5 Greatest Running Backs in Texas Longhorns History

Ranking the five best running backs in Texas football history isn’t as simple as looking at the school’s all-time rushing leaderboards.

The Longhorns have a long, proud history on the ground and had their greatest success in the 1960s when offenses weren’t putting up the kinds of numbers you see in the 21st century. As such, we looked all the way back to make our determination of the top five.

It wasn’t hard to figure out the No. 1 and No. 2 choices. They’re a pair of players that might - and, frankly, should - make just about everyone’s top five of all time regardless of school. But filling out the other three spots proved a bit more difficult.

This is what we came up with.

Honorable Mentions

• Chris Gilbert (1966-1968)
• Steve Worster (1968-1970)
• Eric Metcalf (1985-1988)
• D’Onta Foreman (2014-2016)
• Bijan Robinson (2020-2022)

5. Jamaal Charles (2005-2007)

If we were ranking Texas backs on their combined performance in college and the NFL, Charles would undoubtedly find himself at the second spot on this list.

As it is, his 36 touchdowns and 3,338 yards rushing just with the Longhorns were more than enough to see him ranked.

Charles played at Texas from 2005 to 2007, winning a national championship in his freshman season as the team’s No. 1 running back, even if quarterback Vince Young was the No. 1 rusher.

Charles followed his Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year season with another strong one as a sophomore before exploding for his first and only 1,000-yard campaign as a junior. He led the Big 12 in carries (268), yards rushing (1,619), and rushing touchdowns (18) en route to first-team all-conference honors.

4. Roosevelt Leaks (1972-1974)

Leaks ranks eighth on Texas’ all-time rushing list, three spots behind Charles and one behind Young, with 2,923 yards. He played just three seasons with the Longhorns as freshmen weren’t allowed to play varsity when he arrived in 1971.

It took no time for Leaks to establish himself as one of the best in the nation. He became Texas’ second-ever 1,000-yard rusher (behind Chris Gilbert, who would rank No. 6 on this list) and earned first-team All-Southwest Conference honors as a sophomore.

As a junior, Leaks finished third in Heisman Trophy voting, going for 1,415 yards on the ground, including a 342-yard game against Southern Methodist.

Despite entering the 1974 season as a favorite for the Heisman, things didn’t pan out for Leaks as a senior in large part because a knee injury hampered his production. What could have been.

3. Cedric Benson (2001-2004)

Off-field troubles haunted Benson throughout his entire adult life and he died in 2019 when his motorcycle collided with a minivan.

On the field, especially at Texas, Benson was a force. He ran for 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons with the Longhorns, going for a career high 1,834 as a senior in 2004. The 19 touchdowns combined with the yardage to help him capture the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back.

For his career, Benson’s 64 rushing touchdowns and 5,540 yards rushing rank him second in school history for both categories, just behind…

2. Ricky Williams (1995-1998)

Williams is one of the most unique personalities in football history. As time has passed since his playing days, he’s only become more popular, too.

He’s Texas’ all-time leading rusher by more than 700 yards with his total of 6,279 ranking third in FBS history. His 72 rushing touchdowns rank him fourth in FBS history.

Simply put, there was no one like Williams. He FBS in yards rushing and rushing touchdowns as both a junior and senior, earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors both times.

He was a two-time Walker Award winner, a Walter Camp Award winner, a Maxwell Award winner, and a Heisman Trophy winner whose No. 34 Texas retired in the year 2000.

1. Earl Campbell (1974-1977)

And yet Williams does not make No. 1 on the list. That’s because Campbell might just be the greatest of all time. Might just be.

When Leaks went down with the injury in 1974, it was Campbell who got the first shot at the gig. He never gave it up after rushing for 928 yards and six scores that first season.

By the time he was a senior in 1977, the Heisman Trophy was all but his. Campbell went for 1,744 yards on the ground with 18 touchdowns to capture the trophy and cement his legacy as an all-timer.

More Texas Longhorns Rankings

• 10 Greatest Football Players in Texas Longhorns History
• 5 Greatest Quarterbacks in Texas Longhorns History
• 5 Greatest Wide Receivers in Texas Longhorns History
• 5 Greatest Defensive Players in Texas Longhorns History