National Signing Day: Top 10 2022 True Freshman Running Backs

Although there’s a month left until the National Championship closes the 2021 college football season, we’re already eying up the next influx of talent with a look at the top 2022 true freshman running backs. With National Signing Day on Wednesday, December 15, who will be the running backs you should be watching out for?

Top 10 2022 True Freshman Running Backs

Becoming one of the top 2022 true freshman running backs requires a mixture of talent and opportunity. 247 Sports lists Alabama commit Emmanuel Henderson as the No. 1 running back ahead of National Signing Day.

However, Nick Saban rarely throws true freshmen into the starting lineup, limiting Henderson’s ability to be an immediate impact at the RB position. The players on this list, however, should have that opportunity.

Raleek Brown, USC

Formerly an Oklahoma commit, Raleek Brown follows head coach Lincoln Riley from Norman to USC. The five-star recruit out of Mater Dei should have the opportunity to establish himself as one of the top true freshman running backs in 2022. USC’s rushing touchdown leader Vavae Malepeai has declared for the NFL Draft, and Keaontay Ingram may follow suit.

Brown has already shown he can be a top running back as a true freshman. As a high school freshman, he rushed for 1,688 yards and 18 TDs, averaging a remarkable 10.7 yards per carry. At 5’8″, he’s not the tallest of backs, but with 185 pounds behind him, he’s no pushover. Brown has incredible track speed, with an official 4.47-second 40-yard dash as a freshman.

Branson Robinson, Georgia

Although Georgia has a deep RB room, the Bulldogs have shown they’re not afraid to rotate their running backs. Both James Cook and Zamir White handled over 100 carries this season, and they’re both departing for the 2022 NFL Draft. Kendall Milton and Kenny McIntosh remain, but I wouldn’t rule out Branson Robinson seeing plenty of action as a freshman.

The four-star recruit out of Germantown is the third-ranked running back in the class. At 5’10” and 220 pounds, he’s exceptionally well put together. Despite not having overly impressive testing times from a speed perspective, Robinson is more than capable of grinding out yardage between the tackles. Furthermore, his physical approach to the game allows him to add yardage after contact.

Nicholas Singleton, Penn State

Of all the top true 2022 true freshman running backs, Nicholas Singleton might have the best opportunity to succeed. Penn State has prided itself on producing top-tier RB talent in the past. However, Noah Cain, Keyvone Lee, and John Lovett struggled to make an impact this season.

Singleton has the explosive ability to make an immediate impact for the Nittany Lions. Between the 2019 and 2020 seasons, the four-star running back racked up a simply ridiculous 3,001 rushing yards and 54 touchdowns for Governor Mifflin High School. He’s an all-around impressive athlete with exceptional testing times who plays the game with the requisite physicality to make an immediate impact in the Big Ten.

Gavin Sawchuk, Oklahoma

Oklahoma lost one of the top 2022 true freshman running backs and their head coach in recent weeks. The Sooners could also lose Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray to the 2022 NFL Draft. Thankfully, they retained the services of renowned offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh, who should ensure continuity for an Oklahoma offense that averaged over 5.0 yards per carry this season.

All of the above should give four-star recruit Gavin Sawchuk a chance to make an immediate impact as a true freshman running back in 2022. Sawchuk possesses game-changing speed and is an elusive and explosive threat out of the backfield. Although he can gain yardage between the tackles, it’s goodnight for the opposing defense if he’s allowed to bounce outside.

George Pettaway, North Carolina

Since Mack Brown returned to Chapel Hill, North Carolina has become a king-maker at the running back position. Both Javonte Williams and Michael Carter surpassed 1,000 yards on their way to the 2021 NFL Draft. This season, Tennessee transfer Ty Chandler notched 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.

With Chandler departing for the NFL Draft, George Pettaway should get the opportunity to establish himself as one of the top true freshman running backs in 2022. A four-star recruit out of Nansemond-Suffolk Academy in Virginia, Pettaway is a patient runner with home-run hitting long speed. He’ll be joined at North Carolina on National Signing Day by another top 2022 running back recruit in Cleveland High School’s Omarion Hampton.

Top true freshman running backs for 2022

Who else rounds out the list of the top first-year running backs in the class of 2022?

Tavorus Jones, Missouri

Since 2019, either Larry Rountree III or Tyler Badie has led the Missouri Tigers in rushing yards. This season, Badie has averaged 6.0 yards per carry on his way to 1,612 yards and 14 touchdowns. However, with Badie heading to the 2022 NFL Draft, there needs to be a new king of the pride for the Tigers in the 2022 college football season.

That king could well be Tavorus Jones. A four-star recruit from El Paso, Jones comes from the same middle school that produced Green Bay Packers star running back Aaron Jones. Tavorus might well be the faster RB named Jones. Furthermore, he’s a versatile offensive weapon who displays excellent pass-catching skills while possessing the size and physicality to do the dirty work between the tackles in the SEC.

Jadarian Price, Notre Dame

With Kyren Williams‘ departure to the NFL Draft, Notre Dame has lost 415 carries over the past two seasons. No other running back on the roster has come anywhere close to taking carries away from Williams these past two years. Neither Logan Diggs nor Chris Tyree averaged over 5.0 yards per carry when presented with the opportunity this year.

As a result, Jadarian Price has the potential to make an immediate impact as one of the top 2022 true freshman running backs. Like Williams, he’s a tough runner who combines vision with exceptional footwork to create space even behind the line of scrimmage. He might not quite have the dynamic long speed of Williams, but Price eats up ground with long strides.

Ramon Brown, Maryland

Ramon Brown was one of the most interesting RBs to watch on National Signing Day. He’d been a hard commit to Virginia Tech since July. However, having visited West Virginia recently, the Mountaineers were trying hard to take advantage of recent coaching changes at VA Tech and flip his commitment.

One team did take advantage of the coaching change at Virginia Tech, but it wasn’t UVA. On national signing day, Brown flipped his commitment to Maryland. One of four four-star recruits in the Terps 2022 class, the running back is a top-10 player in Virginia. Furthermore, he’s a top-20 RB prospect.

Brown combines incredible speed with a physical playstyle to potentially be an immediate impact player as a true freshman in 2022. He’s the only running back commit in this class for a program that had produced NFL Draft selections at the position in each of the last three seasons.

Tevin White, Arizona State

Rachaad White has declared for the 2022 NFL Draft. DeaMonte Trayanum is in the transfer portal. Suddenly, an Arizona State offense that averaged 205.8 rushing yards per game this year might struggle to replicate that success next season. They do return Daniyel Ngata and dual-threat QB Jayden Daniels, but other than that, the RB room is bare.

Except for incoming recruit Tevin White. The four-star prospect out of North Stafford, Virginia, has a remarkable opportunity to step right in and be one of the top true freshman running backs in 2022. At 6’1″ and 200 pounds, he has the frame to be physical at the position. He also possesses the change of direction and pass-catching ability that made his namesake successful for the Sun Devils.

Antonio Martin, Georgia Tech

Gone are the days of triple-option football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Gone are the days of averaging over 50 carries per game. Also gone is former four-star recruit Jahmyr Gibbs. The Yellow Jackets’ leading rusher this season entered the transfer portal following a disappointing campaign.

Unless Billy Napier flips him to Florida, Antonio Martin should have the potential to be one of the top true freshman running backs in 2022. The Langston Hughes RB is a downhill thumper who plays the game with the physicality you’d expect from a player that also has experience playing linebacker.