30 Best College Running Backs of All-Time
Jan 11, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry (2) carries the ball past Clemson Tigers safety Jayron Kearse (1) on a 50-yard touchdown run during the first quarter in the 2016 CFP National Championship at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Career Statistics
- Games: 39
- Carries: 602
- Rushing Yards: 3,591
- Rushing Yards Per Game: 92.1
- Rushing Yards Per Season: 1,197
- Rushing Touchdowns: 42
- Yards Per Carry: 6.0
- Receptions: 17
- Receiving Yards: 285
- Receiving Touchdowns: 3
- Notable: Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year, Consensus All-American, 2015
Derrick Henry’s 2015 season was one of the greatest ever for a college football running back, and it helped him to become the most highly decorated player in Alabama football history. It was also enough to push him onto our list of the top 30 college running backs of all-time.
Henry led the nation with 2,219 rushing yards (which ranks No. 5 on the all-time FBS list for a single season) and 28 touchdowns (No. 8 all-time) on an FBS-high 395 carries in 2015. He also averaged 147.9 yards per game in 2015.
Though his raw numbers are inflated by having played in 15 games because of the Crimson Tide’s SEC Championship Game victory and participation in both the College Football Playoff semifinal and championship game, he averaged more rushing yards per season (1,197) than all-time greats like Eric Dickerson (1,112.5), Reggie Bush (1,056.3), Earl Campbell (1,110.8), and Barry Sanders (1,185.3).
Henry’s 2015 totals also point to his dependability. At 6-foot-3 and 242 pounds, Henry possessed a unique blend of power and speed that made him the biggest running back ever to win the Heisman Trophy, and one of the biggest players at any position to win college football’s top individual honor. In an era dominated by quarterbacks, Henry was also the first running back to win the Heisman since Alabama’s Mark Ingram in 2009.
In addition to the Heisman, in which Henry faced stiff competition from Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Florida native also won the Doak Walker Award, the Maxwell Award, was named Walter Camp Player of the Year and earned Consensus All-American recognition.
Though he started only one year at Alabama, Henry led the Crimson Tide in rushing in 2014 with 990 yards. He gained just 382 rushing yards as a little-used true freshman in 2013, but still pushed his career totals to 3,591 rushing yards – surpassing Shaun Alexander for the most in school history – and 42 TDs – which tied Ingram for the Alabama record.