All-conference running backs Memphis’ Blake Watson (NFL), SMU’s Jaylan Knighton (program moved to ACC), and North Texas’ Ayo Adeyi (transferred to James Madison) have left for various reasons, but there is no shortage of talent on the 2024 AAC RB Rankings.
While deciding who would be No. 1 was as unanimous as it gets, the battle for the rest of the top 10 spots was heated.
AAC 2024 RB Rankings
10) Kanye Udoh, Army Black Knights
Freshmen are supposed to take some time to get acclimated to the collegiate level before finding success — Kanye Udoh didn’t get the memo. After riding the pine for the first few weeks, he became the only Army freshman to post back-to-back 100-yard games, doing so against Troy (124) and LSU (108) no less.
Udoh finished the year with 99 carries, 524 yards, and one touchdown, but he enters 2024 as the clear-cut RB1 and should enjoy positive TD regression. While QB Bryson Daily is the unquestioned rushing leader, Udoh is capable of being more than just second fiddle.
9) Robert Henry, UTSA Roadrunners
Robert Henry isn’t the RB1 on his own team, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t RB1-worthy. He rolled the JUCO ranks while at Jones College in Mississippi, winning the Walter Jones Trophy and NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year Award in 2022 after leading the nation in rushing (237-1,302-18).
In his first season with the Roadrunners, he served as an uber-productive RB2 to Kevorian Barnes, taking 127 carries for 588 yards and 11 TDs, tied for the second-most in a season in school history. With longtime starting QB Frank Harris gone, expect an even heavier run-pass split in favor of the ground game in 2024.
8) Ta’Ron Keith, USF Bulls
Former Bowling Green — and briefly Western Kentucky — RB Ta’Ron Keith has found his final collegiate home in USF. Like Henry, Keith isn’t the top runner on his squad, but he meshes well with starter Nay’Quan Wright. Keith appeared in 37 games with the Falcons, generating a 151-693-5 rushing line and 104-1,033-8 receiving line while taking 48 kickoffs for 1,145 yards and a score.
The three-down RB is also coming off his best season on the ground, starting five games and taking 66 attempts for 390 yards and four scores. Keith may not be the pure runner Wright is, but he is far more versatile and can make an instant impact as a receiver and kick returner.
Hoping you’re as excited for bowl season as we are! Here’s a clip of Ta’ron Keith hitting 19.6 mph while taking it to the house for @BG_Football in the 2022 Quick Lane Bowl pic.twitter.com/vXFSHLH49e
— Telemetry Sports (@TelemetrySports) December 8, 2023
7) Alex Tecza, Navy Midshipmen
The Midshipmen are known for their ability on land, pounding defenses on the ground. Alex Tecza is back after registering 758 yards and five scores in his first season with playing time after riding the bench as a true freshman. He started eight of 12 contests last year, garnering honorable mention all-AAC recognition in the process.
MORE: AAC Strength of Schedule
Tecza is Navy football personified, with the speed, strength, and spirit that has fans shrieking, “I believe that we will win!” Expect Tecza to once again lead the team in carries, rushing yards, and rushing TDs as he has put the Midshipmen’s RB-by-committee approach out to sea.
6) Kevorian Barnes, UTSA Roadrunners
Kevorian Barnes’ encore following his CUSA Freshman of the Year-winning 2022 campaign wasn’t out-of-this-world spectacular, but 715 yards and six TDs on 147 carries is nothing to scoff at. Also of note is the fact that he had three 100+ performances while only toting the rock 10+ in eight games.
As mentioned with backfield mate Henry, Barnes will benefit from the loss of Harris, as UTSA will run the offense through its star RBs. Standing 5’9″ and 220 pounds, Barnes has the center of gravity and burst to churn through contact and explode for long gains.
5) Nay’Quan Wright, USF Bulls
After four years and 33 games at Florida, Nay’Quan Wright stayed in the state and helped power one of the biggest one-season turnarounds in recent college football history. USF went 1-11 in 2022 before blitzing to a 7-6 record in head coach Alex Golesh’s first year at the helm. A large reason for their offensive success was Wright, who outdid his career numbers with the Gators (189-753-5) in his first outing with the Bulls (180-797-8).
