10 highest graded returning SEC running backs ft. Trevor Etienne
The returning SEC running backs are preparing to make a big splash in 2024 as the conference welcomes Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12 this season. The addition of these programs to the conference will force the competition for top running backs to continue to heat up.
PFF College has released their list of the highest-graded returning SEC running backs this season. Here's a look at where each player ranks within the top 10 of returning SEC running backs.
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10 highest highest-graded returning SEC running backs
#10 Jarquez Hunter, Auburn
Auburn's leading rusher from last season, Jarquez Hunter, will be returning for his fourth season with the Tigers. He has yet to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark in his career, but finished the 2023 season with 909 yards and added 18 receptions for 118 yards.
Hunter has proven himself as a threat on the ground and through the air, with 17 career rushing touchdowns and 20 career touchdown receptions.
#9 Henry Parrish Jr., Ole Miss
Henry Parrish Jr. spent his first two seasons at Ole Miss before transferring to Miami in 2022 for two seasons. He's now transferring back to Ole Miss this season, where he will join a stacked Rebels running back room.
Parrish ran for a career-high 625 yards and six touchdowns last season with Miami. The veteran back will now return to the program where he started his career to join Logan Diggs and Ulysses Bentley IV in the backfield.
#8 Logan Diggs, Ole Miss
Former Notre Dame and LSU running back Logan Diggs will be another member of a stacked group of returning SEC running backs at Ole Miss in 2024. Diggs played last season at LSU, where he ran for 653 yards and seven touchdowns.
His most productive season came in 2022 as a member of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Diggs ran for 822 yards that season while also finishing with 211 receiving yards.
#7 Dylan Sampson, Tennessee
Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson will be a returning SEC running back who is back for his third season with the Volunteers. Sampson had the best year of his career in 2023, running for 604 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 175 yards receiving and one touchdown through the air.
Tennessee's lead backs from last season, Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small, will be gone this season, allowing Sampson to likely be the top back for the Vols.
#6 Le'Veon Moss, Texas A&M
Returning SEC running back Le'Veon Moss will be returning to Texas A&M for his third season with the Aggies.
Moss played in only nine of the Aggies' 13 games last season due to injury and ran for 484 yards and five touchdowns. He added 11 receptions for 84 yards out of the backfield as well.
#5 Ja'Quinden Jackson, Arkansas
Ja'Quinden Jackson will be returning for his fifth season of college football after transferring to Arkansas, following three seasons with Utah.
The veteran returning SEC running back has 1,358 career rushing yards in 27 games with 14 career touchdowns. He began his career as a quarterback before transitioning to running back during the 2022 season.
Jackson will join junior Rashod Dubinion in Arkansas's backfield after Dubinion ran for 312 yards and two touchdowns with the Razorbacks last season.
#4 Trevor Etienne, Georgia
Running back Trevor Etienne made the decision to transfer from Florida to Georiga this season for his junior season.
Etienne will join a loaded Georgia backfield that features other returning SEC running backs, Roderick Robinson II, Branson Robinson and Cash Jones.Etienne ran for a career high 753 yards and eight touchdowns last season while also adding 172 yards receiving on 21 receptions.
#3 Jawarn Howell, South Carolina
Jawarn Howell is a new addition to the South Carolina roster as a returning SEC running back as a sophomore transfer. Howell played for the South Carolina State Bulldogs in the MEAC last season before transferring to South Carolina ahead of the 2024 season.
Howell was the MEAC Rookie of the Year in 2023, rushing for 809 yards and seven touchdowns last season. He also recorded 149 yards receiving with two touchdowns through the air.
Howell will likely be behind fellow transfers Raheim Sanders and Oscar Adaway III on the Gamecocks' depth chart to start the season. But he still remains one of the highest-graded returning SEC running backs by PFF College.
#2 Davon Booth, Mississippi State
Former Utah State running back Davon Booth announced he would be transferring to Mississippi State ahead of the 2024 season. Last season at Utah State, Booth ran for 805 yards and six touchdowns on 120 carries.
He will join a Mississippi State backfield that includes returning SEC running backs Jeffery Pittman and Keyvone Lee, who both played for the Bulldogs last season.
#1 Ulysses Bentley IV, Ole Miss
Ulysses Bentley IV is the highest-graded player among returning SEC running backs by PFF College.
He's the third Ole Miss running back to crack the top-10 on this list. Bentley is returning for his sixth season of college football, beginning his career at SMU and transferring to Ole Miss in 2022.
He ran for 540 yards and four touchdowns last season, playing behind star tailback Quinshon Judkins. Judkins has transferred to Ohio State, leaving Bentley to be the likely starter in a loaded backfield at Ole Miss.
Do you agree with PFF College's highest-graded returning SEC running backs? Let's know in the comments section:
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