Who Is the New Running Back U.?

We crunched 10 years’ worth of data to determine—which college programs have the right to brand themselves the modern ‘Running Back U.’

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Apr 3, 2020 9:49 AM EDT

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams heading to free agency, there perhaps is a need for the Green Bay Packers to add a running back in this month’s NFL Draft.

Which school has produced the top talent at running back? In a series, Sports Illustrated determined each “Position U.” by measuring what every college should strive to do, in sports and beyond: Prepare students for professional careers. For the full explanation of our scoring system and the results, CLICK HERE.

Georgia, of course, boasts the most accomplished running back of the past decade in Todd Gurley, one of two first-round picks they’ve produced (with Sony Michel, 2018). And no program has put more RBs in the league over the past decade than LSU (13), including Leonard Fournette, one of four backs selected in the top five of the past decade’s drafts (with Alabama’s Trent Richardson, Penn State’s Saquon Barkley and Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott).

Lower in the standings, Boise State hasn’t been as omnipresent in the national discussion recently, but the Broncos haven’t slowed down production at their RB factory. They sent backs to the league at the same rate as some of the big boys over the last decade, finishing 12th in our rankings thanks to players like “Muscle Hamster” Doug Martin, Super Bowl champion Jay Ajayi and, most recently, Vikings third-round pick Alexander Mattison.

But none of those schools are the “Running Back U.” To see which school that is, where Wisconsin checks in and the full results, click here for the full story.