
 
Rafael Little may be the best rb nobody has heard of (people outside of the SEC). He led the conference in all purpose yards last year.

197 carries - 1045yds.- 5.3 per carry- 9 tds.

46 rec. - 449 yds.

avg. like 15 yards per punt return- 1 td

26 yards per ko return. led UK in rushing and recieving with everyone in the stadium knowing he was going to get the ball.

Arliss Beach had 64 rushes for 288 yds (4.5 yds per carry) was injured most of the year. These 2 combined with Bewengie and Davis at the end of the year could have UK in the 10-15. (in RB) not polls
 
This is some kind of joke right? They might not have a kenny irons, or mcfadden but as far as DEPTH.. UGA has the top rb group in college football.. PERIOD.. its not even close. Check any sports book.. :drinking:
 
Running Backs[SIZE=-1]New running back coach Tony Ball has one of the nation's best stable of backs to work with. Thomas Brown, Kregg Lumpkin and Danny Ware are all good enough to start for anyone in America, and they form a great three-headed monster that should be more productive than is was last year when the ground game only averaged 162 yards per game. The only problem is that none of the backs ever get into a groove because of the rotation, but all three average around five yards per crack. There's speed, but there weren't enough home runs last year. Once Brannan Southerland recovers from a shoulder injury, the fullback situation will be fantastic helped by the return of Des Williams from a torn pectoral muscle. [/SIZE][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-1]The key to the unit: Doing a better job of finding the hot back early in games and sticking with him. Getting more big runs would be nice.
Running Back Rating: 10Projected Starters
- Thomas Brown, Jr. - 147 carries, 736 yds, 5.0 ypc, 4 TD, 6 catches, 67 yds
While not all that big at 5-8 and 185 pounds, Brown is ultra-productive when he gets the ball. He was the team's leading rusher last year, but he's usually used as a setup man and isn't any sort of a workhorse back with only two games with 20 carries rushing for 144 yards against South Carolina and 94 against Tennessee. He's speedy, tough, and has decent hands when used as a receiver. He'll likely be the number one back going into the season, but that doesn't mean much in the Georgia rotation.

- Fullback Brannan Southerland, Soph. - 18 carries, 25 yds, 3 TD, 8 catches, 57 yds, 2 TD
Southerland came up big when forced into the starting lineup midway through last year turning into a good short yardage back, a decent receiver, and a whale of a blocker. He's a fantastic athlete for his size at 242 pounds. He missed spring ball recovering from a shoulder injury, but he'll be back and likely the number one fullback to start the season.

Top Backups
- Kregg Lumpkin, Jr. - 66 carries, 335 yds, 5.1 ypc, 3 TD, 5 catches, 12 yds
The big, powerful Lumpkin runs even bigger than his 6-1 and 220 pounds; he has to get the ball more. He came back from getting knocked out in 2004 fall practices with a torn ACL to be a thunderous power back in the mix. He only ran 66 times with his two double-digit carry games coming late in the season, but he was productive whenever he came in as a change of pace for Thomas Brown.
- Danny Ware, Jr. - 101 carries, 492 yds, 4.9 ypc, 1 TD, 7 catches, 188 yds, 2 TD
Ware is big, very fast and very talented, but he can't seem to put it all together and grab the starting job by the horns. At 6-1 and 223 pounds, he has good power, but he doesn't run as hard as Kregg Lumpkin. He has the speed of Thomas Brown, but he doesn't make things happen like Brown does. He's most dangerous when used as a receiver and he can get the ball in space. If nothing else, he's one of the nation's most dangerous number three backs.
- Jason Johnson, Jr. - 3 carries, 44 yds, 14.7 ypc, 1 catch for 3 yards
Mostly used for special teams and the scout team, the 5-9, 191-pound junior will get a few carries here and there in garbage time. The former walk-on ran twice for 43 yards against UL Monroe.
- Fullback Des Williams, Jr.
A superstar high school linebacker, Williams quickly turned into a physical blocker for the running game and was growing into the role as the team's top fullback before he tore a pectoral muscle lifting weights and missed all of 2005. He's back now and will combine with Brannan Southerland for the job. While he's a good all-around back, he's going to be most valuable as a blocker.[/SIZE][/FONT]


All 3 running backs and Sutherland are locks to be day 1 picks in the draft.. not sure where you got your rankings from bud!!! Those guys have been playin since true freshman.. and they are only juniors
 
abcs: Take off the red-and-black tinted glasses for a minute; no need to berate me for my opinion. It's my list and I think they are No. 13. Why?

