Here is the list of the all-time leaders for single-season rushing yard in FBS college football history. Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders leads the way with 2,628 yards in 1988.
Boise State running back is the only active player in the top-25 all-time with 2,497 rushing yards through the 2024 regular season and Mountain West Conference Championship Game.
*Denotes active total through Dec. 6, 2024
College football single-season rushing yard leaders
The top-30
Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders is the all-time single-season rushing leader with 2628 yards in his 1988 Heisman-winning season. Sanders is one of six of the top 30 single-season rushing leaders to win the Heisman trophy during said season. Marcus Allen, Mike Rozier, Rashaan Salaam, Ricky Williams and Derrick Henry are the others.
Derrick Henry is the player with the fewest rushing yards that broke the 2,200 rushing yard mark. Most recently, Boise State's Ashton Jeanty broke the 2,220-yard barrier in 2024, climbing into the top-five single-season chart before even playing in a conference championship game.
Here's a look at the rest of the top 30 all-time, showcasing every player to break the 2,000 rushing yard ceiling.
Of note: No bowl stats were included in NCAA record keeping before 2002.
| Rank | Player | Yards (non bowl yds) | Year | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barry Sanders | 2628 | 1988 | Oklahoma State |
| 2 | Melvin Gordon | 2587 (2336) | 2014 | Wisconsin |
| 3 | Kevin Smith | 2567 (2448) | 2007 | UCF |
| 4 | Ashton Jeanty | 2497 | 2024 | Boise State |
| 5 | Marcus Allen | 2342 | 1981 | Southern California |
| 6 | Rashaad Penny | 2248 (2027) | 2017 | San Diego State |
| 7 | Derrick Henry | 2219 (1986) | 2015 | Alabama |
| 8 | Jonathan Taylor | 2194 (1989) | 2018 | Wisconsin |
| 9 | Troy Davis | 2185 | 1996 | Iowa State |
| 10 | Andre Williams | 2177 (2102) | 2013 | Boston College |
| 11 | LaDainian Tomlinson | 2158 | 2000 | TCU |
| 12 | Mike Rozier | 2148 | 1983 | Nebraska |
| 13 | Donnel Pumphrey | 2133 (2018) | 2016 | San Diego State |
| 14 | Matt Forte | 2127 | 2007 | Tulane |
| 15 | Ricky Williams | 2124 | 1998 | Texas |
| 16 | Bryce Love | 2118 (1973) | 2017 | Stanford |
| 17 | Chuba Hubbard | 2094 (1936) | 2019 | Oklahoma State |
| 18 | Larry Johnson | 2087 (2015) | 2002 | Penn State |
| 19 | Donald Brown | 2083 (1822) | 2008 | Connecticut |
| 20 | Rashaan Salaam | 2055 | 1994 | Colorado |
| 21 | Tevin Coleman | 2036 | 2014 | Indiana |
| 22 | D'Onta Foreman | 2028 | 2016 | Texas |
| 23 | Christian McCaffrey | 2019 (1847) | 2015 | Stanford |
| 24 | J.J. Arrington | 2018 (1845) | 2004 | California |
| 25 | Malcolm Perry | 2017 (1804) | 2019 | Navy |
| 26 | Ray Rice | 2012 (1732) | 2007 | Rutgers |
| 27 | Troy Davis | 2010 | 1995 | Iowa State |
| T-28 | J.K. Dobbins | 2003 (1829) | 2019 | Ohio State |
| T-28 | Jonathan Taylor | 2003 (1909) | 2019 | Wisconsin |
| 30 | Byron Hanspard | 2000 | 1996 | Texas Tech |
Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry is the only non-running back in the top-25 all-time.
For a deeper breakdown, here are the top single-season rushing leaders with bowl stats included and without bowl stats included.
Players to rush for over 2100 yards WITH bowl stats
- 2,850 — Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State, 1988
- 2,587 — Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin, 2014
- 2,567 — Kevin Smith, UCF, 2007
- 2,497 — Ashton Jeanty, Boise State, 2024
- 2,427 — Marcus Allen, Southern California, 1981
- 2,327 — Ricky Williams, Texas, 1998
- 2,295 — Mike Rozier, Nebraska 1983
- 2,276 — LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU, 2000
- 2,248 — Rashaad Penny, San Diego State, 2017
- 2,219 — Derrick Henry, Alabama, 2015
- 2,194 — Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin, 2018
- 2,185 — Troy Davis, Iowa State, 1996
- 2,177 — Andre Williams, Boston College, 2013
- 2158 — LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU, 2000
- 2,138 — Rashaan Salaam, Colorado, 1994
- 2148, Mike Rozier, Nebraska, 1983
- 2133 — Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State, 2016
- 2127 — Matt Forte, Tulane, 2007
- 2118 — Bryce Love, Stanford, 2017
Players to rush for over 2100 yards WITHOUT bowl stats
- 2,628 — Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State, 1988
- 2,497 — Ashton Jeanty, Boise State, 2024
- 2,448 — Kevin Smith, UCF, 2007
- 2,342 — Marcus Allen, Southern California, 1981
- 2,336 — Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin, 2014
- 2,185 — Troy Davis, Iowa State, 1996
- 2,158 — LaDanian Tomlinson, TCU, 2000
- 2,148 — Mike Rozier, Nebraska, 1983
- 2,127 — Matt Forte, Tulane, 2007
- 2,124 — Ricky Williams, Texas, 1998
- 2,102 — Andre Williams, Boston College, 2013
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