Last year’s leading FCS rusher, Isaiah Davis (1,578 yards, 18 TDs) was drafted by the N.Y. Jets. Along with Davis, Monmouth’s Jaden Shirden signed a free-agent deal with Carolina after the draft, UT Martin’s Sam Franklin is now playing at Oklahoma, and Austin Peay’s Jevon Jackson left for UTEP.
Obviously, productive players move on, or in this day and age, they can easily transfer.
But there are some seriously talented and productive young men returning to FCS campuses, just waiting to occupy those top slots on the statistical leaderboard, the top All-America teams, you name it.
Here’s a look at some of the top returning RBs, conference by conference:
RELATED: Top 25 Returning FCS RBs Nationally
BIG SKY
Lan Larison, UC Davis, Sr.
2023 STAT LINE: Even while missing time due to injury, managed 1,101 rushing yards, 13 TDs in 8 games
Larison is no stranger to accolades – he’s been gobbling them up since he began playing after COVID. He’s been productive all his career, punching his way to just a hair under 6 yards per carry, while rushing for 2,169 yards and 24 TDs. His 65 career receptions and 779 receiving yards, plus his 1,000+ yards worth of kick returns should intrigue NFL scouts, too. Look for an impressive 2024 as one of the – if not the – top RBs at the FCS level and also look for a serious shot at the NFL afterward.
BIG SOUTH-OVC
MJ Flowers, Eastern Illinois, Soph.
2023 STAT LINE: 854 rushing yards, 8 TDs; 192 receiving yards
Flowers played sparingly as a true freshman in 2022, preserving his redshirt – and last year was a bust-out campaign as he accounted for more than 1,000 yards of offensive production as a redshirt freshman. He was the runner-up for the Jerry Rice FCS Freshman of the Year Award last fall and was the Big South-OVC Offensive Freshman of the Year.
CAA
Marcus Yarns, Delaware, Grad.
2023 STAT LINE: 939 yards rushing, 15 TDs; 311 yards receiving, 3 TDs
Yarns may be the top backfield threat in the passing game of any player at the FCS level, and he has proven he can be a threat on special teams too, taking a kick back 66 yards last year, and scoring a touchdown in the return game.
IVY
Shane McLaughlin, Harvard, Sr.
2023 STAT LINE: 830 yards rushing, 6 TDs in 9 games
McLaughlin will punch and punch and punch you some more in the run game, and he will be a massive part of any offensive success the Crimson have this year.
MEAC
Jarett Hunter, Howard, Sr.
2023 STAT LINE: 626 yards rushing, 9 TDs; 247 yards receiving 2 TDs
Hunter was a massive reason Howard won the MEAC last year, and with several players having graduated and moved on, he’ll be relied on even more this fall.
MVFC
Amar Johnson, South Dakota State, Sr.
2023 STAT LINE: 801 yards rushing, 4 TDs; 122 yards receiving
On an offense with a ton of firepower returning in the passing game, Johnson will be the go-to guy offensively with Isaiah Davis having moved on to the NFL ranks. Along with being a big running threat and being able to catch the ball out of the backfield, Johnson also averaged 23.5 yards per kick return.
NEC
Tyvon Edmonds, Robert Morris, Sr.
2023 STAT LINE: 1,247 yards rushing, 10 TDs at Merrimack last year
Big things are expected this year out of this transfer. Edmonds was a First Team All-NEC selection last year and was a contributor at Merrimack for the past three seasons.
PATRIOT
Jamar Curtis, Lafayette, Jr.
2023 STAT LINE: 1,460 yards rushing, 15 TDs; 164 yards receiving, 2 TDs
The Leopards have one of their strongest teams in years and Curtis is a big part of it. He was a finalist for last year’s Walter Payton Award, given to the top offensive threat in FCS football – all classes. He was also the team’s kickoff return man as a freshman in 2022. It’s hard to believe he has two years left.
PIONEER
Mari Adams, Davidson, Jr.
2023 STAT LINE: 1,019 rushing yards, 15 TDs
After rushing for more than 2,000 yards in one season at his high school, it didn’t take Adams long to rush in the four-digit range in Division I football, either. Last year he broke loose and has a chance to be a 1,000+ yard rusher in his final three seasons of college football.
SOCON
Hunter Rice, VMI, Sr.
2023 STAT LINE: 867 rushing yards, 14 TDs
VMI needed a battering ram this past fall, and after two solid years as a contributor in the run game, Rice exploded and scored 14 touchdowns to lead the offense. Rice’s 194-yard, 4-TD game in a win over a very strong, nationally-ranked Western Carolina team was a highlight in 2023.
SOUTHLAND
Collin Guggenheim, Nicholls, Sr.
2023 STAT LINE: 833 rushing yards, 11 TDs
Guggenheim and his teammate Jaylon Spears form one of the most dangerous backfield tandems in the FCS. Guggenheim would rather drive through the brick wall, and Spears will scoot around that same wall fast enough to outrun opponents. Hey FCS — choose your poison when you play Nicholls.
SWAC
Donovan Eaglin, Alabama A&M, Jr.
2023 STAT LINE: 765 yards rushing, 7 TDs
After beginning his college career at Michigan State, playing sparingly as a special teams contributor in 2021, Eaglin has played the past two at Alabama A&M and has been a stellar addition. He finished his 2023 season with a 207-yard, two-touchdown rushing game against Mississippi Valley State.
UAC
Kayvon Britten, Tarleton State, Sr.
2023 STAT LINE: 1,150 yards rushing, 16 TDs
Britten – who was at Arkansas Pine-Bluff before Tarleton State and proved he could be a 1,000-yard rusher for UAPB too – tore up the competition down the stretch for the Texans. In his final five games of 2023, he rushed for 725 yards and 10 TDs. Naming the top UAC returnee was a tough call with talented ShunDerrick Powell at Central Arkansas, but Britten’s production in the TD department (16 to 6) was the deciding factor, even though Powell proved his talent in his shot against North Dakota State (218 yards, 2 TDs).
