Top college football running backs still available in the NCAA transfer portal

Running back is one of the easiest positions to restock and reload through the college football transfer portal, as so many talented backs change schools each year looking for larger workloads and brighter spotlights.

The top three rushers at the FBS level this season were all transfers in their first seasons with a new school -- Cam Cook at Jacksonville State (1,659 yards as a transfer from TCU), Missouri's Ahmad Hardy (1,649 yards as a transfer from Louisiana-Monroe) and Ole Miss' Kewan Lacy (1,464 yards as a transfer from Missouri). Among many other transfer success stories at the position.

With the college football transfer portal window opening last Friday (Jan. 2), many of the top running backs on the market have already settled at new schools.

That list includes: Caleb Hawkins (North Texas to Oklahoma State), Hollywood Smothers (NC State to Alabama), Cook (on the move again from Jacksonville State to West Virginia), Tre Wisner (Texas to Florida State), Makhi Hughes (Oregon to Houston), Jahiem White (West Virginia to North Texas), Wayne Knight (James Madison to UCLA), Turbo Richard (Boston College to Indiana) and many, many others.

But there is still an abundance of talent at the position in the transfer portal.

Here are the five most intriguing running backs still in the portal as of Wednesday, January 7.

Former USC and Arizona State running back Raleek Brown is arguably the top RB still available in the transfer portal. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

1. Raleek Brown

Brown was one of the most interesting prospects in the 2022 recruiting class, ranked at the time a five-star prospect by Rivals (a high four-star in the 247Sports Composite ratings) as a lightning-fast but diminutive 5-foot-9 running back.

The standout from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, ultimately chose to stay close to home at USC, flipping his commitment from Oklahoma after coach Lincoln Riley left the Sooners for the Trojans.

But it didn't work out for Brown in Los Angeles. He had 76 combined rushing/receiving yards on just 8 touches in his collegiate debut, but a sprained ankle undermined his true freshman season as he finished with 227 rushing yards, 175 receiving yards and 6 combined TDs.

USC then tried to move him to slot receiver, but he played just two games as a sophomore before opting to redshirt and sit out the rest of the season. He'd transfer to Arizona State, but a nagging hamstring injury undermined his 2024 season and limited him to just 48 offensive yards.

But Brown put it all together this past season, rushing for 1,141 yards on 6.1 yards per carry for the Sun Devils, along with 34 catches for 239 yards and 6 combined TDs.

RALEEK BROWN hits 2nd Gear 💨

75 yards to the House in Tempe#Big12FB | 📺 TNT pic.twitter.com/IE2ozbmVS4
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) September 14, 2025

After initially intending to pursue the NFL draft, Brown instead entered the transfer portal looking for a new college football home for the 2026 season. With elite speed and the ability to be an effective weapon in the passing game as well, Brown could be a big missing piece to a contender.

He visited Indiana over the weekend, had an in-home visit with new Texas RBs coach Jabbar Juluke on Tuesday and was set to visit the Longhorns on Wednesday, On3's Greg Biggins reported. Brown was originally scheduled to visit Alabama early this week, but that visit is now in doubt.

Texas makes a lot of sense for Brown. Head coach Steve Sarkisian has strong recruiting ties to Southern California and would already be plenty familiar with Brown from his high school days. The Longhorns had most of their RB unit (including leading rusher Tre Wisner) hit the portal last month, and their rumored preferred top target Jadan Baugh elected to stay at Florida and not enter the portal.

Former Baylor star Bryson Washington is one of the top running backs in the transfer portal. — Bryson Washington rushed for over 1,800 yards and 18 touchdowns the last two seasons at Baylor, but he's on the move in the transfer portal. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

2. Bryson Washington

Washington had a breakout redshirt-freshman season for Baylor in 2024, rushing for 1,028 yards and 12 TDs on 5.9 YPC along with 217 yards and a TD receiving. He was named a second-team Freshman All-American by The Athletic.

His encore didn't quite go as planned this season, as injuries limited him even though he didn't miss a regular-season game.

