Where Texas’s RB Room Ranks in the SEC

AUSTIN – As the 2025 season is on the horizon, new rosters and depth charts are molding into their final form as freshmen and returners emerge as frontrunners.

Here, fans can find the rank of the five best running back rooms in the SEC, based on sheer talent and depth in each team’s room as the season inches closer.

1. Texas

The Longhorns enter the season with a 1,000-yard rusher returning in Tre Wisner. In his first year starting in 2024, he ran for 1,064 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore.

Last year, Wisner rushed for over 100 yards in four different games, and he has now emerged as a dominant rusher in the SEC. This all comes after he signed with the Longhorns out of the 2023 recruiting class, where he was ranked as the No. 30 RB in the class.

Now, he is poised for a very successful junior year alongside returning sophomore CJ Baxter. Baxter was also part of the 2023 recruiting class; however, he was on a different side of the rankings as he was rated as a 5-star and the No. 1 RB in the class.

Baxter, however, has not seen the field as much as Wisner. He saw plenty of playing time during the 2023 season as a freshman, rushing for 659 yards and five touchdowns.

Unfortunately, before the 2024 season began, Baxter tore his LCL and PCL, which required season-ending knee surgery and ended his sophomore campaign before it began.

If a talented junior-sophomore duo wasn’t enough for Texas, they have two more former 4-stars waiting for their turn on the bench too.

Jerrick Gibson, ranked as the No. 7 RB in the class of 2024, rushed for 377 yards and four touchdowns after appearing in 12 games for the Horns last season.

Behind Gibson is another former 4-star in James Simon, who was ranked as the No. 10 RB in the 2025 cycle in which Texas secured the No. 1 class.

2. Texas A&M 

In 2025, the Aggies’ ground game will be led by two returning seniors in Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels, both of whom rushed for over 600 yards last year.

Moss will enter his senior year as the Aggies’ main starter after rushing for 765 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, and rushing for over 100 yards in three different games.

He made his mark on the ground, showcasing his quickness and agility before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Texas A&M’s ninth game of the season.

Daniels, however, did appear in all 12 games for the Aggies last season, recording 661 yards and eight touchdowns on 139 rushes. He also ran for over 500 yards as a redshirt sophomore.

Texas A&M also has redshirt sophomore Rueben Owens returning. He was originally ranked as a 4-star and the No. 3 RB in the class of 2023. 

He had a solid freshman showing, rushing for 383 yards and three touchdowns. However, his sophomore season was cut short after he suffered a Lisfranc fracture during fall camp before the season started. He made his return against Texas and recorded over 50 yards in Texas A&M’s bowl against USC to finish the season.

As for the backups, the Aggies also signed 4-star Jamarion Morrow out of Tennessee and 3-star Deondrae Riden out of Desoto, Texas, in the 2024 class. They also hold a commitment from KJ Edwards, currently ranked as the No. 3 RB in the class of 2025.

3. Oklahoma

Over the offseason, the Sooners secured a transfer commitment from former Cal RB Jaydn Ott, and he will be the leading force on the ground for OU this season.

He will enter Norman as a senior after rushing for only 385 yards and four touchdowns last season. But, the stats don’t speak for themselves. The California native dealt with an ongoing ankle injury last season, forcing him to miss games and limit his playing time.

However, as a sophomore with the Golden Bears, he rushed for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns, surpassing 100 yards in five games. Sooners fans need to have hope that he’ll be able to recreate those performances in the SEC with Oklahoma.

The Sooners also have the option of turning to Javantae Barnes, now a senior who was previously ranked as the No. 6 RB in the class of 2022.

Last season, Barnes rushed for 577 yards and five touchdowns, reminiscent of his freshman year when he ran 519 yards and a touchdown on 119 carries. His sophomore year was cut short, however, as he dealt with an injury sustained before the season. 

Oklahoma also has Taylor Tatum, who has a sophomore year ahead of him. He ran for 278 yards and three touchdowns last season as a freshman. He entered Norman ranked as the No. 1 RB in the class of 2024, and will likely see similar utilization as he did last season with Ott now on the roster.

Looking ahead, OU also has former 4-star Tory Blaylock, former 3-star Gavin Sawchuck, and former 3-star Xavier Robinson on the roster. They do not currently hold an RB commitment for the class of 2026.

4. LSU

The Tigers’ go-to rusher for the 2025 season will be sophomore Caden Durham, who had a standout freshman year, quickly emerging as a top RB in the SEC.

Durham, who was ranked as a 4-star and the No. 5 RB in the class of 2024, rushed 753 yards and six touchdowns on 140 carries last season. He also ran for 100 yards in two games, and rushed for over 90 yards in two others.

LSU’s options behind him are Kaleb Jackson and Trey Holly. Jackson, entering his junior year, ran for 150 yards on 44 carries last season. Holly, only making appearances in three games towards the end of his freshman year last season, rushed for 110 yards on 11 carries.

Jackson and Holly will likely both see an expanded role for the Tigers this upcoming season, and were both 4-stars in the class of 2023, ranked as the No. 12 and No. 13 RBs, respectively.

That’s not it for LSU, though. Head coach Brian Kelly made sure the running back room was set up for success, securing commitments from 5-star No. 1 RB Harlem Berry and 4-star No. 7 RB JT Lindsey in this previous recruiting cycle.

LSU has extremely high potential with the state of their running back room. The sky is seemingly the limit for Durham as he’ll be in Baton Rouge for at least another two seasons, and the Tigers will have more options with Berry and Lindsey rolling into town.

5. Alabama

The Crimson Tide suffered a major loss last season when it had a significant role player in RB Justice Haynes enter the transfer portal and head to Michigan over the offseason, as well as having its leading rusher and quarterback, Jalen Milroe, leave for the NFL Draft.

However, Alabama has still retained a strong and talented running back room. Alabama will enter the new season with Jam Miller as their starting RB.

Miller is entering his senior year after rushing for 668 yards and seven touchdowns last season, tripling his yardage from the two seasons prior. With a new OC in Tuscaloosa, and with a new quarterback at the helm, Miller is in a great position for a breakout year.

The Crimson Tide has two directions it can go for its RB2 situation, either in Louisiana transfer Dre’lyn Washington or sophomore Richard Young. 

They will both likely see playing time, but Washington has the experience as he enters his senior year. Washington, a Texas native and former 3-star, has rushed for over 450 yards in less than 100 carries in the past two seasons with the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Young, a redshirt sophomore on the other hand, only ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns in seven appearances for Alabama last season. He’s shown good flashes of toughness and agility in his time, though, and was ranked as a 4-star and the No. 4 RB in the class of 2023.

The Crimson Tide also has redshirt freshman Daniel Hill, a former 4-star who recorded 21 rushes for 61 yards last season, returning alongside incoming freshman Akylin Dear, who was ranked as the No. 2 RB in the 2025 recruiting cycle. 

If the Crimson Tide needs even more forces on the ground in the future, Alabama also holds a commitment from the No. 3 RB in the class of 2026 in Ezavier Crowell, and a 3-star in Javari Barnett.