In his final two seasons with the Tigers, Leard led Auburn to victories that no one expected, but also battled in games that he shouldnt have, even being unseated by true freshman Gabe Gross after an injury in the 1998 season. Career stats: 4,303 yards rushing, 43 TD; 272 yards receiving, 2 TD. Thatmakes fora lot of unhappy faces when ranking the 10 best. Find the rest of PFFs top returning college players series here: Why he's here: Touchdown machine. Do you have a sports website? We support responsible gambling. He had more than 1,100 yards in his final six games, including a combined 499 in the SEC and BCS championship games (and an SECCG record 304 yards against Missouri that year). He holds Auburn records for career rushing yards and yards per game and still holds the SEC record for yards per attempt (min. Tidwell is also famous for his 27-yard touchdown run that happened in 1949 against Mississippi State. Statistics, wins, the awards circuit all that stuff matters here. Jackson still holds the record for total rushing yards (4,303), rushing yards per game for a career (113.2), and most 100-yard games (21). 5. Auburn learned an important lesson last year. Tre Mason (2011-13) A two-year starter for the Tigers, Mason posted more than 1,000 yards in both his sophomore and junior seasons. A prerequisite needs tweaking for him and others, Damieon George Jr., former Alabama OL, announces SEC East commitment, SEC Shorts releases final 2022 season report cards for every team, Devin Willock's family lawyers call press conference to discuss legal action, Ole Miss reportedly loses four players to the transfer portal, Caesars Sportsbook Ohio Promo Code: Back Cavs, NBA Action with $1,500 First Bet on Caesars, BetMGM Ohio Promo Code: Score the Sign Up Bonus This Week, Kirk Herbstreit explains how Joe Burrow's confidence has 'changed everything for the Bengals', Florida vs. Texas A&M Underdog fantasy player over/under picks, Rapid Reaction: Back-to-back! He led the country in yards per game at 162.75 almost 15 more than Henry. Listing the 10 best quarterbacks in history is never an easy task with so much talent that has taken the field. 1 running back in 2021. Please check your email for a confirmation. It is not a secret that Auburns coaching staff is looking to run the ball early and often this season. 2. Here is a look at how the talented group sorts itself out. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Fournette was a one-man wrecking crew and his sophomore season in 2015 was eye-opening in the SEC. What I Dont Like: Limited snaps have not allowed Ingram to play to his full potential. His strongest season was his senior year in 1997 where he guided the Tigers to the SEC championship game. Many of Elliott's best outings over his final two seasons came against nationally-ranked competition, including a win over Alabama in New Orleans. Travis Tidwell was one of the best quarterbacks in Auburn history. His stats are not over the top in the passing game, as passing was a small portion of the T-formation that was the Auburn offense of the day. Henry scored at least one touchdown in every game that season, finishing with a nation-leading 28 rushing scores. Before Jason Campbell wore No. Yeldon often is overlooked in the Tides run of great running backs under Nick Saban, but Yeldon came the closest to producing three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. He came back with consecutive 1,000 yards seasons to etch his name in the Georgia football record books. Why he's here: Cook averaged 6.5 yards per carry during his career in Tallahassee as one of the most lethal offensive weapons in program history. Bo Jackson (1982-85) Jackson isnt just one of the greatest running backs in SEC history, hes also one of the conferences best athletes, period. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. About Saturday Down South | Ethics and Editorial Standards | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Other Conferences: Big Ten | ACC | Pac-12. Campbell managed to finish his career No. This Month in Sports ReferenceFind out when we add a feature or make a change. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Tidwell led the country in total offense a second time in 1949 as a senior. WebTre Mason, Auburn Mason had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2012 and 2013, when he led Auburn to the BCS championship game. Auburn Tigers School History Seasons: 120 (1902 to 2022) Record (W-L-T): 767-454-43 Adjusted Record (W-L-T): 770-452-42 Conferences: SEC, Southern, Ind He remains the only professional athlete to be selected as an All-Star in both baseball and football. Do you have a blog? Slack is in the top 10 for passing yards, completions and completion percentage for the Tigers all time. Over those 2013 and 2014 seasons with the Badgers, Gordon rushed for 4,196 yards, including a jaw-dropping 2,500-plus yard season as a junior that led to him leaping to the NFL. 3 position all time for the Tigers. Hunter can do that in this offense, where most of the attention will be focused on Tank Bigsby. An award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South. 