QB Byrum Brown may be the focal point of the offense, but Nay’Quan Wright has proved to be a valuable complementary piece out of the backfield. Not sold? Turn on the USF-Alabama game last season. Although 15 carries for 62 yards doesn’t seem like much, Wright had to fight for every yard and often made room for himself with smooth cuts and bruising truck sticks.
4) Anthony Watkins, Tulsa Golden Hurricane
It’s been a long road for Anthony Watkins, who enters his sixth collegiate season in 2024. After spending a year at Missouri (2019), he transferred to Tulsa but didn’t see meaningful reps until 2021. That year, Watkins flashed his momentum-altering ability, producing 634 yards and four TDs on 86 rushing attempts and returning 15 kickoffs for 311 yards and one TD.
However, instead of building on his impressive outing, Watkins’ life was turned upside down. He lost his younger brother in the summer of 2022, and then he was deemed academically ineligible for the season.
Following a year off the field, Watkins was ready to turn his pain onto his opponents, and that he did. He rumbled for 889 yards, including 146 against Charlotte, 115 against North Texas, and 106 against East Carolina, and earned third-team All-AAC merits. It wouldn’t be surprising if Watkins saved his best for last and bowled his way to 1,000+ yards this season.
ANTHONY WATKINS SAID GET OFF ME! NO WAIT YOU GET OFF ME!! NAH GET OFF ME FOR REAL!!!
What A RUN 🔥🔥🔥😤😤😤pic.twitter.com/7myXFT7mhJ
— The Transfer Portal CFB (@TPortalCFB) October 10, 2021
3) Dean Connors, Rice Owls
A Rice player at No. 3 on a 2024 AAC Rankings piece? You’re damn right. Dean Connors made the Shrine Bowl 1000 watch list for a reason. In 2023, he accumulated 771 yards and seven TDs on the ground, picking up another 403 yards and three scores as a receiver.
His 6.4 yards-per-carry average was the highest in school history (minimum 100 carries) since 2005, and his two rushing TDs in the First Responder Bowl against Texas State were the most by a Rice RB in a bowl game since 1954.
The best part is Connors is only heating up. He averaged 7.3 attempts per game through the first 10 weeks of the season, but that number rose all the way to 16 in the final three contests. He has the acceleration, vision, and shiftiness to send would-be tacklers to the shadow realm on any given catch or carry, and he should receive an increased workload in 2024.
2) Mario Anderson Jr., Memphis Tigers
Another Shrine Bowl 1000 member, Mario Anderson Jr. took 143 carries for 707 yards and three TDs behind a porous offensive line in his lone season as a Gamecock. He spent the previous four seasons at DII Newberry College, where he amassed 3,301 rushing yards (third-most in school history) and 35 TDs and was a two-time first-team all-conference performer.
Now, Anderson will fill Blake Watson’s role, which accounted for 192 carries and 53 receptions last year. At a well-built 5’9″ and 208 pounds, the former South Carolina back comes equipped with the contact balance, power, and patience to help QB Seth Henigan and the offense average another 39+ points per game in 2024.
1) Makhi Hughes, Tulane Green Wave
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the best all-around college football player — Makhi Hughes made the watch list this summer. After sitting out the 2022 season due to an injury, Hughes erupted for 1,378 yards and seven TDs, propelling Tulane to only its fourth 11+ season in program history.
KEEP READING: 2024 All-AAC College Football Preseason Team and Individual Honors
The team will look vastly different in 2024 following a coaching change and QB Michael Pratt’s departure to the NFL, but one thing will remain the same: Hughes will dominate every opponent who steps on the field across from him.
2024 AAC RB Rankings | 11-20
11) Rahjai Harris and Javious Bond, East Carolina
12) Ikaika Ragsdale and Zach Evans, North Texas
13) Cartevious Norton, Hahsaun Wilson, and Terron Kellman, Charlotte
14) Lee Beebe Jr. and Isaiah Jacobs, UAB
15) Sutton Smith, Memphis
16) Eli Heidenreich, Navy
17) Bill Jackson, Tulsa
18) Rocko Griffin, UTSA
19) Antwain Littleton, Temple
20) C.J. Campbell Jr., FAU
College Football Network has you covered with the latest news and analysis, rankings, transfer portal information, top 10 returning players, the 2024 college football season schedule, and much more!