Unlike at quarterback, where more than half of the Big 12 teams have a returning signal caller in the upcoming season, the running back position will look a lot different league-wide in 2025.
Of the Big 12’s 31 NFL draft picks in April, six of them were running backs.
Gone are guys like Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo, UCF’s RJ Harvey and Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks, who all finished in the top 10 in rushing yards in the country last season.
So, too, are Kansas State’s DJ Giddens, Kansas’ Devin Neal and Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II, along with Utah’s Micah Bernard and Cincinnati’s Corey Kiner.
All totaled, nine of last year’s top 12 running backs in the Big 12 — by total rushing yards — are heading into their rookie NFL seasons this year.
How does that shape the running back outlook in the conference?
Here’s a team-by-team overview of the running back rooms around the league, ranked from best to worst.
1. Baylor Bears
Projected two deep
- Bryson Washington
- 2024 stats: 1,028 rushing yards, 12 TD, 5.9 ypc; 22 receptions, 217 receiving yards, 1 TD
- Dawson Pendergrass
- 2024 stats: 671 rushing yards, 6 TD, 5.5 ypc; 11 receptions, 103 yards, 1 TD
The Bears don’t just have the league’s best running back duo — Washington and Pendergrass lead one of the nation’s top running back rooms.
The pair combined for more than 2,000 yards of total offense last season and scored 20 touchdowns by themselves
Washington, a freshman All-American who set the school record for rushing yards as a redshirt freshman in 2024, is the Big 12’s top returning rusher. He’s the only returning running back league-wide who ran for 1,000 yards last season.
In November, he had four straight games with 100-plus rushing yards and ran for more than 600 yards in the month, with nine rushing touchdowns.
Pendergrass also had a couple 100-yard rushing games as a sophomore for the Bears last season and proved he can be relied on to carry the running load when needed.
Also watch for: True freshman Michael Turner is joining the team this fall. He was rated a four-star prospect and the No. 281 prospect nationally — 18th at running back — in the 2025 class in 247 Sports’ composite rankings. Turner is coming off a torn MCL that cut short his senior season of high school, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Caden Knighten is also an incoming four-star freshman and Joseph Dodds, another four-star talent, redshirted in 2024 due to injury.
2. Iowa State Cyclones
Projected two deep
- Carson Hansen
- 2024 stats: 752 rushing yards, 13 TD, 5.0 ypc; 13 receptions, 88 receiving yards, 2 TD
- Abu Sama III
- 2024 stats: 587 rushing yards, 2 TD, 4.7 ypc; 8 receptions, 58 receiving yards
Outside of Baylor, this is the most experienced Big 12 running back duo in the league.
Hansen had a breakout sophomore season after a minimal role in 2023 and led the Cyclones in rushing while also making some plays in the receiving game.
Hansen is also third among returning backs in the Big 12 in rushing yards, and after last season, all indications look like he could challenge to be a 1,000-yard rusher in 2024.
Sama, meanwhile, had another solid campaign as a sophomore. Though he had more rushing yards as a freshman, when he led Iowa State in rushing yards, Sama was a strong compliment to Hansen
Sama’s two years as a top rushing option for Iowa State will help them again in 2025.
Also watch for: In addition to Iowa State’s two veteran returners, the Cyclones also return some young talent at running back in Easton Miller, Aiden Flora and Dylan Lee, among others. While they played minimal roles last season, they provide depth and experience in the system.
3. Cincinnati Bearcats
Projected two deep
- Tawee Walker
- 2024 stats (at Wisconsin): 864 rushing yards, 10 TD, 4.5 ypc; 11 receptions, 21 receiving yards
- Evan Pryor
- 2024 stats: 418 rushing yards, 6 TD, 7.5 ypc; 15 receptions, 181 receiving yards, 1 TD
With last year’s lead back, Corey Kiner, off to the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers, the Bearcats’ backfield will look different.
Cincinnati, though, found an experienced power league back through the portal, former Wisconsin RB Tawee Walker.
Walker, who spent his first two collegiate seasons at Oklahoma, had career-highs in rushing yards and touchdowns with Wisconsin last season. His rushing total was 12th in the Big Ten, and his per-game rushing average was eighth.
