Alabama Football: Ranking the best SEC Running Backs for ’22
By Ronald Evans
No. 8 – Jabari Small – Tennessee
In his second Tennessee season in 2021, Jabari Small led the Vols in rushing with 791 yards and a 5.7-yard average. He also caught nine passes. With Tiyon Evans having transferred to Louisville, Small will get a heavy load this fall. Tennessee fans are convinced Small is well suited for Josh Heupel’s offense and will have a big season.
No. 7 – Dominique Johnson – Arkansas
Dominique Johnson and Raheim Sanders will be a strong duo for the Razorbacks. Both rushed for over 500 yards last season. Though Sanders got more carries and caught more passes in 2021 than did Johnson, the nod in this ranking goes to Johnson. Last season, Johnson was the Arkansas running back with the highest average yards-per-carry at 5.9 yards.
No. 6 – Zach Evans – Ole Miss
After two seasons at TCU, Zach Evans will be the lead back in Oxford for Lane Kiffin. Because of an injury, the former 5-Star recruit in the 2020 class, played only six games at TCU last season. In two Big 12 seasons for the Horned Frogs, Evans rushed for over 1,000 yards in nine games. He also caught 18 passes for another 206 yards. He is a perfect fit to replace Jerrion Ealy in Kiffin’s offense.
With a career average of 7.3 yards-per-carry, Evans might have been higher on this list, if much of his TCU stint and stats had not been against mediocre defenses.