Running the football still sits at the center of the Big Ten, and this fall the league again looks loaded with backs who can take over a game. A few are coming off huge seasons, a few are just getting started, and a couple may be ready to break out even further.
Here’s a look at the top five Big Ten running backs for the 2026 season:
Antwan Raymond of Rutgers sits at No. 1 after a sophomore year that looked like a full-on takeover. He stepped in for Kyle Monangai, now with the Chicago Bears, and delivered 1,241 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Raymond brought power and burst in equal measure, and his 884 yards after contact led the Big Ten. He also ripped off 30-plus explosive runs, which made him the most productive back in the conference last season.
The expectation now is simple: he may be even better.
Bo Jackson checks in at No. 2 after one of the strongest freshman seasons in the country. He earned a spot on the 2025 freshman All-American team after rushing for 1,090 yards and six touchdowns.
Jackson paired explosiveness with physical running and proved tough to bring down after contact. He fit perfectly alongside Julian Sayin and Ohio State’s dangerous passing game, and with another year of experience, he should be right there with Raymond in the Big Ten rushing race.
Jordan Marshall lands at No. 3 for Michigan after making the most of his chances in a crowded backfield. The Wolverines had two 800-yard rushers last season, and Marshall often looked every bit as good as starter Justice Haynes, if not better.
He finished with 932 yards and 10 touchdowns on 150 carries, then closed strong by topping 100 rushing yards in four of the final five games. Haynes is gone now, which puts Marshall in line to open the season as the guy, though he could share work with freshman Savion Hiter.
Even so, the setup points to another big year.
At No. 4 is USC’s King Miller, whose rise was one of the better stories in the conference. He began the year as the Trojans’ third-string back and a walk-on freshman, then helped keep the run game rolling after both starters went down.
In 11 games, Miller ran for 873 yards and seven touchdowns, and he posted four 100-yard games as a starter. His best performance came against Michigan, when he piled up 158 rushing yards at 8.8 yards per carry.
That kind of outing showed USC it had something special. With Waymond Jordan back, the Trojans’ ground game could be even more dangerous.
Darius Taylor rounds out the top five for Minnesota. The concern here is workload and health, because there’s a lot of tread on his tires and last season was interrupted by injury.
In 10 games, he ran for 670 yards and four touchdowns, which fell short of expectations. But Taylor has been a problem for Big Ten defenses for three seasons now, and his 2024 campaign showed what he can do when healthy: 986 yards and 10 touchdowns across all 12 games.
If he stays on the field, the production should follow. The durability questions are real, though, which is why he comes in at No.
Honorable mention goes to USC’s Waymond Jordan. In pure talent, he belongs in the top five conversation.
He and Miller are likely to split carries, but Jordan would be a 1,000-yard rusher on plenty of other teams. Before his injury, he put up 167 yards against Georgia Southern, 157 against Michigan State, and 94 yards with two touchdowns against Illinois.
In just six games, he finished with 576 yards and five touchdowns. Miller may open the season as the lead option, but Lincoln Riley is going to give Jordan plenty of chances to make his mark on the ground.
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