Those are encouraging numbers for a new leader of the running back group, and Cincinnati has plenty of returning experience in its rushing attack to feel confident going into 2025.
Pryor, a redshirt senior, put up solid numbers as the team’s third-leading rusher in 2024, behind Kiner and quarterback Brendan Sorsby. That included an impressive 7.5 yards per carry. Pryor is also a capable receiving back.
Also watch for: 247 Sports rates incoming freshman Zion Johnson as a four-star talent and the No. 24 running back in the 2025 class. He ran for 2,078 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior in high school in Covington, Georgia. Manny Covey and Chance Williams also come back as depth pieces.
4. West Virginia Mountaineers
Projected two deep
- Jahiem White
- 2024 stats: 845 rushing yards, 7 TD, 5.7 ypc; 19 receptions, 122 receiving yards, 1 TD
- Jaylan Knighton
- 2024 stats (at SMU): 43 rushing yards, 3.6 ypc; 4 receptions, 42 receiving yards
One of the major wins for new/old Mountaineers coach Rich Rodriguez was retaining White on a roster that has seen astronomical changes this offseason.
Another top producing back, CJ Donaldson Jr., ended up leaving, but White comes back for his junior season as the unquestioned leader of the running back group.
White has rushed for 1,687 yards and 11 touchdowns over the past two seasons at West Virginia, and he is the second-leading returning rusher league-wide.
His presence will help a West Virginia running back room that otherwise is seeing a lot of change.
Knighton is a veteran with plenty of experience at the power level — he started his career with three seasons at Miami before spending the past two at SMU. He was the Mustangs’ leading rusher in 2023 and ran for nearly 1,200 yards at Miami, but injury cut short his 2024 season.
Also watch for: Tye Edwards is a Northern Iowa transfer who ran for 1,022 yards and six touchdowns last season. He’ll be a senior and should factor into the rotation.
Kannon Katzer is a spring transfer portal addition from Ferris State who started his college career at Washington State, while Diore Hubbard is back as a redshirt freshman.
5. Arizona State Sun Devils
Projected two deep
- Kyson Brown
- 2024 stats: 360 rushing yards, 2 TD, 4.8 ypc; 13 receptions, 189 receiving yards, 1 TD
- Kanye Udoh
- 2024 stats (at Army): 1,117 rushing yards, 10 TD, 6.2 ypc; 1 reception, 3 yards
The Sun Devils will look a lot different in their running back room without wrecking ball back Cam Skattebo, who’s with the New York Giants now. It’ll be a major challenge replacing Skattebo’s 1,711 rushing yards (second nationally) and 21 touchdowns on the ground from last season.
Brown was his primary backup in 2024 and showed nice improvement as a sophomore when he was asked to take on a heavier workload. Can Brown, who has a background in track and is dangerously quick in the open field, continue to trend upward with more opportunities?
Udoh is an intriguing addition. He thrived as a sophomore in Army’s run-based attack during a 12-2 season and now gets the chance to make an impact with a program that reached the College Football Playoff last year. Udoh isn’t much of a receiving threat, though — Brown is more experienced in that area.
Also watch for: Raleek Brown started off at USC before transferring to ASU. He had nine carries for 42 yards last year and could be in line for more chances with Skattebo gone. As a freshman at USC, Brown rushed for 227 yards.
6. Houston Cougars
Projected two deep
- Dean Connors
- 2024 stats (at Rice): 780 rushing yards, 9 TD, 4.9 ypc; 62 receptions, 485 receiving yards, 2 TD
- Re’Shaun Sanford II
- 2024 stats: 444 rushing yards, 1 TD, 4.7 ypc; 18 receptions, 157 receiving yards
Houston got a big boost from one of the offseason’s bigger developments.
Connors earned an extra year of eligibility from the Diego Pavia junior-college ruling, and now he’s switched sides on the Bayou Bucket rivalry, going from Rice of the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12’s Houston.
Connors appears to be the leader in the running back group, after he ran for over 1,400 yards and 16 touchdowns the past two seasons.
He’s also a receiving threat — far and away the best RB receiving threat in the Big 12 — with 888 receiving yards and five touchdowns during that same span.