Washington rushed for 788 yards on 5.1 YPC and totaled 7 TDs (1 receiving), but he had double-digit carries in only two of the final seven games (and had just 2 in the finale vs. Houston). He had gotten off to a strong start before that, though, with 492 yards and 5 TDs by the end of September.

Washington didn't enter the transfer portal until Sunday, so his recruitment is still heating up.

ESPN's Max Olson reported that Washington plans to visit Texas A&M, Wisconsin and Auburn to start.

Former LSU top recruit Caden Durham is one of the best running backs still available in the transfer portal. — After two seasons at LSU, former top-100 national prospect Caden Durham is on the move in the transfer portal. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

3. Caden Durham

Durham was a top-100 national prospect of Texas state power Duncanville High School, rated the No. 5 RB in the 2024 recruiting class per the 247Sports Composite, and he showed flashes of his immense upside during two seasons at LSU.

But Durham never truly broke out as expected with the Tigers, and with a staff change there, he is looking for a fresh start through the transfer portal.

Durham immediately stepped into a featured back role as a true freshman with 753 rushing yards, 260 receiving yards and 8 total TDs, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. He was named the SEC's Offensive Freshman of the Year, but he wasn't able to take it to the next level as a sophomore this past season.

The 5-foot-9, 205-pound rusher finished the season with 505 rushing yards and 3 TDs on 4.6 YPC with 91 receiving yards over 12 games, as the LSU offense collectively underwhelmed in a disappointing season.

An early-season ankle injury didn't help, and whether it was that or Harlem Berry's emergence in the backfield, Durham had seven or fewer carries in six of the final eight games.

4. Dylan Edwards

It's very possible the best is yet to come for Edwards, a former four-star prospect who was ranked the No. 10 RB in the 2023 recruiting class, per the 247Sports Composite.

The speedy back never fully took off at Colorado or Kansas State and is now on the move again.

The 5-foot-9, 167-pound Edwards played in 12 games with six starts as a true freshman at Colorado in 2023, but the Buffaloes had a bad offensive line and the worst-ranked rushing attack in the entire FBS, limiting his opportunities. Edwards finished with 321 yards and a TD on a modest 4.2 YPC but added 36 catches for 299 yards and four TDs.

He then transferred to Kansas State, where he flashed some of his elite burst, averaging 7.4 YPC in 2024 (74 attempts for 546 yards and 5 TDs, plus 2 receiving TDs). He closed that season with 196 rushing yards and 2 TDs plus 27 receiving yards and a score to win MVP honors in K-State's Rate Bowl win over Rutgers.

That raised expectations for a potential true breakout season in 2025 as Edwards was named to a bunch of preseason watch lists, but he sustained a lower leg injury in the first game of the season and would ultimately be shut down after playing in four games to protect his redshirt year.

Still, he managed to flash his high-end upside with 20 carries for 166 yards and a TD vs. UCF in late September.

Former top running back prospect CJ Baxter is looking for a fresh start while leaving Texas and entering the transfer portal. | Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

5. CJ Baxter

Baxter is another former top prospect hoping for a big bounce-back season in 2026 while finding a new home through the transfer portal.

Baxter was a five-star recruit and the No. 1-ranked running back in the 2023 class, per the 247Sports Composite, but injuries held him back during his time at Texas.

Baxter rushed for 659 yards and five TDs (with 156 receiving yards) as a true freshman in 2023 and was the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, but his Longhorns career got derailed from there.

A serious knee injury (LCL/PCL tear) before the 2024 season wiped out his sophomore campaign entirely and seemed to have lingering effects into this past season as well. An early-season hamstring injury further complicated matters this fall as Baxter averaged just 3.6 YPC on just 54 touches (for 196 yards).

He's hoping to prove he's healthy and still capable of being an elite running back as he finds a new home for 2026.

Baxter has been linked to Kentucky and Colorado, but On3's Pete Nakos reports that Indiana is now the favorite in his transfer recruitment.