Georgia Football: Sports Illustrated named who ‘Running Back U?’
By Eric Taylor
With alumni such as Herschel Walker, Rodney Hampton and Todd Gurley, Georgia football has long considered itself “Running Back U.”
Sports Illustrated is doing a series on which college programs have the right to brand themselves the modern ‘U.’ This week Sports Illustrated did “Running Back U” and gave the title to Alabama. Georgia football has a few things to say about that.
First things first, Georgia football has always been “Running Back U” and it will always be “Running Back U.” The media pundits can say whatever they feel like, but nothing is going to change that fact. Georgia football may not have the most running backs in the NFL, but you would be hard-pressed to find a better group of running backs in the NFL.
Alabama has had three running backs drafted in the first round in the last ten years, something no other college can claim. However, if teams were honest, they would say that they missed out on Nick Chubb in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. There is no doubt Chubb should have been selected in the first round and he should have been a day one starter.
Breaking down this comparison by decade then it’s not a legit list. Georgia football claimed the title Back U” since back in the 80s and 90s. Ten years don’t change that. If you are only on top for ten years, that is just a trend and you don’t supplant anyone based on a short-term trend.
Here are Sports Illustrated’s “Running Back U” rankings and the point system used to determine who had the better group of running backs.
As you can see there are no points awarded for leading the NFL in rushing yards; thousand-yard seasons; ten or more touchdowns in a season; none of that. It is purely based on where the running backs were drafted; how many games they started; and if they won one of three awards. Pro Bowls, understandably, were thrown out.
Here are the running backs that Sports Illustrated included for each school and their individual scores:
Being fair, a lot of the grade for Georgia football comes from Todd Gurley alone. He is by far the best running back in this comparison. Even though he only played in 13 games as a rookie, coming off a torn ACL, he still was able to rush for over 1,000 yards. His yards per carry of 4.83 was a big reason why he was Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2015.
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Speaking of the player grades, you can see right away that the values for a lot of these players are off. Who would take Trent Richardson over Nick Chubb? How about Sony Michel over Derrick Henry? What about Eddie Lacy over any running back not named Todd Gurley? No one would, but that is exactly what this point system says.
Who judges the quality of a player by where they were drafted and how many starts they have? None of that matters. The only thing that matters is what they do on the field. Did this point system take into account Sony Michel’s record-breaking postseason two years ago? Did it take into account Nick Chubb being second in the league in rushing in 2019? Did it take into account that Chubb was one of only 11 running backs to average over five yards per carry his rookie season?
No, it ignored all of that. It also didn’t take into consideration that Eddie Lacy and Trent Richardson are two of the biggest busts at the running back position in the last decade. Neither of them is even in the NFL anymore. Lacy’s career lasted just five seasons while Richardson was in the league three seasons.
Here is every Alabama and Georgia running back that received a score of five or better.
Alabama
Georgia
Breaking down the production on the field, Georgia football proves it is the obvious choice. Its running backs may not have the overall stats, but they prove that game-to-game they are the better running backs. Alabama’s stable has a single running back that averages 80 yards per game and Georgia has two. Production is what matters, not draft position or games started.
Also, the highest scorer for Alabama, Eddie Lacy, isn’t even its best producer on the field. Mark Ingram is clearly Alabama’s best NFL running back. Josh Jacobs has the best numbers, but Ingram has maintained his level of production over 100-plus games while Jacobs was a rookie in 2019.
Next. 15 best running backs in Georgia football history. dark
This comparison of production shows even though Alabama has the quantity, Georgia has the quality. Alabama has always had the quantity though, having 67 running backs drafted into the NFL, ten in the first round. Georgia football has had 64 drafted into the NFL and nine in the first round.