It’s time, once again, to work our way through the summer with our Big 12 position rankings. With these posts we give our opinions on each of the offensive and defensive position groups and rank them from first to worst. We only defend our top three and bottom two in the rankings and while we’re sure to say something that’s out of this world crazy it’s also a great way to get football conversations going. So, enjoy and make sure to sound off with your opinions in the comments section below.
This time around the Heartland Sports writers give their take on the running backs across the conference, ranking them from first to worst. Then they are asked to defend their top three and bottom two rankings.
The consensus rankings below come from a points system. A first place selection is worth 14 points, second place is 13 points, and they continue in descending order with tenth place equaling 1 point.
Heartland Sports Consensus Running Back Rankings
| RANKING | POINTS |
|---|---|
| 1. Texas | 41 |
| 2. Kansas | 36 |
| 2. Kansas State | 36 |
| 2. Oklahoma | 36 |
| 5. Baylor | 31 |
| 6. West Virginia | 27 |
| 7. BYU | 23 |
| 8. Oklahoma State | 22 |
| 9. TCU | 16 |
| 9. UCF | 16 |
| 11. Texas Tech | 11 |
| 12. Houston | 10 |
| 13. Iowa State | 6 |
| 14. Cincinnati | 4 |
Unanimity – We all agreed that Kansas has the third best running back room in the conference. Ironically, that tied the Jayhawks with Kansas State and Oklahoma at #2 in the rankings with 36 points. We also agreed on West Virginia at #6.
Almost Agreed – As crazy as this set of rankings turned out, you can imagine that we were close on several instances. Ten different times two of us had a team ranked in the same spot only to have the third member of our crew come in and mess it up.
All Over The Place – The only two teams that we couldn’t quite figure out were Houston and Iowa State. All three of us had them in different places within the rankings.
Individual Thoughts And Rankings
Craig
1. Texas | There’s no doubt that the Longhorns will be missing Bijan Robinson. But, they will be in good hands with Jonathan Brooks who rushed for five touchdowns last year as a freshman. The Longhorns also come in at the top of my list due to CJ Baxter who was the top running back in the 2023 class. I expect Texas to be able to run the ball on just about everyone this year.
2. Oklahoma | Jovantae Barnes is the first name that comes to mind for the Sooners this season. But, Oklahoma comes in towards the top of my list due to the depth they will have with Gavin Sawchuk. In my opinion, Sawchuk will be the name to keep in mind!
3. Kansas | The Jayhawks are returning Devin Neal who rushed for 1,090 yards last year. He was a huge part of Kansas making a bowl game for the first time since 2008. They’ll also be adding transfer Dylan McDuffie who was a 1,000 yard rusher for Buffalo in 2021. In addition to those two 1,000 yard rushers, Kansas will be returning Daniel Hishaw who missed over half of last year due to injury.
4. Kansas State
5. Baylor
6. West Virginia
7. BYU
8. Oklahoma State
9. TCU
10. UCF
11. Texas Tech
12. Iowa State
13. Houston | Houston returns both of their top rushers from last season who failed to combine for over 1,000 yards. I guess having a solo 1,000 yard back isn’t all that matters, but you’d surely like to reach that number with your top guys combined, right? This group simply doesn’t possess enough talent to get the job done in the Big 12.
14. Cincinnati | The Bearcats lost their leading rusher from a year ago. Corey Kiner is their top returning back and he rushed for only 362 yards. Cincinnati doesn’t have a top guy in the backfield, so I’d expect to see a lot of guys get carries in 2023. But, if they have any hopes of making a grand entrance into the Big 12 they will need someone to step up in a big way.
Zack
1. Kansas State | Treshaun Ward is a solid transfer from Florida State, but despite being the preseason pick for Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, he’s likely going to share time with DJ Giddens. Giddens played backup to Deuce Vaughn last year, doing a solid job. Also, don’t forget about 2-time First Team All-Big 12 fullback Ben Sinnott.
2. Texas | The Longhorns might actually end up having the best group of rushers in the conference, but that is going to take a little while to determine after the departure of Bijan Robinson. Jonathan Brooks was a decent backup last year, and incoming 5-star freshman CJ Baxter is going to look to make an impact early.
3. Kansas | The Jayhawks have perhaps the best running back in the conference in Devin Neal. Neal is the only returning top 5 rusher in the Big 12 last year, and after rushing for over a thousand yards, he will look to improve on that this season.
4. Baylor
5. Oklahoma
6. West Virginia
7. Oklahoma State
8. BYU
9. UCF
10. Houston
11. TCU
12. Texas Tech
13. Cincinnati | The Bearcats are new to the conference, and as is the case in a few other position groups for them, they rank this low largely because of a lot of question marks. Corey Kiner looks to be the lead back, but the former LSU Tiger doesn’t exactly stand out right now, so he could lose the top spot just as easily as he could remain there.
14. Iowa State | The Cyclones were the worst rushing team in the conference last year, and there’s not a whole lot of expectation that they’ll be much better this season. For now, they stay at the bottom of these rankings.
Matt
1. Texas | Man, my crimson and cream glasses really hate seeing me rank Texas at #1 here because this was Oklahoma’s best shot at getting a top position ranking. However, I just can’t ignore the depth that Texas has. This roster could go four deep at the position, led by Jonathan Brooks (6.6 YPC in 2022) and 5-star freshman CJ Baxter.
2. Oklahoma | This isn’t just a homer pick. The Sooners legitimately could have the top running back duo in the conference when it’s all said and done. We caught a glimpse of what Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk bring to the table during the Cheez-It Bowl when they each eclipsed 100 yards on the ground.
3. Kansas | Yes, you read that right. I’m a bit high on Kansas this year. I think this will be the best season the Jayhawks have had since Mark Mangino roamed the sidelines in Lawrence. Devin Neal was a 1,000 yard rusher in 2022 and KU added Dylan McDuffie who was a 1,000 yard rusher for Buffalo.
4. Kansas State
5. Baylor
6. West Virginia
7. BYU
8. Oklahoma State
9. TCU
10.UCF
11. Texas Tech
12. Houston
13. Iowa State | Jirehl Brock and the Cyclones had the worst rushing attack in the Big 12 a year ago. There’s literally nowhere to go but up for the Cyclones in 2023.
14. Cincinnati | Corey Kiner ran for 362 yards (4.5 ypc) and five scores last season. He’s the leader in a group of running backs that includes Ethan Wright who played on the defensive side of the ball in 2022.
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