Blake ToppmeyerUSA TODAY NETWORK
It’s a quarterback’s world. Running backs are just living in it.
That’s apparent in the SEC. Once known for “old-man football,” the SEC teems with elite quarterbacks. Running backs are window dressing.
Exceptions exist.
Cody Schrader went from Division II transfer to SEC star. He powered Missouri to 11 victories last season and led the nation in rushing yards per game. So good, Schrader was, that I used my third-place Heisman Trophy vote on him. Ole Miss’ Quinshon Judkins packed a punch, too.
Both departed. Schrader joined the NFL’s 49ers roster, and Judkins transferred to Ohio State. The SEC’s cupboard of running backs became barer, while its quarterback stock might be its best ever.
The nation’s best teams have become less reliant on their backfield. Used to be, teams ran their way to glory. Ten of the 15 teams that won the national championship from the 2004-18 seasons ranked in the top 20 nationally for rushing. In the five seasons since then, only 2022 Georgia ranked in the top 20 nationally in rushing, and the Bulldogs still lacked a 1,000-yard rusher.
This evolution isn’t unique to the SEC. From 1970 through the 1990s, a running back won the Heisman Trophy 17 times.
In the 24 seasons since then the ‘90s, just three running backs won the Heisman – none since Alabama’s Derrick Henry in 2015.
That trend almost certainly will continue. No running backs rank among FanDuel’s 25 Heisman front-runners. If you’re looking for a longshot Heisman bet, try Judkins, whose 100-to-1 odds top all running backs.
Some would say the growth of spread offenses resulted in this evolution, but I don’t think that tells the full story. Urban Meyer’s 2008 Florida Gators were an excellent ground team. Percy Harvin, Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps piled up rushing yards from Meyer’s spread.
Michael Dyer rushed for more than 1,000 yards within Auburn’s spread for the 2010 Tigers, who won the national championship.
What changed? Run-pass option plays surged throughout the past decade. Those RPOs give quarterbacks ultimate control, including post-snap decisions whether to pass or to hand off.
No longer does an offensive coordinator need to call a play-action pass. A quarterback can engineer a play-action pass himself using an RPO.
RPOs, combined with spread offenses, suited the pass game.
This became especially apparent five years ago, when LSU’s Joe Burrow ran RPOs to perfection while LSU achieved an undefeated season. The Tigers ranked 60th nationally in rushing offense, although top tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire thrived. LSU’s success, though, revolved around Burrow.
Next up: Alabama went undefeated in 2020 with an RPO-laden attack led by Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith. Like LSU, Alabama featured an elite running back in Najee Harris, but, overall, it became less reliant on the ground game than the earlier years of Nick Saban’s dynasty.
The offensive shift is undeniable, but the SEC still possesses a handful of running backs who can turn a game’s outcome.
Here are a few running backs we aren’t talking about enough in the preseason:
1. Trevor Etienne (Georgia)
Previously one of Florida’s most productive offensive players, Etienne will enjoy running behind one of the SEC’s best offensive lines.
2. Dylan Sampson (Tennessee)
Josh Heupel builds his up-tempo spread offense around the run game, and Sampson will be a valuable veteran while redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava gets his sea legs.
3. Marcus Carroll (Missouri)
Running backs thrive with Eliah Drinkwitz's Tigers. Next in line: Carroll, who logged 1,350 yards last season at Georgia State. Sure, Georgia State isn’t the SEC, but it’s closer to the SEC than Truman State, where Schrader played before transferring to Missouri.
4. Montrell Johnson (Florida)
Johnson topped 800 yards rushing in three straight seasons for Billy Napier, from Louisiana-Lafayette to Florida. Without Etienne to share time with, he might go for 1,000.
5. Ulysses Bentley IV (Ole Miss)
At times last season, the speedy, shifty Bentley outshined Judkins. Can Bentley handle an increased workload? He’s never had even 100 carries in any of the past three seasons. Time to take Bentley out of the garage.
6. Jarquez Hunter (Auburn)
Auburn wouldn’t be Auburn without at least one good running back. Payton Thorne retained AU's quarterback job – and that means the Tigers must continue to rely on Hunter.
7. Rocket Sanders (South Carolina)
I can’t omit a guy named Rocket from a list of running backs to watch. Sanders once was among the SEC’s best running backs at Arkansas before injuries derailed him last season. What might bottle up Rocket this year? South Carolina’s persistently porous offensive line.
You’ll notice the lack of a Bo Jackson or an Emmitt Smith or a Henry on this list. Those tailbacks are memories from a bygone era.
Blake Toppmeyeris the USA TODAY Network's SEC Columnist. Email him atBToppmeyer@gannett.comand follow him on Twitter@btoppmeyer.
Also, check out his podcast,SEC Football Unfiltered,and newsletter,SEC Football Unfiltered.Subscribeto read all of his columns.
