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Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love scores on a one-yard touchdown run against Southern California during the 2024 season. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

'J Love' to a tackle-breaking horse lover: Five elite college RBs to watch in 2025

By Andrew Wright | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 12:16 PM ET

As the start of college football season approaches Aug. 23, the white-hot spotlight typically shines on skill-position players such as QBs, wide receivers and running backs.

Whether bulldozing through traffic, exploding into the open field or catching passes out of the backfield, these five elite RBs are poised to deliver highlight-reel moments in 2025.

Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Love (6-foot, 206 pounds) may be the best returning running back in college football. He rushed for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns last season and was a huge reason Notre Dame got to the national championship game against Ohio State.

NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay believes Love stands above all elite college running backs.

"[H]e's a first-round running back based on his running skills," McShay noted. "The agility, acceleration, vision ... contact balance and the power all make him a first-round running back."

Pro: "J Love" has breakaway speed, highlighted by his 98-yard touchdown run last season.

Con: His ball security and route running must improve.

Nate Frazier | Georgia Bulldogs

In his freshman season in 2024, the 5-foot-10, 205-pounder rushed for 671 yards and eight touchdowns and added 85 yards on 12 receptions. Expect those numbers to increase in his sophomore season.

Frazier is not NFL Draft eligible until 2027, but he understands that as an experienced player, it's his job to be a leader and to continue to get better.

"This guy’s going to be special," George linebacker Justin Williams said in the spring, per DawgNation.

Pro: Speed. Speed. Speed. Per UGA.rivals.com, in high school, "Frazier ran the 100-meter dash in 10.58 seconds. His ability to hit the hole and find a crease is a skill you can’t teach, and is a threat for a big play every time he touches the ball."

Con: Ball security. He fumbled three times in the final six games of the 2024 season.

Nate Frazier with a strong run for 6⃣.

ABC#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/TV4XnxYGp3
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) November 30, 2024

Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Penn State Nittany Lions

Easily the best running back duo in the country this season, Singleton and Allen are poised to lead Penn State (13-3 last season) to the College Football Playoff for the second consecutive season.

The two rushed for 2,207 yards and 20 touchdowns last season. As receivers, Singleton had five touchdown catches and Allen added two.

In its 2026 mock draft, Pro Football Network has Singleton going 27th overall to the Washington Commanders.

Singleton (6-foot- 227 pounds) "offers a little more versatility than his counterpart, Kaytron Allen," the outlet noted. "Singleton possesses elite vision and breakaway speed, complemented by solid receiving ability. He’d perfectly fit [offensive coordinator] Kliff Kingsbury’s offense for the Commanders."

Pro: They gobble yardage. Singleton has averaged 5.8 yards rushing on his 499 attempts at Penn State. Allen (5-foot-11, 229 pounds), meanwhile, has averaged 5.1 yards on 559 attempts.

Con: Will one of them get frustrated with the platoon?

Ahmad Hardy | Missouri Tigers

Hardy (5-foot-10, 205 pounds) enters the SEC after spending the first season of his collegiate career at the University of Louisiana-Monroe.

As a freshman at ULM, he rushed for a Sun Belt Conference-leading 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns. He rushed for more than 100 yards in a game eight times and eclipsed the 200-yard mark twice.

Hardy is not draft eligible until 2027 but was widely considered one of the better running backs in the transfer portal before committing to Missouri.

Hardy is an avid horse rider. A video of him riding CoCo in Columbia, Mo., earned him significant attention on social media.

“It's been impressive to watch him on Twitter riding horses as much as it's been impressive to watch him on film [playing football]," Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz told the Columbia Daily Tribune.

Good ole Mizzou ride tonight ‼️ riding on my good ole mare called “ CoCo” ! pic.twitter.com/sQ0JN9uB7E
— Ahmad hardy (@Ahmadhardy29) March 7, 2025

Pro: Hardy's ability to break tackles may be the best in the country. According to Pro Football Focus, he had 94 broken tackles last season, second to Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty of Boise State.

Con: Hardy doesn't have much experience pass blocking. At just 5-foot-10, that could be a struggle early in his career in the country's best conference.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

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