There are more ways to measure college football running back success than career rushing yards. Thanks to advances in film study and the availability of in-depth metrics, we can break down performance more nuancedly. For example, which backs can shed tackles and add value after contact? The top 25 college football running backs after contact heading into 2025 is an eye-opening list.
25) Ayo Adeyi, James Madison
After three seasons with the North Texas Mean Green, Ayo Adeyi took his tackle-breaking talents to the James Madison Dukes for the 2024 campaign. Sadly, injury impacted his first season in the Sun Belt, and he’ll return in 2025 looking to build on an impressive resume. He’s averaged 6.6 yards per carry for 2,360 rushing yards in his career, which is worthy of praise as a standalone statistic.
However, 3.81 yards per carry came after contact. His injury-caused two-game 2024 campaign negatively impacted that average because he’d added 3.60, 4.08, and 3.90 yards per carry after contact in his three seasons with North Texas before that. He’s also lost just one fumble in his career heading into 2025, showcasing his ability to absorb contact without coughing up the ball.
24) Makhi Hughes, Oregon
Matching Adeyi’s 3.81 career yards per carry after contact, Makhi Hughes burst onto the scene with the Tulane Green Wave in 2023 and posted 1,000+ rushing yard campaigns in back-to-back years. He’s averaged 5.3 yards per carry in both campaigns as the lead back for the AAC outfit, earning a transfer to the Big Ten with the Oregon Ducks for the 2025 college football campaign.
With 71.9% of that per carry output coming after contact, Hughes has showcased his ability to shrug off contact and make big plays, tallying a 50+ yard rush in each of his two playing seasons. Meanwhile, he’s as secure as you’ll find among the top 25 college football running backs, never fumbling on 523 carries.
23) Rahsul Faison, South Carolina
Rahsul Faison’s inclusion in the top 25 college football running backs after contact comes with a considerable asterisk. There is no doubt about the talent of the former Utah State Aggies rusher, who transferred to the South Carolina Gamecocks this offseason after tallying 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns at 5.8 yards per carry — 3.82 of that coming after contact with a 60-yard career-long rush.
However, Faison is currently locked in an eligibility dispute with the NCAA. The standout running back enlisted the services of high-profile lawyer Darren Heitner to help resolve an eligibility question that has remained unanswered since January. He is expected to be a big part of the South Carolina offense if he takes to the field this fall.
22) Rashod Amos, Georgia State
Former South Carolina, Miami (OH), and Ole Miss running back Rashod Amos has bounced around the college football landscape in much the same way that he bounces off contact, entering the 2025 college football campaign with the Georgia State Panthers, the fourth team of a career that started back in 2020.
He’s only played one full season, racking up 1,075 yards at 5.1 yards per carry with 13 touchdowns for the RedHawks in 2023. However, any time he’s had the ball in his hand, the 6’1″, 235-pound back has proven that he can create yardage after contact, with 3.82 of his 5.3 career average coming after an encounter with an opponent.
The number is buoyed by minimal usage in 2024, resulting in 7.00 yards per carry after contact for Ole Miss last fall, but he’s never had a season with less than 3.0 yards per carry after contact as one of the more dangerous rushers in the nation.
21) Darius Taylor, Minnesota
In two seasons with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Darius Taylor has established himself as one of the best running backs in the country, regardless of what measure you use. He’s a walking highlight reel, popping off big plays for fun, including an 80-yard rush as part of a 986-yard 2024 campaign. A cursory glance at per-carry statistics won’t rate him highly, as he only averaged 4.8 yards per pop last fall.
However, a staggering 81.5% of that per carry contribution came after contact. Taylor averaged 3.91 yards per carry after contact a year ago, contributing to an average of 3.85 across his career. The Golden Gopher standout is another in the top 25 running backs after contact who has yet to fumble the ball on over 340 rushes.
20) Jahiem White, West Virginia
After averaging 7.7 yards per carry on his way to 842 yards as a true freshman in 2023, much was expected of West Virginia Mountaineers running back Jahiem White in the 2024 campaign. Despite setting career highs for rushing yards (844) and touchdowns (seven), some fans and analysts considered his sophomore season disappointing as it failed to meet expectations.
However, of his 5.7 yards per carry last fall, 4.02 came after contact. That mark improved on his freshman season tally of 3.72 despite an overall reduction in his total yards per carry. White was hit earlier in 2024 than in 2023, with a pre-contact differential of 2.36 yards. Although he did a good job of absorbing play and staying alive in the play, the Mountaineers’ running back did cough the ball up twice.
