In college football, few achievements carry the weight of a season built almost entirely on the run. Year after year, the ground game has produced campaigns where volume and resilience turned ball carriers into the center of the sport.
Some NCAAF seasons are remembered less for wins and more for the workload placed on one player. Long drives, late-game carries and weekly consistency pushed rushing totals into territory rarely reached before or since.
The single-season rushing yard record stands as a snapshot of its era. It reflects tempo, offensive identity and a runner trusted to carry an entire team, leaving a benchmark that continues to frame modern debates.
Who holds the record for most rushing yards in one season?
When it comes to rushing dominance in college football, few seasons ever rise above the rest. In 1988, Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State University exploded onto the national scene with a ground attack for the ages, totaling 2,628 rushing yards in an 11-game regular season.
Barry Sanders of the Oklahoma State Cowboys holds up a jersey commemorating his induction into the ring of fame in 2021. (Source: Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
His legendary campaign included 37 rushing touchdowns, four games of 300+ yards and jaw-dropping consistency that still sparks debate about its immortality. His mark set the bar so high that even in modern college football few have come close.
In 2024, Ashton Jeanty logged 2,601 yards, positioning himself just shy of Sanders’ record and reminding the sport that special seasons can still emerge in new eras. Not far behind are names like Melvin Gordon, Kevin Smith and Marcus Allen, each etching their own chapters in the top ranks of rushing history.
Across decades, a handful of backs have cracked the 2,000-yard threshold, a milestone in its own right, yet the specter of Sanders’ 1988 campaign looms large, a testament to both talent and circumstance in the ever-evolving landscape of college football.
| Player | Season | Yards (non bowl yds) | School |
| Barry Sanders | 1988 | (2628) | Oklahoma State |
| Ashton Jeanty | 2024 | 2601 (2497) | Boise State |
| Melvin Gordon | 2014 | 2587 (2336) | Wisconsin |
| Kevin Smith | 2007 | 2567 (2448) | UCF |
| Marcus Allen | 1981 | (2342) | Southern California |
| Rashaad Penny | 2017 | 2248 (2027) | San Diego State |
| Derrick Henry | 2015 | 2219 (1986) | Alabama |
| Jonathan Taylor | 2018 | 2194 (1989) | Wisconsin |
| Troy Davis | 1996 | (2185) | Iowa State |
| Andre Williams | 2013 | 2177 (2102) | Boston College |
| LaDainian Tomlinson | 2000 | (2158) | TCU |
| Mike Rozier | 1983 | (2148) | Nebraska |
| Donnel Pumphrey | 2016 | 2133 (2018) | San Diego State |
| Matt Forte | 2007 | 2127 | Tulane |
| Ricky Williams | 1998 | (2124) | Texas |
| Bryce Love | 2017 | 2118 (1973) | Stanford |
| Chuba Hubbard | 2019 | 2094 (1936) | Oklahoma State |
| Larry Johnson | 2002 | 2087 (2015) | Penn State |
| Donald Brown | 2008 | 2083 (1822) | Connecticut |
| Rashaan Salaam | 1994 | (2055) | Colorado |
| Tevin Coleman | 2014 | 2036 | Indiana |
| D’Onta Foreman | 2016 | 2028 | Texas |
| Christian McCaffrey | 2015 | 2019 (1847) | Stanford |
| J.J. Arrington | 2004 | 2018 (1845) | California |
| Malcolm Perry | 2019 | 2017 (1804) | Navy |
