College Football analysts unveil consensus Top 10 RB rankings for 2026 season: Heisman favorites and breakout stars highlighted
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A to Z Sports ranks the top 10 college football running backs heading into the 2026 season. The exercise continued the debate.
The 2026 college football season is less than two months away, and until fall camp begins, the offseason belongs to projection, evaluation, and celebration of the sport’s best returning talent.
A to Z Sports assembled a panel of seven college football analysts to rank the top 10 running backs in the country heading into next season. The emphasis here is on the best overall college football players at the position, not the best NFL Draft prospects. Each analyst submitted individual rankings from 1 through 10, and the results were averaged to produce a consensus list.
The panel also included honorable mentions for players who received at least one vote but fell outside the top 10. Here is a look at several of the standout running backs who made the cut.
1. Kewan Lacy (Ole Miss)
Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 2
Lacy began his career at Missouri before transferring to Ole Miss, where he became a star for the Rebels last fall in Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr.’s offense. With the coaching change from Kiffin to head coach Pete Golding and a full offensive staff turnover, expect even more to land on Lacy’s plate. He is one of the more explosive running backs in all of college football with a knack for creating home run plays. He can also catch the football, making him a focal point of this offense in both the run and passing game heading into 2026.” – Roberts, A to Z Sports Notre Dame
2. Ahmad Hardy (Missouri)
Highest ranking: 2 | Lowest ranking: 6
“Hardy had a dynamic freshman season two years ago at Louisiana-Monroe before transferring to Missouri, where he became a legitimate star in the SEC. At 5-foot-10, 210 pounds, Hardy plays with a low center of gravity and tremendous physicality, working through contact with some of the best contact balance you will see. He is not a flashy runner like Lacey, but he is incredibly efficient and difficult to bring down. Missouri has leaned heavily on the run game under head coach Eli Drinkwitz, and there is no reason to believe Hardy won’t put together another tremendous year, assuming that he returns to full health from an offseason gunshot wound.” – Roberts
3. Jadan Baugh (Florida)
Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 8
“When it comes to who the best running back is, I don’t necessarily look at stats as the best indicator. Some players have a much easier path to accumulating stats while others have to work a little bit harder.
“Jadan Baugh is the complete package. He’s got excellent vision in zone concepts, as well as in the open field, finding creases to attack and create big plays. Baugh also has the frame to run through and over defenders, and routinely does so. He can also catch passes out of the backfield and pass protect at a plus level. Now, his long speed isn’t there compared to other top backs, but he will destroy you in all other phases.” – Tyler Forness, A to Z Sports Florida
4. Mark Fletcher Jr. (Miami)
Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: 5
“Fletcher was one of the best players in the College Football Playoff last year regardless of position. The 6-2, 225-pound back answered questions about his skill set there by ripping off two 50+ yard runs, including a 57-yard touchdown where he ran away from Indiana’s defense. The new single-season CFP rushing yards leader may find things even easier in 2026, with a potentially elite passing game led by Darian Mensah, Malachi Toney, and Cooper Barkate set to take the pressure off the ground game.” – Craig Smith, A to Z Sports Tennessee
5. Justice Haynes (Georgia Tech)
Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: 7
“The former Alabama and Michigan transfer made a surprising move back to his home state of Georgia to play for the Yellow Jackets. Haynes was a good player at Alabama but elevated his game to another level at Michigan when healthy. He is one of the best breakaway runners in college football, possessing a strong combination of explosiveness and top-end speed. He is a bit of a feast-or-famine runner, which creates a conversation around efficiency versus big-play ability. That said, there is no question about his talent, which is why he was a borderline five-star recruit coming out of the 2023 recruiting class.