Sanford, meanwhile, made promising strides as his freshman season wore on and ended up leading Houston in rushing yards last season. Three times, he ran for over 70 yards in a game.
Also watch for: Senior Stacy Sneed is back for his fourth season with the Cougars, and last year he finished third on the team in rushing yards with 308. Sneed is a solid depth player who’s shown he can handle the bulk of the rushing load when called upon. J’Marion Burnette is back as a sophomore after nearly 200 rushing yards as a freshman, too.
7. Kansas State Wildcats
Projected two deep
- Dylan Edwards
- 2024 stats: 546 rushing yards, 5 TD, 7.4 ypc; 19 receptions, 133 receiving yards, 2 TD
- Joe Jackson
- 2024 stats: 227 rushing yards, 1 TD, 5.8 ypc; 6 receptions, 63 receiving yards, 1 TD
Edwards is poised to step into the RB1 role with DJ Giddens off to the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick.
He came over to Kansas State last year after starting college at Colorado and Edwards was a perfect complementary back for Giddens. His 7.4 yards per carry is also impressive.
Now, the mantle falls on Edwards to be the top back.
Jackson had a solid freshman season, one that included a 50-yard game in the Rate Bowl.
He’ll have the chance to improve upon his 2024 season and become even more involved in the Wildcats’ rushing attack.
Also watch for: Antonio Martin Jr. a post-spring addition out of the transfer portal that has some real potential to be a big player for Kansas State. Martin ran for 1,228 yards and 11 touchdowns at Southeastern Louisiana as a sophomore last season following one year in the junior college ranks and looks like a sneaky good addition that could pay off in the long run.
8. Utah Utes
Projected two deep
- Wayshawn Parker
- 2024 stats (at Washington State): 735 rushing yards, 4 TD, 5.4 ypc; 11 receptions, 108 receiving yards, 1 TD
- NaQuari Rogers
- 2024 stats (at New Mexico): 382 rushing yards, 5 TD, 5.2 ypc; 3 receptions, 14 yards, 1 TD
It’s a whole new group of running backs for Utah, after the position was depleted by the loss of its star rusher, Micah Bernard, to the NFL as an undrafted free agent, as well as several others transferring out of the program.
As such, the Utes didn’t return any significant contributors with any carries at Utah last year.
Parker, though, is the newly minted RB1 in Salt Lake City.
He comes to Utah as a four-star transfer following an exciting freshman season. Parker followed his running backs coach at Washington State, Mark Atuaia, to Utah and is expected to thrive behind a veteran Utes offensive line.
Rogers, meanwhile, is a transfer who followed his offensive coordinator, Jason Beck, from New Mexico to Utah.
He’s a senior that should add a veteran voice to the room, and in the spring, Rogers showed flashes. He’ll be more than capable of spelling Parker when needed.
Also watch for: Utah also added another transfer, Devin Green from UNLV, and he’s expected to be a solid depth piece. There’s also a couple of promising freshmen coming into the program — Daniel Bray was there with the team in the spring, while Raycine Guillory will be there in the fall.
9. BYU Cougars
Projected two deep
- LJ Martin
- 2024 stats: 718 rushing yards, 7 TD, 5.2 ypc; 10 receptions, 98 yards, 2 TD
- Sione Moa
- 2024 stats: 144 rushing yards, 3 TD, 5.0 ypc; 5 receptions, 38 yards
Martin has the tools to be one of the league’s best running backs in the 2025 season — he is second among returning Big 12 backs in rushing yards per game, averaging 72.3 in 2024.
His Alamo Bowl performance was encouraging, too, from an all-purpose standpoint — Martin ran for 88 yards and two touchdowns, while adding two receptions for 33 yards.
Moa missed time last season due to injury, but in limited work he flashed potential.
He had a breakout 76-yard, one-touchdown effort in a 38-9 win over then-No. 13 Kansas State, and if his development continues, Moa could provide a solid one-two punch and spell Martin more often.
That would be ideal, considering reliability is the biggest question mark surrounding this pair. Martin missed three games due to injury last season, while Moa missed four.
Also watch for: BYU didn’t hit the transfer portal to add any depth at the position. Pokaiaua Haunga and Enoch Nawahine provide depth and experience, with the redshirt freshman Huanga providing upside for the future.
