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.
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 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.
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.
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.
