Cal Football: Can Cal Call Itself Running Back U.? SI Crunches the Numbers
Patrick Laird started four games for the Miami Dolphins in 2019. C.J. Anderson had seven carries for the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl following the 2018 season. Marshawn Lynch came out of retirement in 2019 to play for the Seattle Seahawks to complete what might be a Hall of Fame career.
All three running backs played at Cal, which suggests maybe, just maybe, Cal would be among the top 10 schools in SI's Running Backs U. rankings.
***Patrick Laird (42) was an undrafted free agent who ended up as a starter
Photo by Steve Mitchell - USA TODAY Sports
Alas, Cal did not make the top 10 for running backs (although Cal did get a mention in the SI quarterback U. rankings, which will post here soon).
Here are the top 10 colleges for running backs after SI crunched a bunch of numbers regarding the NFL success of running backs from those schools over the past 10 years.
1. Alabama, 50 points
2. Georgia, 34
3. LSU, 30
4. Georgia, 34
5. Stanford, 24
6. Auburn, 22
7. Ohio State, 21
8 (tie). Miami, 19
8 (tie) Wisconsin, 19
10. Oregon, 18
You will note that two Pac-12 schools -- Stanford and Oregon -- did make the top 10.
We will list former Cal running backs who played in the NFL over the past 10 years, and it suggests Cal must have been close to making the top 10.
That is followed by the running-back tree of the top three schools on the SI list. After that we provide the methodology SI used to apply points to each back and school.
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Cal Running Backs Drafted or Started Games Since 2010
Marshawn Lynch (135 NFL starts, first-team All-Pro 2012)
C.J. Anderson (39 NFL starts)
Shane Vereen (2nd-round pick 2011, 9 NFL starts)
Jahvid Best (1st-round pick 2010, 15 NFL starts)
Justin Forsett (37 career NFL starts)
Will Ta'ufo'ou (12 career NFL starts)
Patrick Laird (4 NFL starts)
Khalfani Muhammad (7th-round draft pick 2017)
Daniel Lasco (7th-round pick 2016)
Brendan Bigelow (undrafted 2014)
***Marshawn Lynch stretches for a touchdown in 2019
Photo by Streicher - USA TODAY Sports
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Top 3 Schools in SI Running Back U.
ALABAMA
Mark Ingram II (2011 first round, 78 starts)
Trent Richardson (2012 3rd overall, 37 starts)
Eddie Lacy (2013 second round, 51 starts, OROY)
Kenyan Drake (2016 third round, 24 starts)
Derrick Henry (2016 second round, 31 starts)
Josh Jacobs (2019 first round, 13 starts)
T.J. Yeldon (2015 second round, 30 starts)
Jalston Fowler (2015 fourth round, 7 starts)
Damien Harris (2019 third round)
Bo Scarbrough (2018 seventh round, 5 starts)
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GEORGIA
Todd Gurley (2015 10th overall, 72 starts, 2x All-Pro, OPOY, OROY)
Sony Michel (2018 first round, 22 starts)
Nick Chubb (2018 second round, 25 starts)
Shaun Chapas (2011 seventh round, 1 start)
Keith Marshall (2016 seventh round)
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LSU
Leonard Fournette (2017 4th overall, 36 starts)
Jeremy Hill (2014 second round, 43 starts)
Stevan Ridley (2011 third round, 27 starts)
Spencer Ware (2013 sixth round, 19 starts)
Alfred Blue (2014 sixth round, 16 starts)
Derrius Guice (2018 second round, 1 start)
Kenny Hilliard (2015 seventh round)
Charles Scott (2010 sixth round)
Keiland Williams (2010 undrafted, 3 starts)
Terrance Magee (2015 undrafted)
Richard Murphy (2011 undrafted)
Darrel Williams (2018 undrafted)
Michael Ford (2013 undrafted)
SI Scoring Sytem
DRAFT POSITION
Top 10: 4 points
Round 1 (non-top 10): 3 points
Rounds 2-3: 2 points
Rounds 4-7: 1 point
Undrafted: 0 points
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NFL GAMES STARTED
80-plus: 5 points
48 to 79: 4 points
16 to 47: 3 points
5 to 15: 2 points
1 to 4: 1 point
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NFL AWARDS
Offensive Player of the Year: 4 points
First-Team All-Pro: 3 points
Offensive Rookie of the Year: 2 points
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