Top 10 running backs to watch out for in Week 2 of college football ft. Ollie Gordon II
Running backs are the most volatile players in football. The position leads to injuries often, and as a result, the ranking of the top players shifts around a lot. Going into week 2, there are 10 running backs fans should keep an eye on.
10 running backs to watch in week 2
#1 Ollie Gordon II
Junior RB Ollie Gordon II was the preseason pick by many experts as the top running back in college football. He got off to a strong start in week 1, carrying the ball 28 times for 126 yards and three touchdowns against South Dakota State.
He will have a bigger test in week 2 as his Oklahoma State Cowboys will face Arkansas.
#2 TreVeyon Henderson
Coming into the season, the Ohio State running back situation was interesting because the Buckeyes have two top-tier running backs.
In week 1 against Akron, Henderson carried the ball eight times for 65 yards. This week he will play against Western Michigan.
#3 Quinshon Judkins
Judkins is the other Buckeyes running back, and while he got more carries in week 1 (13) than Henderson, he ran for fewer yards (55). It will be interesting to see if there is a similar discrepancy in week 2.
#4 Omarion Hampton
Hampton is coming off a strong first game for the North Carolina Tar Heels. He helped his team get a narrow 19-17 win over Minnesota by rushing for 129 yards on 30 carries. He should get a lot of action again this Saturday against Charlotte.
#5 Tahj Brooks
Brooks rushed for 153 yards on 27 carries for an average of 5.7 yards per carry in an impressive week 1 performance against Abilene Christian. He will have a bigger test this week as Texas Tech takes on Washington State.
#6 Ashton Jeanty
Jeanty was a huge part of the offense for Boise State that put up 56 points against Georgia Southern last week. He carried the ball 20 times for 267 yards and six touchdowns. Playing against a much stronger Oregon team on Saturday, it'll be interesting to see how Jeanty responds to more defensive pressure.
#7 Donovan Edwards
Edwards was seen as one of the best running backs coming into the season, but he did not perform well in week 1. He carried the ball 11 times for only 27 yards. Compared to his average of 4.2 yards per carry in 2023, that is a big decline. Let's see if he can improve in week 2 for Michigan in a matchup against Texas.
#8 Phil Mafah
Mafah had a middling performance against the number 1 team in the nation, Georgia, in week 1. He carried the ball for 59 yards on 16 carries. Let's see if he can improve his performance against a weaker App State team on Saturday.
#9 Jaydn Ott
Although Ott did not carry the ball for many yards (49 on 14 carries) last week, he had a big impact as he scored two touchdowns. With California playing Auburn this week, it will need Ott to have a bigger impact throughout the game.
#10 Devin Neal
Neal only carried the ball eight times last week, but when he got the ball, he performed well, averaging 14 yards per carry and also two touchdowns. Since he performed well with the ball last week, it'll be interesting to see if Kansas gives him more opportunities against Illinois on Saturday.