First, there are no seniors in the unit. Leadership must come from somewhere but they break in a new QB (Terribleshinski isn't going to be the leader, the reason why they won't win their division as well)... and these RBs aren't proven leaders.

Second, Lumpkin is a solid back but he's got a strike against him (previous ACL injury).

Third, Williams didn't play last year either, a strike against him... 3A or 4 would be that the other fullback, Southerland, also missed spring ball with an injury.

And finally, this is a solid group of running backs. They won't all go on day one as you say, but this is a good group. A top-15 group. But, all due respect to Brown, but no game-breaking individuals.

Thanks for the responses...
 
LSU is too high at this point.
We have questions at OL and our top two RBS are returning from injury.
Our true freshmen stud is still trying to clear the ClearingHouse.
If the line performs above expectations and we get solid minutes from at least 2 of the above guys we could move into the top 10.

Georgia is in for long season IMO. The QB situation directly correlates with RB production in the SEC. I see this as a serious minus for Georgias RBs.
I will agree that they have a talented RB pool. That doesnt always mean the production will be there. I think EVERYONE is overranking the way the Dogs will finish this year. I have them 4th in the SEC East.
 
I had heard from a good source that Williams is eligible, or will be shortly. I included him on the list because I fully expect him to contribute immediately if the other two guys (Broussard and Vincent, who I really really like) are not where they need to be when U-La-La rolls into town.

I try not to take my thoughts on the O-Line into consideration when it comes to the backs or receivers. Yes, it's a major role in their production but has nothing to do with their overall TALENT or MAKE-UP as a group at JUST THEIR OWN position.

We'll see how it shakes out; thanks for the feedback.
 
We still have 4 awaiting the ClearingHouse.
Williams and Al Jones are the impact players of the four.
Williams may take a couple more weeks as someone screwed him on the paperwork end of things and didnt take care of business.
But you are right he SHOULD be eligible it was a mishap not a real issue.
 
Why do people think UGA is gonna struggle? One year they lost Pollack Greene Thomas Davis.. Odell thurman then they come back the next year and when with DJ. Every year they have lost stud players. Moses is the best defensive prospect thats been at UGA since Richt has been there.

I dont think UGA will win the SEC but 4th cmon bro.. they dont have to play LSU or Alabama which helps.

As far as the running backs go, I totally disagree. If you are gonna rate them on seniors then you need to go back and check the teams ahead of them. I also think depth matters and a lot of teams you have listed before them dont have it. I agree they dont have a guy who can hit the homerun, but most teams dont. 13 is a joke, almost as much as UK's sports programs :) So you put UGA 13 becuz williams the backup fullback didnt play last year? LMAO.. have you seen the past 5 years at UGA, their fullbacks have all ended up in the nfl and played well. Im just saying.. as far as depth goes there isnt a better team in the country.
 
Not that i care much about your rankings, but every news source that i have seen has them no lower than 3..
Running Back/Fullbacks: With the quarterback picture a little sketchy going into the season, the running game will need to provide consistency. The trio of junior running backs Thomas Brown (5-8 185), Danny Ware (6-1 223) and Kregg Lumpkin (6-1 220) should do that and more, not only grinding it out each week, but they could potentially become the best backfield in college football.


Just think 13 is a complete joke, can you name kenny irons backup? Michael bush's backup at UL.. ?
 
Auburn has a slew of guys. Lester ran for almost 600 last year, Tre Smith was a starter in 2002 for three games... and they have a ton of good young talent.

In my mind Bush is THE best running back in America. Stripling, Smith and Spencer could all play for a lot of teams, and Bolen comes in from Illy with a lot of hype.

Time will tell about Jorja. Appreciate the input.
 
Bush is the best running back in america? I dont see it.. yea he gets a lot of touchdowns, but lets look at the competition that he faced.
Kent -- Oregon St - S Florida - Florida Atlantic -- UNC -- WVU -- Pitt - Rutgers -- Syracuse -- Uconn

Give me a break man.. I could run for 800 yards against those teams. His 2 big games he did descent. He was held way below his average against WVU and was held under 100 against va tech, both real games they played they LOST
 
SoonerBS said:
Hell, all he's thinking about right now is how he can please his fiancee!! LOL He's getting married soon! (I need to give him a call.)
Click to expand...