10. Arizona Wildcats
Projected two deep
- Ismail Mahdi
- 2024 stats (at Texas State): 991 rushing yards, 4 TD, 5.4 ypc; 24 receptions, 195 receiving yards, 2 TD
- Kedrick Reescano
- 2024 stats: 359 rushing yards, 1 TD, 4.6 ypc; 8 receptions, 47 receiving yards
Mahdi earned All-American honors as an all-purpose player (including returns) in 2023 at Texas State and heads to Tucson after two successful seasons with the Bobcats.
With Quali Conley off to the NFL, there’s room for a new RB1 with the Wildcats, and Mahdi will have opportunities to be that guy. He’s got elite speed, too: Madhi reached 20.3 MPH on a 100-yard touchdown return, according to Reel Analytics.
So, too, will Reescano, the program’s returning rushing leader. He flashed some of that potential in a career-high 73-yard effort in a win at Utah.
Also watch for: Other transfers like Mike Mitchell (previously at Utah) and Quincy Craig (Portland State) should also be in the mix to make contributions during the upcoming season. Craig, a receiving back, accounted for 916 yards (602 rushing, 314 receiving) and 10 touchdowns with the Vikings last year.
11. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Projected two deep
- Quinten Joyner
- 2024 stats (at USC): 478 rushing yards, 3 TD, 7.6 ypc; 12 receptions, 89 receiving yards, 1 TD
- J’koby Williams
- 2024 stats: 236 rushing yards, 2 TD, 5.8 ypc; 10 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD
The Red Raiders must replace their all-time leading rusher in Tahj Brooks — and it won’t be easy. He carried the bulk of the rushing attack last year, with 1,505 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground.
Texas Tech, though, has done a lot of work in the transfer portal this offseason, and that included adding Joyner, rated a four-star transfer by 247 Sports.
Joyner, who will be a sophomore, showed explosiveness in his limited opportunities at USC, and there’s a chance he could earn the top back spot for the Red Raiders.
Williams was impressive, too, during his freshman campaign. That included a 123-yard, one-touchdown effort in Texas Tech’s bowl game.
Also watch for: There’s another sophomore in the mix, Cameron Dickey. He ran for 225 yards and a touchdown last season and could also be in line for more opportunities this year as the Red Raiders use a committee to find a way to move on after Brooks.
12. Kansas Jayhawks
Projected two deep
- Daniel Hishaw Jr.
- 2024 stats: 376 rushing yards, 3 TD, 5.8 ypc; 3 receptions, 33 receiving yards
- Leshon Williams
- 2024 stats (at Iowa): 21 rushing yards, 1.9 ypc; 4 receptions, 26 receiving yards
Devin Neal was an absolute force for Kansas over the past four seasons, when he rushed for 4,343 yards and 49 touchdowns, and his presence will be sorely missed in the Jayhawks backfield.
Surely, there will be a dropoff with Neal off to the NFL.
There’s also some promising talent at Kansas, though. The program added Williams, who led Iowa in rushing yards in 2023, with 821. He ended up playing just three games and redshirting the rest of the year last season, and will have one year of eligibility remaining.
The 5-foot-10, 214-pound Williams should have the opportunity to be the lead back for Kansas.
Hishaw, too, brings a wealth of experience as a redshirt senior who’s played every season for the Jayhawks.
His numbers took a dip last year, but Hishaw has nearly 1,500 career rushing yards and will again be a valuable source for production in the Kansas backfield.
Also watch for: Johnny Thompson Jr and Harry Stewart III both got a handful of carries last season, though their combined 12 carries for 66 yards shows just how much the Jayhawks will likely rely on Hishaw and Williams.
13. UCF Knights
Projected two deep
- Jaden Nixon
- 2024 stats (at Western Michigan): 919 rushing yards, 12 TD, 6.4 ypc; 10 receptions, 77 yards
- Myles Montgomery
- 2024 stats: 293 rushing yards, 3 TD, 5.7 ypc; 3 receptions, 66 yards, 1 TD
The Knights have the difficult task of having to replace RJ Harvey, the program’s second all-time leading rusher and leading touchdown scorer.
