Projecting Auburn’s RB Depth Chart After 12 Spring Practices

Here's a look at what the Auburn Tigers running back room could look like once the season gets underway

The Auburn Tigers' running back room is starting to come together | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There is simply no doubt about it: the Auburn Tigers’ running back room is stacked this year. Between top returning players and a few key transfers, the Tigers’ running back room seems to be nearly as deep as its basketball team was a year ago, which certainly bodes well for Alex Golesh.

But, with so many big names now on the Plains, who can Auburn fans expect to take the brunt of production? Below is a look at a projected depth chart for the Tigers’ room, based on previous production and practice observations.

RB 1 - Jeremiah Cobb (Sr.)

This should come as a surprise to few, as Cobb was one of the best running backs in the SEC last year and is returning to Auburn for his final season of eligibility. Last season, Cobb rushed for a career-high 969 yards and five touchdowns on 175 carries in his first true season as the Tigers’ RB1.

Cobb is a proven threat to any SEC defense, which most of the other backs on this list cannot quite say–yet. The senior netted SEC Third-Team honors for his junior campaign and had the sixth-most rushing yards among SEC backs in 2025.

RB 2 - Bryson Washington, (Jr.)

The new Baylor transfer is an interesting new piece for this Auburn lineup, as he is a true, proven RB1 who is largely expected to play behind Cobb in the coming season. However, new Auburn head coach Alex Golesh has been clear that he is looking to feature the running game this season, which requires quality depth.

Washington certainly fits the bill of ‘quality,’ as he rushed for 788 yards and six touchdowns on 154 carries during his sophomore campaign with the Bears. You could make the case that Auburn’s room has more of an RB1-A and RB1-B than a true RB1/RB2 split between Cobb and Washington, due to their levels of excellence as well as Golesh’s new philosophy. 

As such, Auburn fans should expect Cobb and Washington to be used nearly interchangeably in the 2026 season.

RB 3 - Nykahi Davenport (So.)

Davenport is the only running back on this list who already has prior experience with Alex Golesh, as he transferred to Auburn to follow his former USF head coach. Though the Bulls’ running game was largely headlined by Byrum Brown last season, Davenport certainly pulled his weight in an Alex Golesh-led offense.

In his true freshman season with the Bulls, Davenport carried the ball 98 times for 612 yards and seven touchdowns. Though that is certainly the lowest rushing production of the three, keep in mind that his quarterback, Byrum Brown, rushed for over 1,000 yards in that season.

Obviously, Washington and Cobb are the clear front-runners for the position, but I think Davenport has a quality that Golesh has been looking for: loyalty. The choice to follow Golesh from USF seems to insinuate an immense level of trust in his head coach, so he may be one of the ever-shrinking number of long-term players for the Tigers. He may not be RB1 this season, but his youth makes him an incredible option for the future.

RB 4 - Tae Meadows (Sr.)

The Troy transfer flew under the radars of many Auburn fans due to the pickups of players like Brown and Washington, but the three-star transfer prospect could prove to be a sneaky threat to opposing defenses during his final year of eligibility.

Last year with the Trojans, Meadows rushed for 695 yards and six touchdowns on 695 carries, though there is a question of how he will perform in the SEC. Last season, in Troy’s matchup with Clemson, which was their only Power Four opponent of the season, Meadows was limited to just 76 yards on 16 carries and did not score.

I expect Meadows to serve as a third-down back if anything, though Golesh may dip into Gus Malzahn’s bag of jet sweeps and other tricky rushing plays, which could certainly utilize Meadows’ combination of speed and power.

Beyond these four, the Tigers have three other running backs in their room: Alvin Henderson, a former four-star prospect and redshirt freshman who returned from last year’s squad, Omar Mabson II, a sophomore who also returned from last year’s team and Cole Gamble, a sophomore who has yet to see game action.

The main reason I do not expect these players to show up often in Auburn’s upcoming season is that they are still being heavily developed and have more work to do before they will be viable threats at an SEC level. With that said, Henderson, who appears to be the most developed of the three, could get some carries over Meadows, depending on the situation.

Regardless of how Golesh decides to chalk up his depth chart, the Tigers are clearly set for one of their more dominant rushing seasons in recent memory, with talent busting from the seams of the running back room.

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