1500 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns is no small feat for Georgia high school football, so Auburn is getting a solid addition to the running back room in Alston. Career stats (2014-16): 616 carries, 3,830 yards, 40 TDs; 41 catches, 526 yards receiving, TD; KOR TD, Accomplishments: Consensus All-American (2015); First-team All-SEC (2015); Second-team All-SEC (2016). He ended the year with the sixth-highest rate of runs that resulted in a gain of 10-plus yards (21.5%). Campbell was a stud quarterback out of Mississippi when he arrived on the Plains, but was thrown to the fire before he was ready. You can also follow JD on Twitter@jdmccarthy15, Sign up for the Auburn Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Nix was a great leader for the Tigers and will forever be etched in Tigers history with his astounding record and national championship. Ingram worked in tandem with Glen Coffee in 2008 and Trent Richardson in 2010, but in 2009, he was a workhorse Heisman Trophy winner and national champion. Auburn running back Tank Bigsby (4) runs the ball during Auburn football A-Day spring game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, April 17, 2021. What I Like: Alston has become one of Auburns biggest assets off the field, essentially being the best recruiter for Auburn this past year. QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | iOL | DI | EDGE | LB | CB | S. Bigsby was one of the most impressive true freshmen of the 2020 class, finishing as the fifth-most valuable first-year non-quarterback in the country, per PFF Wins Above Average (WAA). He is the clear favorite to claim the title of No. Please check your email for a confirmation. Capped off by the addition of fiery 4-star running back Jamarion Wilcox last week, the Wildcats managed the 31st-best conglomerate of recruiting trail talent in the nation. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. (Photo: John David Mercer, USA TODAY Sports), the same script with our quarterbacks power rankings. Looking at the history books and success that the Tigers have had on the gridiron, here are the top 10 quarterbacks in school history. Whether or not Freeze and Montgomery end up giving him any serious playing time is to be determined over the course of the offseason, but Jackson has been praised for his work ethic - hence hisreception of a scholarship. Tidwell, as legend has it, knocked out Jerry Clower and drug him backwards into the end zone. Dobbins followed Mike Weber and Elliott in Buckeyes lore and managed three consecutive 1,000-plus yard seasons including 2,003 as a junior a feat Elliott never accomplished. He went on to a successful NFL career, making four Pro Bowl appearances. WebHis final year on campus is what makes him one of the best backs in SEC history. Or write about sports? Auburn's running back room isn't the deepest, but the Tigers may have one of the best one-two punches at running back in the country. It includes every starting running back throughout Nebraska Cornhuskers history, including current running backs and past ones. But in Alabamas share-the-carries system, that was Henrys lone 1,000-yard season. Auburn has had two Heisman Trophy winners that have played the quarterback position, with numerous others guiding the Tigers to championships and big wins. The Tigers have had quarterbacks go on to the NFL, while others are still coaches in the college game. Toward the end of the 2016 season before announcing his decision to turn pro, Cook eclipsed Warrick Dunn's program record for rushing yards. Career stats (2009-12): 924 carries, 5,140 yards, 77 TDs; 59 catches, 598 yards receiving, 6 TDs, Accomplishments: Doak Walker Award (2012); Heisman Trophy finalist (2011); Consensus All-American (2011, 2012); AmecheDayne Running Back of the Year (2011, 2012); First-team All-Big Ten (2011, 2012); Jim Brown Award (2011, 2012); Archie Griffin Award (2011); Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (2011); Big Ten Champion (2010, 2011, 2012). This may be the most talent Auburn has had in the running back room in some time but it also faces the most questions. He finished the season with 1,923 rushing yards and 33 rushing touchdowns to go along with 24 receptions for 306 receiving yards and six receiving scores. The 6-foot, 204-pound freshman was the third-highest-graded ball carrier in the FBS behind. 5 all time in touchdown passes, completions and passing yardage. Career stats (2013-15): 602 carries, 3,591 yards, 42 TDs; 17 catches, 285 yards receiving, 3 TDs, Accomplishments: Heisman Trophy (2015); Maxwell Award (2015); Doak Walker Award (2015); Walter Camp Award (2015); Unanimous All-American (2015); First-team All-SEC (2015); SEC Offensive Player of the Year (2015). At his best, was a first down waiting to happen and broke a slew of tackles as an every-down option as a sophomore and junior and managed consecutive 20-touchdown seasons. From 2010 to now, here's a look at the 10 best Power 5 running backs of the decade in college football: Career stats (2009-11): 771 carries, 5,082 yards, 53 TDs; 51 catches, 586 yards, 4 TDs; PR TD, Accomplishments: Heisman Trophy finalist (2010); First-team All-American (2010, 2011); First-team All-Pac-10/Pac-12 (2010, 2011); Doak Walker Award (2010); Pac-10/Pac-12 champion (20092011); Pac-10 Offensive Freshman of the Year (2009). What we know for sure is that Auburn will have a new lead back after JaTarvious Whitlow decided to transfer from the program after leading the team in rushing the past two seasons. 247Sports noted in their analysis that "notone physical trait that stands out among the rest but (Cobb) possesses a well-rounded skill set and has a good feel for the position.". Robinson was a five-star recruit in the 2020 class, according to 247Sports, and dazzled down the stretch of his true freshman campaign. Only injury will prevent Fournette from a third consecutive 1,000-yard season in 2016, which hell enter as a leading Heisman Trophy candidate. Why he's here: Perhaps the most underrated SEC running back of all-time, I'm not going to underrate the Cedartown, Ga., native here. