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SEC Football: Ranking the Top 10 Running Backs entering 2023 season

By Elliot Reeder

OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - NOVEMBER 12: Quinshon Judkins #4 of the Mississippi Rebels carries the ball during the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on November 12, 2022 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - NOVEMBER 12: Quinshon Judkins #4 of the Mississippi Rebels carries the ball during the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on November 12, 2022 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images) /
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Georgia Bulldogs running back Daijun Edwards (Photo by Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /

With the 2023 SEC football season right around the corner, I decided to look at the Top 10 running backs in the conference heading into 2023, starting with a few honorable mentions.

Ranking the Top 10 running backs entering 2023 SEC football season

HM. Daijun Edwards – Georgia

2022 stats: 140 carries, 769 rushing yards, 14 receptions, 101 receiving yards, 7 total TD’s

After mainly serving as Georgia’s #2 back behind Kenny McIntosh last season, Edwards will be competing for carries again in 2023. This time around it will be with Kendall Milton (and a couple of youngsters). Edwards ran for 769 yards last year on 140 carries with 7 touchdowns for Georgia as they won their second straight national title. For his career, Edwards has 226 carries, 1,202 rushing yards, and 11 TD’s.

HM. Montrell Johnson – Florida

2022 stats: 155 carries, 841 rushing yards, 12 receptions, 58 receiving yards, 11 total TD’s

When Montrell Johnson followed Billy Napier from Louisiana to Gainesville, people knew he was talented, but I’m not sure many expected him to be as good as he was a year ago. In his first season at Florida, Johnson averaged 5.4 yards per carry and was one of Florida’s best players. Overall for his career, including his time in the Sun Belt, Johnson has 317 carries, 1,679 rushing yards, 18 receptions, 111 receiving yards, and 23 total TD’s.

HM. Jabari Small – Tennessee

2022 stats: 157 carries, 734 rushing yards, 12 receptions, 106 receiving yards, 15 total TD’s

Jabari Small was one of the most prolific touchdown scorers in SEC football last year, scoring 13 on the ground (second most in the SEC) and adding two more as a receiver. Small might have been the toughest player for me to leave out of the Top 10, due to his prowess at finding the end zone. Small has two straight seasons of strong production, and should have another this upcoming season as he splits carries with Jaylen Wright. Overall for his career, Small has 324 carries, 1,647 rushing yards, 25 receptions, 207 receiving yards, and 24 total TD’s across three seasons.

HM. Cody Schrader – Missouri

2022 stats: 170 carries, 745 rushing yards, 19 receptions, 137 receiving yards, 9 total TD’s

Cody Schrader is one of the best stories in the SEC. Schrader was not a highly sought-after high school recruit and spent the first four years of his career at Division II Truman State where he dominated (2,074 rushing yards and 25 TD’s in 2021 alone). Schrader then entered the portal, but had to walk-on at Missouri after once again not being heavily recruited. Schrader played like way more than a walk-on in his first season in CoMo however. For his career, Schrader has a combined 5,903 rushing yards and 48 rushing TD’s split between Missouri and Truman State.

HM. The LSU Running Backs (Josh Williams, Noah Cain, and John Emery Jr.)

While several SEC football schools (most notably Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee) will have some form of a strong 1-2 punch in their backfield, LSU might have the deepest RB unit in the conference. However, the group being so strong means that they split carries very evenly last season. This means that A. it made it very difficult to distinguish exactly who is the go-to #1 back and B. Even though all three are probably in the conference’s top 15 RB’s, it made it very hard to fit one into the top 10 knowing that it’s possible that none of the three hit 100 carries this season (even if they all three have over 70). Josh Williams had 97 carries, 532 rushing yards, 21 receptions, 132 receiving yards, and 6 TD’s last year. Noah Cain, a former Penn State transfer, had 76 carries, 409 rushing yards, 9 receptions, 76 receiving yards, and 10 total TD’s last year. John Emery had 76 carries, 375 rushing yards, 13 receptions, 129 receiving yards, and 8 total TD’s a year ago.

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