19) Anderson Castle, Duke
Anderson Castle has never been a high-volume ball carrier who will turn the casual fan’s head with gaudy numbers. In fact, he has fewer career rushing yards (1,036) than several players in the top 25 college football running backs after contact have in a single campaign. However, he’s also never registered more than 53 carries in one season, and has only tallied 193 rushes in his entire career.
However, if you’re looking for a man to add yardage after contact who can reliably convert on third down, Castle is your man. He’s averaged 3.93 yards after contact per carry during his career, headlined by 5.06 and 4.38 campaigns in 2020 and 2022. That’s exactly what the Duke Blue Devils were looking for after plucking the former Appalachian State Mountaineer from the transfer portal.
18) Camryn Edwards, UConn
The UConn Huskies have a steady stable of exciting ball carriers on their roster, with the ascending talent of Camryn Edwards coming to the fore with an impressive campaign in 2024. The 5’11”, 210-pound back pounded the rock for 830 yards and eight touchdowns on only 146 carries, averaging 5.7 yards per pop while rattling off a career-high 71-yard long rush.
A good chunk of his 2024 yardage came after contact, a theme in Edwards’ UConn career. His career average of 3.94 yards per carry after contact places him among the top 25 college football running backs in the metric, while he averaged 4.00 yards per carry after contact in the last season alone. As Jim Mora continues to build a successful program in Storrs, Edwards should have a stellar 2025.
17) Jaden Nixon, UCF
Jaden Nixon spent three seasons with the Oklahoma State Cowboys before transferring to the Western Michigan Broncos, where he established himself as one of the most exciting running backs in the Mid-American Conference last fall. His 919-yard, 6.4 yards per carry, and 12 touchdowns campaign powered a transfer portal entry, where the UCF Knights swooped in to secure his services.
Despite an auspicious start to his career with the Cowboys, Nixon has always been excellent at adding value after contact. In 2021, he averaged 6.29 yards per carry after contact, while a 4.57 average in 2024 contributed to a 4.00 average across his career. Meanwhile, he has 253 career carries with just a single lost fumble, and a career-long rush of 92 yards as a dangerous, big-play threat.
16) Isaac Brown, Louisville
Isaac Brown had a sensational first season with the Louisville Cardinals, rushing for 1,173 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 7.1 yards per carry. A combination of some stellar offensive line play and his ability to evade contact ensured that he averaged 3.1 yards per carry before taking a hit, but he also added 4.06 yards per carry after contact.
Brown was a CSN Freshman All-American following his outstanding debut campaign and landed on the CSN Top 100 Returning College Football Players for 2025 list. A true pace back, he uses his incredible speed to pull away from defenders once he’s absorbed contact, resulting in plays like a career-long 77-yard rush from last fall that we can expect to see over and over again in 2025.
15) Bryson Washington, Baylor
A second-year standout in 2024, Bryson Washington enters the 2025 college football season as one of the top 25 college football running backs after a sensational sophomore campaign. The 6’0″, 203-pound Baylor Bears broke tackles for fun as he powered the program’s offense last fall, tallying 1,028 yards and 12 touchdowns at 5.9 yards per carry.
Washington reportedly added muscle this offseason and is over 210 pounds, making him an even more formidable rusher in one-on-one situations. His contact balance and sheer will to keep grinding his legs resulted in an average of 4.11 yards per carry after contact a year ago, while 3.8 of his 4.5 yards per carry in 2023 occurred once he’d taken a hit.
14) Myles Montgomery, UCF
After losing R.J. Harvey to the 2025 NFL Draft, UCF will look to replace its leader in the running back room with multiple players. They added former Western Michigan rusher Jaden Nixon in the portal, but Myles Montgomery has the potential to rise from among the existing talent pool. The former Cincinnati Bearcats transfer spent 2024 as Harvey’s primary backup in Orlando.
Montgomery has never tallied more than 66 carries in a single season, but he’s made the most of every opportunity at both programs. A career average of 6.4 yards per carry comprises 4.14 yards per carry after contact, including 5.03 yards per carry after contact in his final season with the Bearcats.
Although his long run for UCF was just 25 yards in 2024, he had runs of over 60 yards in both 2022 and 2023.
13) Lee Beebe Jr., Indiana
The Indiana Hoosiers tapped into the Group of Five transfer portal talent pool in their first year under Curt Cignetti and saw immediate returns with the best season in school history. They’re looking to maintain that standard in 2025, and the capture of former UAB Blazers running back Lee Beebe Jr. will ensure that they have a stellar ground game to complement an exciting passing game.
