The Big Ten Conference has had some great running backs over the years, and the upcoming season should be no exception.
Today, we rank the top-five Big Ten running backs heading into the 2024 season.
Last season, the Oregon Ducks had one of the most explosive offenses in college football by scoring 44.2 points per game. Bucky Irving was the leading back with more than 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns, and right behind him was James, who had 12 touchdowns and 891 total yards of his own.
He’s going to be taking over as the lead back with Irving off to the NFL. James, entering his junior season, could rise up these rankings quickly. It’s rare to find a back with the explosiveness and pass-catching abilities he possesses. And with a difference of 160 touches between Irving and James in 2023, there is a massive jump expected in touches for him this season.
There was one running back in the Big Ten last season that had more yards than Blake Corum, and it was Rutgers’ back Kyle Monangai, and he did it on 16 fewer touches. Still, he had almost 60 more touches than any other back in the Big Ten not named Corum.
As Rutgers moves to a more pro-style offense now that quarterback Gavin Wimsatt is no longer with the program and Minnesota transfer Athan Kaliakmanis takes over, it will be interesting to see how that changes Monangai’s usage in 2024.
The Ohio State Buckeyes earned by far the best running back in the portal this season in Judkins, an Ole Miss transfer. By the Big Ten’s 2023 standards, Judkins would have had the most attempts (271), the third-most rushing yards (1,158) and the second-most touchdowns (17) in the conference in 2023.
The question is how his game is going to translate in a split backfield. Judkins only averaged 4.3 yards per carry in 2023 after being at 5.7 yards per carry in 2022. Regardless, Judkins should have a better offensive line and a more potent offense to play in than what he saw at Ole Miss. He’ll likely be RB2 in Columbus, but he very well could be one of the best running backs in the conference.
The time has finally come for Edwards to be the feature back for the Michigan Wolverines. When he had that role in 2023, he showed out against some of the best teams in college football. Obviously, the back-to-back house calls in Columbus against Ohio State stand out. But in the last three games of that run with Corum, Edwards earned 520 of his 872 rushing yards that season.
Last season was a step back for Edwards, but his opportunities were limited because of the return of Corum. He never had more than 14 rushing attempts in a single game, which may be why his yards per rush dipped from 7.1 in 2023 to just 4.2 in 2024.
When Edwards is in his groove and feeling it, there may not be a better running back in college football; his two touchdowns in the National Championship on six carries proved just that. My question is how quickly can he find that as the main ball-carrier in 2024, and what does that look like throughout an entire season?
When healthy, Henderson has been one of the best running backs in the country the last three seasons. As a freshman, Henderson had his most impressive season: 1,560 all-purpose yards and 19 touchdowns. Since then, a mixture of injuries and other running backs on the team has dampened his productivity.
Still, Henderson is in the mix as one of the best receiving backs in nation. He averaged 12.1 yards per catch last season on 19 receptions and could be targeted more this fall. Once again, Henderson will compete for touches with a premier back in Judkins, but Day has been known to force feed his best players. I anticipate Henderson to see the ball a lot in 2024.