“Georgia Tech loved to run the football under former offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, who left for the University of Florida. It would be smart for the new offensive staff to lean on Haynes, who was one of the stars in all of college football when healthy last season.” – Roberts
6. Caleb Hawkins (Oklahoma State)
Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: 8
“I may be higher on Caleb Hawkins than most, but I feel like there’s a good reason why. We saw him last season as a true freshman who completely dominated the American Conference. He finished with 1,800 all-purpose yards and 29 scrimmage touchdowns. I think that does convert to the Big 12, where, let’s be honest, the talent difference can’t be that much higher as things are currently constructed outside of a few teams here and there. He has the same coach, same system, and same QB. And, he should only be developing and getting better.” – Justin Churchill, A to Z Sports Oklahoma
7. LJ Martin (BYU)
Highest ranking: 5 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
“Martin is not the flashiest running back on this list, but his game is eerily similar to former Chicago Bears star Matt Forte. He is a bigger back with sweet feet, able to make defenders miss in tight quarters while also serving as a battering ram when getting downhill. He also has soft hands working out of the backfield. Martin has been a tremendous player for the Cougars over the last two seasons, and that should continue next fall. With his body of work and overall skill set, he is a clear favorite to be one of the most productive all-around running backs in college football.” – Roberts
8. Bo Jackson (Ohio State)
Highest ranking: 6 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
“Ohio State entered last season expecting James Peoples and CJ Donaldson to be its top two backs. Bo Jackson cemented himself as the guy just a couple of games into his freshman season and ended it with 1,090 rushing yards at over six yards per carry. There would have been a lot more hype around Jackson coming out of high school if he had stayed healthy, and we saw why during his freshman year.
“Jackson now enters a key second year with the Buckeyes where he needs to show more true breakaway runs, as well as the ability to make defenders miss. Ohio State will still rotate a couple of running backs in 2026 like last season, but expect Jackson to be the bellcow.” – Brandon Little, A to Z Sports Ohio State
9. Hollywood Smothers (Texas)
Highest ranking: 7 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
“Smothers came over from NC State, where he was a true difference-maker for the Wolfpack over the last couple of seasons. The former Oklahoma transfer is not the biggest back, and that shows up in his inability to convert short yardage. What he is, though, is a dynamic space runner who catches the football well and makes defenders miss in tight quarters.
“Texas broke the bank this offseason to improve its running back room, adding both Smothers and Raleek Brown, who transferred from Arizona State and just missed the top 10 himself. Both backs should see significant usage. I do personally have my question marks about redundancy in that room due to both players being smaller, more space-oriented weapons. But in Steve Sarkisian’s wide-open offense, there is no question that Smothers can make a ton of plays in 2026.” – Roberts
10. Isaac Brown (Louisville)
Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: 10
“Isaac Brown is one of the more intriguing backs in all of college football. He’s the latest in the pipeline from South Florida to Louisville in terms of headliners, and he has the highlight-worthy plays to back up the hype. The Junior from Miami averaged an absurd 8.8 yards per carry in 2025, and he’s one of the top one-cut backs in the nation. His ability to get skinny, burst through the hole, make a defender miss, and then upshift to hit his head on the goalpost is like few in the sport.
“He doesn’t have great size, and he’s no power back, but elusiveness is a trait that generates yards all the same. Parlaying that with his vision, and you can see why he’s a top-10 back in the country.” – Rob Gregson, A to Z Sports Alabama
Honorable Mention
When Haynes got banged up a year ago, Marshall picked up the slack and had a huge end to the season. Whenever he has been asked to be the main ball carrier during his career, Marshall has consistently been able to make plays. He enters the fall as an extremely underrated football player.
The “other Texas running back” transferred over from Arizona State this offseason. There aren’t many runners in the country with more home run juice. Brown is an explosive play waiting to happen, both in the run and passing game.
Frazier has been a steadying force for the Georgia offense over the last two years. He possesses a ton of explosiveness and big-play ability, which the team should lean on more during the 2026 season. Expect a breakout from Frazier for the Bulldogs.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: College Football analysts unveil consensus Top 10 RB rankings for 2026 season: Heisman favorites and breakout stars highlighted
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