30 Best College Running Backs of All-Time
Career Statistics
- Games: 39
- Carries: 433
- Rushing Yards: 3,169
- Rushing Yards Per Game: 81.3
- Rushing Yards Per Season: 1,056.3
- Rushing Touchdowns: 25
- Yards Per Carry: 7.3
- Receptions: 95
- Receiving Yards: 1,301
- Receiving Touchdowns: 13
- Notable:
Heisman Trophy Winner, 2005; All-American 2004, 2005; Doak Walker Award, 2005; Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, 2005
Many of the players on our list of the greatest college football running backs of all-time were bruising ball carriers that took handoff after handoff and plunged into the offensive line. Reggie Bush, because of his abilities as both a runner and as a receiver, in addition to his danger as a return man, was a completely different kind of back.
As a freshman, Bush gained 521 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns and added 314 receiving yards and four TDs on 15 receptions (20.9 yards per catch), and scored on a kickoff return. Bush exploded onto the national scene as an all-purpose home run threat as a junior with 908 rushing yards and six touchdowns as well as 509 receiving yards and seven TD catches, two punt returns for a touchdown and even a 52-yard TD pass. USC won the BCS National Championship after winning the AP National Title the season before.
Then, Bush’s 2005 Heisman winning season was one of the most impressive ever. He gained 1,740 rushing yards on the ground on just 200 carries – an eye-popping average of 8.7 yards per attempt – and scored 16 rushing touchdowns, which ranked second nationally. Bush also caught 37 passes for 478 yards and two more scores and took one of the 18 punts he returned to the house.
Bush’s 2,218 yards from scrimmage led the nation and made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, Bush’s trophy was later vacated because of improper benefits he received as a student-athlete.
Next: LaDainian Tomlinson