Breaking down the five best 2024 running back classes
The 2024 recruiting class is all wrapped up so it’s time to see which teams won each position. On Monday, we started with quarterbacks so today we focus on the running backs.
NOTE: College transfers are not included in this list but transfers from within the 2024 class – a situation created by the late coaching changes – will be factored into this series.
CONFERENCE REPORT CARDS: SEC | ACC | Pac-12 | Big Ten
POSITIONAL WINNERS: Quarterbacks
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MORE NSD: Gorney Awards | Recruiters of the Year | Dominic Raiola interview | Five-star David Sanders updates recruitment | Alabama signee Ryan Williams interview | UCF coach Gus Malzahn interview | Big day for the Huskers | Miami coach Mario Cristobal interview | Oregon coach Dan Lanning interview | USC coach Lincoln Riley interview | UGA wins recruiting title | Big Ten recruiting recap | ACC recruiting recap | Pac-12 recruiting recap | SEC recruiting recap | Big 12 recruiting recap | NSD Live – all the news, analysis and interviews | Bussey sticks with A&M | Complete guide to National Signing Day announcements | What to watch on NSD | Five biggest storylines for this week | Four programs in the spotlight | Rivals Roundtable looks toward NSD
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals100
TRANSFER PORTAL: Latest news | Transfer search | Transfer tracker/player ranking (football) | Transfer team ranking (football) | Transfer tracker/player ranking (basketball) | Transfer team ranking (basketball) | Rivals Portal Twitter
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1. GEORGIA
Putting the Bulldogs at No. 1 on this list was a pretty easy call. Georgia is the only program to sign three four-star running backs in Nate Frazier, Chauncey Bowens and Dwight Phillips.
Frazier finished the rankings cycle as the top-ranked running back in the Rivals250 after outstanding performances during the all-star game season. Even though the California native split time at Mater Dei High School with 2025 five-star running back Jordon Davison, he was still one of the most heavily recruited prospects in the nation.
Bowens, also a Rivals250 prospect, flipped to Georgia after being committed to Florida for about nine months. Phillips committed to Georgia in January of last year and remained solidly committed throughout the process.
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2. TEXAS
The Longhorns have an outstanding 1-2 punch of running backs on the way in the 2024 class. IMG Academy standout Jerrick Gibson, a former Florida pledge, announced his commitment to Texas in June of last year but multiple programs still tried to flip him before National Signing Day.
Miami and Florida were aggressively working the Rivals250 prospect and Florida was able to get him to visit a couple times last season. Those efforts, however, were not enough to get Gibson to change his mind.
Rivals250 running back Christian Clark out of Arizona also signed with Texas. The Longhorns battled Florida State and Oregon to land his commitment. Georgia was also involved at one point earlier in the recruiting process.
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3. ALABAMA
The Kalen DeBoer era in Tuscaloosa is underway but this recruiting class was put together by Nick Saban and his staff. With that being said, the two Rivals250 running backs who signed with the Crimson Tide give DeBoer and his coaching staff plenty of talent to work with.
The highest ranked of the two is local standout Kevin Riley. The Alabama native actually committed to Miami in June and remained committed to the Hurricanes all the way to the Early Signing Period when he flipped to Alabama. Things had been trending toward the Crimson Tide in Riley’s recruitment in the weeks prior to his signing but it was still a big get for Alabama.
Rivals250 running back Daniel Hill announced his commitment to Alabama at the All-American Bowl in early January. The bruising back out of Mississippi is a Mississippi State legacy and the Bulldogs were a finalist for him, as were South Carolina and Tennessee.
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4. WISCONSIN
The Badgers loaded up with talented running backs in the 2024 recruiting class. Rivals250 back Darrion Dupree out of Chicago was the highest ranked of the bunch. He committed to Wisconsin in early July, choosing the Badgers over Illinois, Michigan and Missouri. Dupree cited the offensive system and relationships with other recruits as the main reasons for choosing Wisconsin.
The second Rivals250 back Wisconsin signed was Dilin Jones out of powerhouse Good Counsel High School in Olney, Md. Maryland, Florida State and a few other programs around the country had Jones high on their wish lists but the Badgers were able to win him over with their environment and coaching style.
While Dupree and Jones are the highest ranked of Wisconsin’s running back signees, Gideon Ituka was the first of the trio to commit. The Maryland native announced his commitment to the Badgers in June, picking them over Boston College, Cincinnati, Maryland, Syracuse and Tennessee. Statistically, Ituka had a more prolific senior season than both Dupree and Jones, tallying more than 2,000 rushing yards and more than 30 rushing touchdowns.
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5. PENN STATE
With a Rivals250 running back signee and another rated as a four-star, Penn State gets the nod for No. 5 on this list over Notre Dame thanks to Quinton Martin finishing the rankings cycle at No. 125.
The Nittany Lions have been churning out impressive running back prospects for years and Martin looks like the next one up. The Western Pennsylvania native committed to Penn State in April and helped start a major run of spring commitments for the Nittany Lions.
Four-star Corey Smith seemed to be trending toward staying home and playing for Wisconsin in the weeks leading up to his commitment. The Wisconsin native lived about an hour from Madison but Penn State, Tennessee and a handful of other programs were pushing for his commitment. In the end, he chose the Nittany Lions shortly after visiting State College for the Penn State spring game.