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Lloyd Nix was one of the best position switches in Auburn football history. If Auburn is going to succeed on offense this year, Bigsby will be one of the biggest reasons why. Robinson was also productive on the receiving front with 1.63 yards per route run and 10 total receptions resulting in a 10-plus yard gain. Chubb took over for Todd Gurley midway through the 2014 season and finished with a flurry. Craig was not going to unseat Pat Nix from the starting position, but with the running skills that Craig possessed, HC Terry Bowden found a fit. We've seen a little bit of everything out of college football's running back position in the last decade, some of the game's top players overall coming from a position that is becoming increasingly less emphasized at the next level as teams move to by-committee approaches in the spread era era. https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/lists/auburn-football-ranking-the-running-backs-on-2020-depth-chart/, Auburn offers brother of former Tigers player, SEC Basketball standings entering week of Jan. 17, Ranking every SEC recruiting class after early signing day, Auburn vs. LSU: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for Wednesday's game, A look at Auburn Football's 2023 schedule, College Football analyst calls Auburn's transfer haul "the best class in the SEC", Behind Enemy Lines: Auburn-LSU preview with LSU Wire's Tyler Nettuno, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Auburn looks to extend its winning streak to four games on Wednesday on the road at LSU. Below is a list of PFFs top 10 returning running backs. His mark since has been broken, twice, first by Richardson in 2011 and last season by Derrick Henry. Cobb was a monster at Montgomery Catholic High School, posting insane stats and displaying a well-rounded skill set. 5.) Career stats:2,979 yards rushing, 32 TD; 249 yards receiving, TD. It was the SECs third-best single-season rushing total at the time. 17, Reggie Slack made the jersey famous. Mark-Antony Richards missed last season following a knee surgery but should be fully healthy and will be in the middle of the competition to be Auburns lead back. That total was the second-highest in SEC history until Henry and Leonard Fournette raced past it in 2015. How many running backs can say they returned to college football's toughest conference after a season-ending ACL injury just as dominant? What I Like: Where to begin here? After beginning the season with four healthy tailbacks and one of the SECs best fullbacks, the Tigers c After battling with Daniel Cobb for his starting position, Campbell led the Tigers on one of the most magical seasons in school history, the undefeated 2004 season. No College Football Hall of Fame eligibility for Stetson Bennett? Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NCAA player performance data. He finished with 1,547 yards averaging 7.1 per carry. Power Rankings are PFFs NCAA power ratings based on weekly player grades in each facet of play. The Tigers faced a coaching change during his tenure, and the ups and downs that come with coaching changes fell on the back of the quarterback. Career stats (2017-19): 926 carries, 6,174 yards, 50 TDs; 42 catches, 402 yards, 5 TDs, Accomplishments: Doak Walker Award (2018, 2019); Unanimous first-team All-American (2018, 2019); AP Big Ten Newcomer of the Year (2017); Big Ten Running Back of the Year (2018, 2019); Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2017); Consensus First-team All-Big Ten (2017, 2018, 2019); All-time Freshman Season Rushing Record (1,977 yards). What I Dont Like: Splitting carries between Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter is already going to be tough this season, so adding a third man to the rotation consistently would be quite a task. Nick Rolovichs run-and-shoot offense produces one of the highest pass-play rates in college football (67%, though 14 percentage points lower than Leach's Air Raid). Between 2009 and 2017, Auburn had a streak of 1,000-yard rushers. Snubs include Todd Gurley, a Heisman winner and a guy with over 5,000 career rushing yards. Before Sabans arrival in 2007, Alabamas last big-time running back was the notable Shaun Alexander. Bowl Record: 46 Bowls, 24-20-2, .543 W-L% (Major Bowls), Ranked in AP Poll: 40 Times (Preseason), 40 Times (Final), 602 Weeks (Total), Heisman Winners: Pat Sullivan (1971), Bo Jackson (1985), Cam Newton (2010), Stadium: Jordan-Hare Stadium (cap. That grew to 1,100 as a sophomore and surged to 1,577 as a featured back this past season. He left school as the Tigers all-time rushing leader, although hes been passed by the top two names on our list since then. All rights reserved. Georgia rallies, survives on missed field goal to beat Ohio State, reach national title game. Auburn running back Tank Bigsby (4) runs the ball during Auburn football A-Day spring game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, April 17, 2021. Having a back with Borghi's receiving chops and speed is a huge plus. Find out more. Best game of career: Vs San Jose State (9/10/22) - 2 carries, 38 yards, This may be the most intriguing pickup of Auburn's 2023 recruiting class. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound bulldozer saved his best when Alabama needed it most, rushing for over 200 yards in four of his final nine games including a 44-carry, 271-yard explosion in an Iron Bowl win at Auburn. Of 10-plus yards ( 21.5 % ), making four Pro Bowl appearances 1949 Mississippi! Names on our list since then attention will be one of the best position switches Auburn. Having a back with Borghi 's receiving chops and speed is a look how! Career, making four Pro Bowl appearances title game and last season by Derrick Henry include Todd Gurley midway the. At least one touchdown in every game that season, finishing with a nation-leading 28 rushing scores this in... Was eye-opening in the college game drug him backwards into the end zone 10-plus (. 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