I thought he got hooked a few weeks ago....
 
I didnt have real time to look at the rankings.. But syracuse kentucky pitt and Florida atlantic are all ranked in the bottom 300 of all of college football in run defense( Cincy's about 290). Check what UGA's backs did against the #2 run defense in the country.. then get back to me.
 
Interesting Piece here. Cant wait to see the OLINE write up !!!! HEY i took off my ORANGE glasses and didnt see UF here ? O H you said TOP 30 RB groups. My bad. GAtor RBS are soooooooooooo bad They may go 4 wide every down.
 
Running Backs
1. Georgia
[SIZE=-1]New running back coach Tony Ball has one of the nation's best stable of backs to work with. Thomas Brown, Kregg Lumpkin and Danny Ware are all good enough to start for anyone in America, and they form a great three-headed monster that should be more productive than is was last year when the ground game only averaged 162 yards per game. The only problem is that none of the backs ever get into a groove because of the rotation, but all three average around five yards per crack. There's speed, but there weren't enough home runs last year. Once Brannan Southerland recovers from a shoulder injury, the fullback situation will be fantastic helped by the return of Des Williams from a torn pectoral muscle. [/SIZE]
2. Arkansas
3. Auburn
4. Tennessee
5. Alabama
6. LSU

From collegefootballnews
 
your last copy-and-paste about Jorja's running backs was also from CollegeFootballNews. I am aware that you are a bigger fan of Jorja's running backs than I am. Not much else to discuss; I told you what I thought and you dismissed it...

Maybe I'll have Jorja higher somewhere else and you'll like my Top 30 better in another category, lol...

:cheers:
 
Keep an eye on Ben Tate at Auburn, this kid has got a lot of talent. He probably won't get much of an opportunity this year with the depth in front of him but he will be a big time player before his career is done at Auburn.
 
SoonerBS said:
Hell, all he's thinking about right now is how he can please his fiancee!! LOL He's getting married soon! (I need to give him a call.)
Click to expand...

LOL, damn you!! I'm not limping around on that ball and chain as bad as McFadden is with that injured toe. Trying out for kicker and shit I guess. What an idiot. My nephew was such a big fan of his too and now I just talk shit about the guy. Of course I'll be glad to see him back on the field, ha.
 
Obligatory Texas > OU post.

C'mon. AD is awesome when healthy and behind a solid OL. But as the #1 offensive weapon, behind a battered OL, and with his run to contact style, he may not finish the season and may be out for a game or two. Even if he is healthy, without a balanced offense, does he even get to 1,800 yards? To 1,500 yards? No way he gets to 2,200 yards now.

Sure that's a chunk of yards for an individual back, but will OU backs average over 5 ypc? Probably not. Will they gain more yards than Texas collectively? Probably not.

Alright, that's off my chest. I feel better.

Like Lynch and Bush as the top 2, McFadden out hurts Arkansas, then we get the Texas committee, Irons at Auburn, Wells and co. at tOSU, etc.

Interesting that Navy is in the teens but will probably lead the nation in rushing this year (yards per game, not ypc). May go to show that a prominent feature back is not necessarily key to rushing success.
 
another collegefootballnews.com link in this thread, abc's???

Come on, that's four times in this thread. Enough is enough.

CFN.com is not the bible and end-all, be-all to college football. I think their RB ratings are off base this year... evidently you don't...
 
Well the first time was just from the team preview..the second time was from the sec this was all of D1.
 
Bumping this thread to remind you guys who are crying about Bush for Louisville being out for the year. Without Bush, it takes a severe dip. Let's not forget that Smith averaged 8.7 ypc his first two years and 4.9 last year while battling injuries, and Stripling runs like the wind. Don't throw away your tickets on this bunch yet - their bigger problems will be containing standout receivers and shutting down a QB that can throw the deep ball...
 
is cal still number one ;) Just to let you know they played a real run d.. who was ranked #2.


UGA all three backs scored a td in the first game, and will have a bigger test next week, but i expect the same thing. I do appreciate ur work with these list
 
watch out for Jonathan Stewart/Jeremiah Johnson combo at Oregon. They ripped Stanford to shreds last week, and If they stay healthy, should be as good or better than Cals
 
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