# NCAA Division I FBS rushing leaders

The NCAA Division I FBS rushing leaders are career, single-season, and single-game leaders in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
* Since 1955, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
* The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
* Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002. This affects many players from before that time period, most notably Ron Dayne.
* In recent decades, starting with the Southeastern Conference in 1992, FBS conferences have introduced their own championship games, which have always counted fully toward single-season and career statistics.
* The NCAA ruled that the 2020 season, heavily disrupted by COVID-19, would not count against the athletic eligibility of any football player. This gave every player active in that season the opportunity for five years of eligibility instead of the normal four.
* Only seasons in which a team was considered to be a part of the Football Bowl Subdivision are included in these lists.
Legend :
* Indicates Quarterback
* Active FBS Player
    Statistics accurate as of January 8, 2025.

## Rushing yards
### Career

The NCAA recognizes San Diego State's Donnel Pumphrey as the career leading in rushing yards. Pumphrey set the record in the fourth quarter of his final game, the 2016 Las Vegas Bowl, ending with 6,405 total yards. However, this is controversial as Wisconsin's Ron Dayne actually rushed for 7,125 in his career, but all four of Dayne's seasons came before the NCAA recognized bowl statistics (doing so only in 2002) as part of season and career totals. Dayne officially is listed as having eight yards less than of Pumphrey despite only one player having their bowl statistics included. This has been seen as controversial by many fans and writers, who feel that the NCAA should count all pre-2002 bowl statistics as official if post-2002 ones are. Dayne himself congratulated Pumphrey but agreed that counting Pumphrey's bowl stats but not his own was unfair.
Additionally, Pittsburgh's Tony Dorsett would be ahead of Pumphrey if his bowl statistics were counted.
All players on the career list are running backs. The career leader in rushing yards by a quarterback is Navy's Keenan Reynolds, who rushed for 4,559 yards in his career.
| # | Player | Yards | Team |
| 1 | Donnel Pumphrey | 6,405 | 2013 2014 2015 2016 San Diego State |
| 2 | Ron Dayne | 6,397 | 1996 1997 1998 1999 Wisconsin |
| 3 | Ricky Williams | 6,279 | 1995 1996 1997 1998 Texas |
| 4 | Jonathan Taylor | 6,174 | 2017 2018 2019 Wisconsin |
| 5 | Tony Dorsett | 6,082 | 1973 1974 1975 1976 Pittsburgh |
| 6 | DeAngelo Williams | 6,026 | 2002 2003 2004 2005 Memphis |
| 7 | Royce Freeman | 5,621 | 2014 2015 2016 2017 Oregon |
| 8 | Charles White | 5,598 | 1976 1977 1978 1979 USC |
| 9 | Travis Prentice | 5,596 | 1996 1997 1998 1999 Miami (OH) |
| 10 | Cedric Benson | 5,540 | 2001 2002 2003 2004 Texas |
| 10 | Justin Jackson | 5,440 | 2014 2015 2016 2017 Northwestern |
| 12 | Myles Gaskin | 5,323 | 2015 2016 2017 2018 Washington |
| 13 | Damion Fletcher | 5,302 | 2006 2007 2008 2009 Southern Miss |
| 14 | LaDainian Tomlinson | 5,263 | 1997 1998 1999 2000 TCU |
| 15 | Herschel Walker | 5,259 | 1980 1981 1982 Georgia |
| # | Player | Yards | Team |
| 16 | Archie Griffin | 5,177 | 1972 1973 1974 1975 Ohio State |
| 17 | Garrett Wolfe | 5,164 | 2004 2005 2006 Northern Illinois |
| 18 | Montee Ball | 5,140 | 2009 2010 2011 2012 Wisconsin |
| 19 | Marquez Cooper | 5,130 | 2020 2021 2022 Kent State ᛫ 2023 Ball State ᛫ 2024 San Diego State |
| 20 | LaMichael James | 5,082 | 2009 2010 2011 Oregon |
| 21 | Mike Hart | 5,040 | 2004 2005 2006 2007 Michigan |
| 22 | Avon Cobourne | 5,039 | 1999 2000 2001 2002 West Virginia |
| 23 | Darren Lewis | 5,012 | 1987 1988 1989 1990 Texas A&M |
| 24 | Darren Sproles | 4,979 | 2001 2002 2003 2004 Kansas State |
| 25 | Anthony Thompson | 4,965 | 1986 1987 1988 1989 Indiana |
| 26 | George Rogers | 4,958 | 1977 1978 1979 1980 South Carolina |
| 27 | DonTrell Moore | 4,956 | 2002 2003 2004 2005 New Mexico |
| 28 | Travis Etienne | 4,952 | 2017 2018 2019 2020 Clemson |
| 29 | Trevor Cobb | 4,948 | 1989 1990 1991 1992 Rice |
| 30 | Kareem Hunt | 4,945 | 2013 2014 2015 2016 Toledo |