Beebe has never surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in a single season, but the 5’10”, 220-pound back takes no prisoners when confronted with defenders anywhere on the field. 72.2% of his 5.8 career yards per carry came after contact. He’s never had a campaign where his after-contact yardage was less than his before-contact marker. However, an uptick in carries last fall resulted in two lost fumbles.
12) C.J. Campbell Jr., Rutgers
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have to replace a playmaker who was routinely praised for his no-nonsense brand of running the ball, as Kyle Monangai heads to the NFL. Several backs remain from 2024, but it’s the transfer portal addition of former Florida Atlantic Owls running back C.J. Campbell Jr. that should have fans in New Jersey excited about a potential third consecutive season of bowl eligibility.
The 5’10”, 202-pound juggernaut handled his first season of full-time work a year ago, and the results were promising. Campbell rushed for 844 yards and 11 touchdowns on 165 attempts, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Of those, 4.01 came after contact, while he proved adept at converting on third down and picked up a first down on 21.2% of his carries. He hasn’t fumbled on 190 career carries.
11) Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
Forget Riley Leonard. Forget an all-powerful defense. If you watched the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s progress from a defeat to the Northern Illinois Huskies to a College Football National Championship berth, you know exactly what fueled that success. Jeremiyah Love ranks 11th in the top 25 running backs on after the contact yardage alone, but he’s comfortably the best returning rusher in 2025.
Notre Dame had a stellar offensive line last fall, and some of Love’s 6.9 yards per carry can be attributed to them. However, they have nothing to do with the 4.39 yards per carry after contact (or career 4.23 yards per carry after contact) that the Fighting Irish running back amassed in 2024. That was all him. Pure leg drive, contact balance, absorption ability, and a cold sheer will to win.
Expect the same in 2025.
10) Daylan “Hollywood” Smothers, NC State
A nickname like “Hollywood” suggests a flashiness without substance, and there are undoubtedly some finesse elements to what Daylan Smothers brings to the table as a former four-star running back. However, his success as a 5’11”, 195-pound redshirt-freshman for the NC State Wolfpack following a transfer from the Oklahoma Sooners is predicated on something entirely different.
Smothers would sooner lower his shoulder and pile drive a defender than submit to defeat. His contact balance, leg drive, and sheer determination often lead to an extended play far beyond what you deemed plausible. The result, on the stats sheet, was 4.49 yards per carry after contact, accounting for 70.2% of his per-carry production in 2024. His career mark stands at 4.24 heading into 2025.
9) Ahmad Hardy, Missouri
Ahmad Hardy led all freshmen running backs with 1,351 rushing yards for the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks last fall, parlaying that performance into a transfer portal opportunity with the Missouri Tigers. While he’s yet to prove himself at the SEC level, the young rusher has already established himself as one of the top 25 college football running backs when it comes to creating after contact.
Hardy is one of the most elusive playmakers you’ll see in the 2025 season, using speed and agility to evade contact. Yet, he can shake off the attentions of defenders and even seeks out contact with a vicious stiff arm used to spurn defensive advances. He averaged 4.25 yards per carry after contact in his first college football season and has the tools to ensure similar success in the upcoming campaign.
8) A.J. Turner, Minnesota
Having already placed Darius Taylor in the top 25 college football running backs after contact, the Minnesota Golden Gophers double up with the addition of former Marshall Thundering Herd rusher A.J. Turner. The 6’0″, 195-pound back had some of the eye-catching performances of the 2024 campaign as the Herd trampled to the Sun Belt title, including a 177-yard outing against Georgia State.
That game alone (one of four with 10+ yards per carry) showcased some of his ludicrous ability to conjure yards out of nowhere. There is no such thing as a dead play with the new Minnesota back. Turner ended the 2024 campaign with a nation-leading 8.3 yards per play, 4.54 of which came after contact. While he’s only had 127 career carries, he’s yet to fumble the ball once in three seasons.
7) Freddie Brock, Oklahoma State 4.28
Former Georgia State running back Freddie Brock entered the transfer portal this offseason as one of the country’s most highly sought-after running backs. He lands with the Oklahoma State Cowboys as a potential replacement for the NFL-bound Ollie Gordon II. While those are significant shoes to fill, Brock has shown in the past two seasons that he’s more than capable of making his mark.
Brock is fresh off an 819-yard, eight-touchdown campaign for the Panthers, where he found the end zone every 18.8 carries. While his 5.4 yards per carry wasn’t anywhere near the nation-leading mark, 3.98 of it came after contact. The new Cowboys running back can shake off contact admirably but is also adept at setting up defensive backs to take wrong angles of attack.
His career 6.2 yards per carry includes 4.28 after contact.
