2018 Preseason All-American Projections: Running Backs

By Charlie Campbell
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Heading into the 2018 college football season WalterFootball.com will debut our projections for the nation’s leaders during the fall. The All-American teams always have some surprises and the stars of next fall could be the headlining players next April in the 2019 NFL Draft.

First-Team Running Backs:

Bryce Love, Stanford

After Christian McCaffrey became a top-10 pick for the Carolina Panthers in the 2017 NFL Draft, Love picked up the reins for the Cardinal offense. The junior then broke out a dominant force who carried Stanford in 2017. On the year, Love averaged a staggering 8.3 yards per carry for 2,118 yards with 19 touchdowns. A leg injury slowed him down late in the year, but he gutted it out and continued to be productive despite the injury. Against good opponents, Love maintained a good yards-per-attempt – YPA – average despite not having his top speed and explosiveness: Washington – 5.5 YPA for 166 yards -, Notre Dame – 6.3 YPA for 125 yards -, USC – 5.7 YPA for 125 yards -, and TCU – 5.6 YPA for 145 yards. Thus, I think Love will continue to produce even though defenses will be selling out to stop him in 2018.

Love is a dynamic game-breaker who possesses the speed to take any carry the distance. Even if his production dips as a senior, he still could put together a huge year to be a consensus All-American.



Rodney Anderson, Oklahoma

With Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine in the NFL, Anderson took over as Oklahoma’s feature back and had an impressive 2017 season. On the yeat, Anderson averaged 5.9 yards per carry for 960 yards and 11 touchdowns on only 162 carries. He had 16 receptions for 283 yards and three touchdowns as well.

Even though he has a sizable build, Anderson shows impressive speed, including first-step quickness and a burst to get to the second level. In the tackle box, he runs with nice knee bend to stay behind his pads and run through contact. Anderson flashes an ability to run angry and charges hard downhill. When he gets to the open field, he stands up higher to run away from defenders. Anderson has also showed superb receiving ability. In 2017, he ran good routes, adjusted well to the ball, made acrobatic catches, and showed soft hands. While Anderson is not a burner back like Chris Johnson, Anderson has a combination of size, speed, and receiving ability that reminds this analyst of Arian Foster and DeMarco Murray. With Baker Mayfield in the NFL, I think Anderson is going to be the bell cow of the Sooners’ offense in 2018 and put together a huge 2018 season for them.



Second-Team Running Backs:

J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State

Everybody expected a massive 2017 from Buckeyes running back Mike Weber, but it was freshman J.K. Dobbins who had a huge year to lead the Ohio State offense. Dobbins averaged 7.2 yards per carry in 2017 for 1,403 yards with seven touchdowns. Dobbins showed some real speed to go along with nice size. He should have a massive 2018 season as Ohio State returns a lot of offensive line talent to help open holes for him. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if Dobbins is among the nation leaders for production and awards from the 2018 season.



Bennie Snell, Kentucky

Snell (5-11, 223) was fantastic in 2016, taking the SEC by storm. The freshman averaged 5.9 yards per carry for 1,091 yards with 13 touchdowns in his debut for the Wildcats. He only received 186 carries and didn’t play in the first two games of the season, so he could have produced a lot more. In 2017, defenses sold out to stop Snell, but he still averaged 5.1 yards per carry for 1,333 yards with 19 touchdowns on 262 carries. He also notched 10 receptions for 72 yards.

Snell has good size with a burst and is a tough runner who picks up yards after contact. He is coming into his prime and shut put together a big junior year that could earn him a lot of postseason honors.



Third-Team Running Backs:

L.J. Scott, Michigan State

Scott averaged 4.5 yards per carry in 2017 for 898 yards and eight touchdowns. He totaled 20 receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown as well. Sources think that Scott is more than just a power back. They like his surprising speed and believe he has the athletic ability to be more than a North-South runner. He is patient and has feet that can make tacklers miss, though he needs to work on his ball security.

Scouts think that Scott could be even more athletic and quicker if he drops some weight. They talk about how Le’Veon Bell was too heavy at Michigan State and became a different player after losing weight at the direction of the Steelers. Scott may not get a lot of media attention just yet, but NFL evaluators think he is really gifted so a massive 2018 season seems entirely possible for the Spartans back.



Damien Harris, Alabama

Harris would be a prolific workhorse back at most schools, but with impending star Najee Harris and other talented backs in the stable, the Crimson Tide will probably use a committee approach. Thus, it wouldn’t be surprising if Harris ends up lower on All-American lists and in the awards department even though he could be more physically talented and end being selected a lot higher by his future NFL team than other backs who receive more accolades this season.

Harris ran really well for the Crimson Tide in 2017, averaging 7.4 yards per carry for 1,000 yards with 11 touchdowns. He also had 12 receptions for 91 yards. On only 145 carries in 2016, Harris averaged 7.2 yards per carry for 1,040 yards with two touchdowns. He had 14 receptions for 99 yards, too. Harris was Alabama’s leading rusher that season.

Honorable Mentions: Ohio State’s Mike Weber, Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor, Florida Atlantic’s Devin Singletary, Washington’s Myles Gaskin, Michigan’s Karan Higdon, Alabama’s Najee Harris, Iowa State’s David Montgomery and Oklahoma State’s Justice Hill.











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