Who Will Be Auburn’s RB2 This Year? Analyzing Auburn’s Running Back Room

The Auburn Tigers have been abundantly clear about their offensive philosophy in 2026, and it boils down to one pretty simple sentence: run the (you know this one) ball. New Tiger head coach Alex Golesh has been hell-bent on that specific point from his first press conference as a Tiger, before he even knew who his running backs would be.

Now that we are further into preseason training, we have an idea of how Auburn’s backs will operate: RB1 and RB2 will rotate on specific drives, with RB3 getting a few reps here and there to relieve the others and provide a bit more unpredictability to the offense.

Auburn senior returner Jeremiah Cobb seems to have the RB1 position almost completely locked down, so who could the Tigers’ RB2, and potentially RB3, end up being?

The most popular pick for RB2, when he first transferred in from Baylor, was junior Bryson Washington, a veteran back who has had some impressive production throughout his career. Washington missed a good chunk of last season with an injury, but he still managed to put up 788 yards and six touchdowns on an average of 5.1 yards per carry.

However, Washington missed nearly all of spring camp, as well as the beginning of fall camp, with another injury, so he has certainly left the door open for others to take the spot that many believed to be his by default. Such is the nature of Golesh’s offense– there is no guaranteed playing time, no matter how good you have been in the past.

The next most likely pick for RB2, or at the very least RB3, is a man who has been all over the highlight reels from fall camp: sophomore Omar Mabson. Mabson, like Cobb, is an Auburn returner this year, though Mabson only carried the ball 16 times for 71 yards and a touchdown last season. However, as mentioned, Mabson has been showing up in a big way during the Tigers’ training time, so there is certainly an argument for him to earn the RB2 spot ahead of week one.

Then, there is Tae Meadows, a transfer back from Troy. Meadows averaged 4.4 yards per carry last season on a total of 695 rushing yards and six touchdowns, but the factor that may set him apart from the group is his experience, as Meadows is now a senior who has been a part of college football since 2023, unlike the younger players he is contending with.

Of course, Alex Golesh brought over his RB1 from USF, Nykahi Davenport, a Roswell, Ga., native who was once one of the more highly sought-after backs in recruiting. Davenport was a true freshman last season, so he still has plenty of eligibility left, and since there is really no need to force early development in a prospect in this running back room, I expect him to watch most games from the sideline this year.

Finally, there is a player who was once one of Auburn’s biggest recruits of all time, but has now faded into something resembling obscurity: Alvin Henderson. Henderson, who, like Davenport, will be a sophomore this season, was a five-star prospect out of high school who is still waiting for his chance to step up on the Plains. Similar to Davenport, I expect him to take this season to develop, though he may find a few snaps at RB3 as Golesh acclimates him to the SEC.

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