The college football season is only two weeks old (three for some teams), but the top running backs are already starting to separate from the pack.
That includes a few familiar names, returning stars from last season, but there are also some breakout performers moving into the spotlight for the first time.
Here’s a look at the top 10 rushing leaders across college football entering Week 3, ranked by rushing yards per game, since some players who played in Week 0 have played an extra game.
10. Keveun Mason (Temple, 117 YPG)
Keveun Mason got limited work as a freshman, rushing for 167 yards last year. He’s already topped that total in just two games so far for Temple.
Mason rushed for 158 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Owls’ 38-14 opening win over Rhode Island and then managed 76 yards on 14 carries in a loss to Penn State, averaging an impressive 5.4 yards per carry vs. the Big Ten opponent.
Mason’s 117 rushing yards per game ranks 10th in the FBS entering Week 3.
9. Dominic Kelley (Nevada, 118.0 YPG)
Another sophomore enjoying a breakout, Dominic Kelley had just 54 rushing yards as a true freshman for Nevada and is already up to 236 yards on 8.4 YPC with 2 TDs in two games for the Wolf Pack.
After breaking out for 152 yards and 2 TDs on just 11 carries in a 49-14 win over Western Kentucky, Kelley went for 84 yards on 17 attempts in a 20-7 loss to Montana State.
8. Kamari Moulton (Iowa, 120.0 YPG)
The first two games of the season for Iowa have featured two very different stat lines from veteran running back Kamari Moulton.
He was downright unstoppable in a Week 1 blowout win over Northern Illinois, rumbling for 183 yards and 2 TDs on just 11 carries.
In Week 2, however, mustered only 57 yards on 15 attempts in a 16-13 rivalry win over Iowa State.
Nonetheless, he ranks among the nation’s leaders so far with 120 rushing yards per game after breaking out as a junior last season with 878 rushing yards and 5 scores.
7. DeSean Bishop (Tennessee, 122.0 YPG)
DeSean Bishop figured to be one of the SEC’s top running backs after his breakout redshirt-sophomore season in 2025 when he rushed for 1,076 yards and 16 TDs.
He might be primed to top that mark in 2026.
Through two games, Bishop has rushed for 244 yards and 3 TDs while averaging 7.4 YPC.
That included 20 carries for 147 yards and a pair of scores in the Volunteers’ 45-24 road win at Georgia Tech in Week 2.
T-5. Cam Edwards (Michigan State, 125.0 YPG)
Cam Edwards got better and better over his four seasons at UConn, including a career-high 1,240 rushing yards and 15 TDs last season.
In his final year of eligibility, Edwards is trying to prove his game transfers just as well to the Big Ten.
Michigan State hasn’t played a conference game yet, but Edwards has been revving up with 250 rushing yards and 3 TDs in two games.
Again, that strong start has come against the likes of Toledo and Eastern Michigan, but with 48 carries already Edwards is clearly set up to be a focal point of new Spartans’ coach Pat Fitzgerald’s offense.
Edwards, who rolled for 152 yards and 2 TDs on 7.2 YPC in Week 2 vs. EMU, gets a much tougher test this weekend at Notre Dame.
T-5. Jaylin Carter (Memphis, 125.0 YPG)
Jaylin Carter didn’t get a lot of opportunity as a true freshman at Southern Miss last season, but he chose to follow his head coach Charles Huff to Memphis nonetheless and it’s proved to be a fortuitous move so far.
Carter has rushed for at least 95 yards in all three games for the 2-1 Tigers while totaling 375 yards and 6 TDs on a stellar 8.7 YPC.
After piling up 183 yards and 4 TDs vs. Arkansas State, Carter was remarkably efficient in Week 2 at Boise State, turning just 9 carries into 95 yards and a TD (plus 13 receiving yards) in a 38-20 loss.
4. Dylan Riley (Boise State, 128.0 YPG)
After being pretty well contained in Week 1 by Oregon’s defense, mustering just 50 yards on 17 carries, Dylan Riley broke out in a big way for Boise State in Week 2.
Riley turned 19 carries into 206 rushing yards (plus 11 receiving yards) in a resounding 38-20 win for the Broncos.
That’s more like it from the junior, who established himself last season with 1,125 rushing yards and 10 TDs for Boise State.
T-2. Braxton Woodson (Navy, 148.0 YPG)
As usual, being the starting quarterback at Navy doesn’t come with a lot of passing attempts but plenty of opportunity to stand out nonetheless.
Braxton Woodson has thrown for just 68 yards in two games so far in 2026, but he’s rushed 35 times for 296 yards and 4 TDs while averaging 8.5 YPC in the Midshipmen’s option-based attack.
T-2. Jadan Baugh (Florida, 148.0 YPG)
Keeping running back Jadan Baugh in Gainesville was a top priority for new Florida coach Jon Sumrall after Baugh busted out for 1,170 rushing yards and 8 TDs in 2025.
And indeed Baugh is picking up right where he left off, piling up 296 yards and 5 TDs on just 28 carries (10.6 YPC) so far.
The Gators haven’t truly unleashed Baugh yet because they’ve opened the season with lopsided wins over Florida Atlantic and FCS-level Campbell, but there’s no denying they have one of the top returning running backs in the SEC.
1. Nate Sheppard (Duke, 187.0 YPG)
Running back Nate Sheppard was a big part of Duke’s success last year, but he may have been overshadowed a bit by star quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Cooper Barkate. With those two transferring to Miami, Sheppard has seized the spotlight in Durham to himself.
The sophomore running back is far and away the early rushing leader in college football with 374 yards in two games — his 187 YPG being 39 per game more than anyone else across the FBS.
Sheppard, who rushed for 1,132 yards and 11 TDs as a freshman for the Blue Devils, opened this season with 227 yards and 2 TDs (plus 19 receiving yards) in a win over Tulane and then went for 147 yards and a TD (plus 5 catches for 41 yards and 2 TDs) in a 31-27 victory at Illinois.
Sheppard also leads the FBS in rushing attempts with 59 — 11 more than any other player with only two games so far.
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