He was dominant the past two seasons in particular, and is now lining up for the Denver Broncos after being the highest Big 12 running back taken in the 2025 draft, as a second-rounder.
UCF searched the portal for some veteran help, and they found that in Nixon, who was a depth piece at Western Michigan for three years before his breakout season in 2024.
Montgomery is the team’s returning running back leader in terms of yards, and like Nixon, he’ll be a redshirt senior this season.
Also watch for: Stacy Gage redshirted last season and may factor into the rotation, as could Tyler Wrenn and Agyeman Addae. Taevion Swint is a four-star freshman and a top 25 running back in the 2025 class, an intriguing young option that could get some chances this season.
14. Oklahoma State Cowboys
Projected two deep
- Trent Howland
- 2024 stats: 230 rushing yards, 1 TD, 5.6 ypc; 3 receptions, 7 receiving yards
- Rodney Fields Jr.
- 2024 stats: 99 rushing yards, 1 TD, 4.7 ypc; 2 receptions, 23 yards
Like several other Big 12 schools, the Cowboys lost their multi-year running back star with Ollie Gordon II exhausting his eligibility and leaving for the pros.
He left big shoes to fill, even if 2024 wasn’t nearly as prolific as his 2023 campaign when Gordon ran for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns and was named college football’s top running back.
Howland, who played three years at Indiana before transferring to OSU last year, was the Cowboys’ second-leading rusher last year in spelling Gordon.
He and Fields, who was a freshman last season, are in the most likely position to battle for RB1 carries.
There was another intriguing name added to the mix, though, during the spring portal.
Also watch for: Former Georgia State running back Freddie Brock is a grad transfer who brings years of experience with him to Stillwater and is coming off an 819-yard, eight-touchdown season. Can he break into the competition for the starting role this late in the process?
Other names to watch include Sesi Valilahi, who prepped at East High in Salt Lake City, and Oklahoma transfer Kalib Hicks.
15. TCU Horned Frogs
Projected two deep
- Trent Battle
- 2024 stats: 186 rushing yards, 2 TD, 4.2 ypc; 6 receptions, 29 yards
- Jeremy Payne
- 2024 stats: 239 rushing yards, 3 TD, 4.4 ypc; 12 receptions, 99 yards
TCU lost its leading rusher, Cam Cook, who headed to Jacksonville State via the transfer portal.
That puts the running back duties in the hands of a group where there is some experience and some young talent collectively, yet no standout No. 1 option.
Battle has the most experience as he heads into his senior year with the chance to take over as the Horned Frogs’ lead ball carrier.
Payne showed promise as a freshman last season and is the lead returning rusher. He should have opportunities to take on a bigger workload as a sophomore.
Also watch for: Sophomore Nate Palmer got some work in TCU’s bowl game, and the Horned Frogs added experience with senior transfer Kevorian Barnes out of UTSA. Three-star Jon Denman, the only high school running back in the Horned Frogs’ 2025 class, also joined the group for spring ball.
16. Colorado Buffaloes
Projected two deep
- DeKalon Taylor
- 2024 stats (at Incarnate Word): 909 rushing yards, 9 TD, 6.0 ypc; 22 receptions, 163 receiving yards
- Micah Welch
- 2024 stats: 186 rushing yards, 4 TD, 4.3 ypc; 8 receptions, 54 receiving yards
The Buffaloes were the worst-rushing team in the Big 12 last season, as the only league team to rush for under 1,000 yards on the season. It prompted Deion Sanders to add fellow Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk as the program’s running backs coach.
Then last year’s leading rusher, Isaiah Augustave, entered the portal and transferred to Virginia this offseason, adding to the question marks at the position.
Following spring ball, though, the Buffaloes added an intriguing option from the transfer portal in Taylor, who improved each year at the FCS level before a breakout 2024 season. Can one star year for Incarnate Word translate at the power level, though?
Welch tied for team lead with four rushing touchdowns last year and saw his opportunities increase at the end of last season, setting the stage for him to take on a bigger role as a sophomore.
Also watch for: Dallan Hayden is heading into his junior year, after transferring from Ohio State last offseason. His role was reduced at the end of last year, though, creating uncertainty about his future in the rotation. Senior Charlie Offerdahl is back as well.