Rivals Rankings Week: Storylines to follow with top 2026 running backs

The Rivals250 for the 2026 class has been updated and now it’s time to break down each position. We move to running back by looking at four big storylines moving forward.

NEW 2026 POSITION RANKINGS: Pro-Style QB | Dual-Threat QB | Running Back | All-Purpose Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Offensive Tackle | Offensive Guard | Center

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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK

Sunday: Who should be No. 1?

Monday: Five-Star Countdown | Meet the new five-stars

Tuesday: New Rivals250 unveiled | Gorney goes position-by-position | Biggest risers

Wednesday: New offensive position rankings released | QB rankings breakdown | RB rankings breakdown | WR/TE rankings breakdown | OL rankings breakdown

Thursday: New defensive position rankings released | DL rankings breakdown | LB rankings breakdown | DB rankings breakdown | ATH rankings breakdown

Friday: New state rankings released | Who is No. 1 in each state?

Saturday: Roundtable on the new Rivals250 rankings

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WHO’S NO. 1?

Savion Hiter is the highest-ranked running back in the Rivals250 and it’s a good choice. The Woodberry Forest (Va.) Woodberry Forest School standout rushed for more than 1,100 yards last season, he had 11 touchdowns, he is great making cuts and then accelerating, and he also sheds arm tackles.

But this is a class without a clear No. 1, without-a-doubt-he’s-the-guy, top running back. There will be plenty of prospects who will push Hiter along the way as there is a long runway here before the 2026 cycle closes up.

Michigan and many others are after Hiter and it would make total sense if the Woodberry Forest four-star stays as the top-ranked running back in the 2026 class. But it also would not be a total shocker if others make a push for that top position as well.

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A STRONG TEXAS CONTINGENT

Nick Lucero/Rivals.com

Four of the top eight running backs in the 2026 class are from Texas and then the No. 1 all-purpose back is also from the Lone Star State. So this is shaping up to be an interesting discussion because all five of them offer different things coming out of the backfield.

Oregon commit Tradarian Ball might move to the all-purpose rankings because he catches a lot out of the backfield and is a dynamic threat on screen passes and in the run game.

Oklahoma pledge Jonathan Hatton Jr. is the big, strong running back who might not have elite speed but bounces off tacklers for big gains. KJ Edwards can do it all and the scheme at Carthage, Texas, really benefits him. Javian Osborne might be the most dynamic and gets to top-end speed the fastest.

And then there is Davian Groce, the top-ranked all-purpose back, who is a threat in the backfield, in the passing game and on special teams. He gives off Ollie Gordon vibes at the same stage.

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WHO IS GOING TO EMERGE?

Nick Lucero/Rivals.com

With two football seasons left for these 2026 prospects, it’s inevitable that prospects will emerge and move up the rankings. Some might have already been identified and a big junior season could catapult them up the rankings even more.

Javian Mallory could break into the top 10. Ja’Michael Jones is a big, strong back who could really thrive at Pike Road, Ala. Early Baylor commit Ryelan Morris has excellent sophomore tape. Shahn Alston has seen his recruitment take off in recent months. A lot of people in the West are talking about Valencia, Calif., standout Brian Bonner.

There will be moves up, moves down and moves all around. But this early in the process, there’s no doubt some lower-ranked backs will be making a statement to move much higher.

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IS THERE A FIVE-STAR IN THE GROUP?

Nick Lucero/Rivals.com

In two of the last four NFL Drafts there were no first-round running backs taken. There have not been more than two drafted in the first round since 2018.

So when it comes to five-star running backs – even despite their on-field performance sometimes – it’s just not a position that is being drafted early by the pros and our rankings need to reflect that reality.

To be forthright, too, we just haven’t had great success with five-star running backs in our rankings, either. In 2017, Najee Harris was a hit but Cam Akers was also a five-star. However, he was a second-round pick even though Mississippi people were saying he was the best running back ever in the state, better than Walter Payton.

In 2018, Zamir White and Lorenzo Lingard were five-stars but neither was a first-rounder, not even close. Trey Sanders wasn’t a first-rounder in the 2019 class. There were four – four! – five-star running backs in 2020 and none of them were drafted in the first round. So it’s just been very difficult to peg the right ones from a projection standpoint plus they’ve been devalued in the NFL Draft.

Which leads us to this 2026 group. There are some elite running backs in this class, some very talented players who could have first-round potential. Right now, there are no five-stars ranked. That could change but the bar to get that five-star ranking at the position will be more difficult.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Rivals.com, the leader in college football and basketball recruiting coverage. Be the first to know and follow your teams by signing up here.