6) Kadarius Calloway, New Mexico State 4.28
The New Mexico State Aggies lost leading rusher Seth McGowan to the transfer portal. Still, they managed to snag one of the top 25 college football running backs after contact in former Old Dominion Monarchs and Cal Golden Bears back Kadarius Calloway. Although Calloway saw minimal action in the ACC a year ago, he’s just a season removed from leading the Sun Belt with 7.1 yards per carry.
In his two seasons (114 carries), Calloway has never averaged less than four yards per carry after contact. Last fall, he averaged 4.8 yards per carry, and only 0.69 yards per carry came before contact. While he carries a 6’0″, 220-pound frame primed for destruction, the new Aggies leader in the backfield is a legitimate speed threat who was clocked at over 23 mph during the 2024 campaign.
5) Terion Stewart, Virginia Tech
At 5’9″ and 220 pounds, Terion Stewart has put the “bowling ball” into the Bowling Green Falcons for the past four seasons as one of the most dangerous rushers for defenders to attempt to contact. Heading into his fifth year, Stewart has made a living out of encouraging, embracing, and eliminating contact, routinely running over some of college football’s fiercest tacklers with ease.
His career 5.9 yards per carry is made up of 4.5 yards per carry after contact, with 76.2% of his production coming after a defender has attempted to halt him in his tracks. Across his four seasons with the Falcons, he’s never once dipped below 4.0 yards per carry after contact, and up until the 2024 campaign, he’d never lost a fumble despite his bulldozing style of play.
The Virginia Tech Hokies got a beast to replace Bhayshul Tuten.
4) Jadarian Price, Notre Dame
Jeremiyah gets all the Love in the Notre Dame backfield, but overlook Jadarian Price at your peril. The fourth-year running back has never been tasked with a full workload, but he showcased his capability last fall when asked to run the rock 120 times during the Fighting Irish’s run to the title game. He tallied 746 yards and seven scores while averaging 6.2 yards per carry, with 4.50 coming after contact.
Trying to ankle-tackle Price is a foolish game, as he’s so slippery and in command of his footwork. Underestimating the strength in his 5’10”, 203-pound frame is also misguided. Just ask Caleb Downs, the star Ohio State Buckeyes safety, who was stiff-armed into another continent by the Notre Dame running back last fall. 74.1% of his 6.1 career yards per carry came after contact.
3) Fluff Bothwell, Mississippi State
Fluff Bothwell came up shy of 1,000 yards for the South Alabama Jaguars in the 2024 season, but averaged 7.5 yards per carry while leading the Sun Belt with 13 rushing touchdowns and earning CSN Freshman All-American honors. He also landed as the 26th-ranked student-athlete in the CSN Top 100 Returning Players for the 2025 season following his transfer to the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Bothwell’s speed makes him difficult to track down in the open field, contributing to his 7.5 yards per carry. However, his contact balance, which ensures broken tackles are commonplace, led to 4.57 yards per carry after contact in his debut season. That career mark ranks ninth among all college football backs since 2020. The Mississippi State offense got a lot more exciting with his offseason acquisition.
2) Greg Desrosiers Jr., Memphis
From two years with zero carries at Louisville to two years with the UMass Minutemen and a transfer to the Memphis Tigers, Greg Desrosiers Jr. has had an unconventional college football career. It’s pretty apt, because he’s an unconventional player. A running back with as much of a presence in the passing game as on the ground, he’s tallied just 112 carries and 739 rushing yards in five years.
When Desrosiers has had the ball in his hands, he’s been devastating. With a devastating combination of burst and agility, the Memphis running back breaks ankles for fun with the ball in his hands. As a result, he’s averaged 6.5 yards per carry during his career. Despite his creation capacity before contact, it’s after he’s been hit when he does his best work, averaging 4.79 yards per carry after contact for his career, including 5.57 in 2023.
1) Abu Sama III, Iowa State
With a star quarterback in Rocco Becht and a pair of wide receivers who just got taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, running back Abu Sama III has somewhat fallen through the cracks of national recognition. It likely also doesn’t help that his sophomore season lacked the general explosion of his debut 2023 campaign, where he averaged 7.3 yards per carry while rushing for 614 yards and six touchdowns.
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However, Sama lands atop the top 25 college football running backs after contact with a career mark bettered only by DeWayne McBride since 2020. 6.55 of his 7.3 yards per carry came after contact in 2023, while 78.7% of his 2024 yards per catch output came once a defender had tried to halt his progress. A former track star, once he’s slipped the attention of the defense, he’s unstoppable in the open field.
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