### Single season

The single-season record holder is Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders. Navy's Malcolm Perry rushed for 2,017 yards in 2019, which currently leads non-running back players.
| # | Player | Yards | Team |
| 1 | Barry Sanders | 2,628 | 1988 Oklahoma State |
| 2 | Ashton Jeanty | 2,601 | 2024 Boise State |
| 3 | Melvin Gordon | 2,587 | 2014 Wisconsin |
| 4 | Kevin Smith | 2,567 | 2007 UCF |
| 5 | Marcus Allen | 2,342 | 1981 USC |
| 6 | Rashaad Penny | 2,248 | 2017 San Diego State |
| 7 | Derrick Henry | 2,219 | 2015 Alabama |
| 8 | Jonathan Taylor | 2,194 | 2018 Wisconsin |
| 9 | Troy Davis | 2,185 | 1996 Iowa State |
| 10 | Andre Williams | 2,177 | 2013 Boston College |
| # | Player | Yards | Team |
| 11 | LaDainian Tomlinson | 2,158 | 2000 TCU |
| 12 | Mike Rozier | 2,148 | 1983 Nebraska |
| 13 | Donnel Pumphrey | 2,133 | 2016 San Diego State |
| 14 | Matt Forte | 2,127 | 2007 Tulane |
| 15 | Ricky Williams | 2,124 | 1998 Texas |
| 16 | Bryce Love | 2,118 | 2017 Stanford |
| 17 | Chuba Hubbard | 2,094 | 2019 Oklahoma State |
| 18 | Larry Johnson | 2,087 | 2002 Penn State |
| 19 | Donald Brown | 2,083 | 2008 UConn |
| 20 | Rashaan Salaam | 2,055 | 1994 Colorado |
| # | Player | Yards | Team |
| 21 | Tevin Coleman | 2,036 | 2014 Indiana |
| 22 | D'Onta Foreman | 2,028 | 2016 Texas |
| 23 | Christian McCaffrey | 2,019 | 2015 Stanford |
| 24 | J. J. Arrington | 2,018 | 2004 California |
| 25 | Malcolm Perry | 2,017 | 2019 Navy |
| 26 | Ray Rice | 2,012 | 2007 Rutgers |
| 27 | Troy Davis | 2,010 | 1995 Iowa State |
| 28 | J. K. Dobbins | 2,003 | 2019 Ohio State |
| 28 | Jonathan Taylor | 2,003 | 2019 Wisconsin |
| 30 | Byron Hanspard | 2,000 | 1996 Texas Tech |

### Single game

The single-game rushing record belongs to Oklahoma's Samaje Perine, whose 427 yards in a 2014 game against Kansas broke a record set just the week before by Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon. Prior to Perine and Gordon, the only player to rush for 400 yards in a game was LaDainian Tomlinson. All players on the career list are running backs. The single-game leader for a quarterback is Arizona's Khalil Tate, who rushed for 327 yards in a 2017 game against Colorado.
| # | Player | Yards | Date / Team |
| 1 | Samaje Perine | 427 | Nov. 22, 2014 Oklahoma |
| 2 | Jaret Patterson | 409 | Nov. 28, 2020 Buffalo |
| 3 | Melvin Gordon | 408 | Nov. 15, 2014 Wisconsin |
| 4 | LaDainian Tomlinson | 406 | Nov. 20, 1999 TCU |
| 5 | Tony Sands | 396 | Nov. 23, 1991 Kansas |
| 6 | Marshall Faulk | 386 | Sep. 14, 1991 San Diego State |
| 7 | Troy Davis | 378 | Sep. 28, 1996 Iowa State |
| 8 | Anthony Thompson | 377 | Nov. 11, 1989 Indiana |
| 8 | Robbie Mixon | 377 | Nov. 2, 2002 Central Michigan |
| 10 | Travis Prentice | 376 | Nov. 6, 1999 Miami (OH) |
| 11 | Eugene Baker | 373 | Sep. 20, 1997 Kent State |
| 12 | Ka'Deem Carey | 366 | Nov. 10, 2012 Arizona |
| 13 | Rueben Mayes | 357 | Oct. 27, 1984 Washington State |
| 13 | Mike Pringle | 357 | Nov. 4, 1989 Cal State Fullerton |
| 15 | Eddie Lee Ivery | 356 | Nov. 11, 1978 Georgia Tech |
| 15 | Brian Pruitt | 356 | Nov. 5, 1994 Central Michigan |
| # | Player | Yards | Date / Team |
| 17 | Montel Harris | 355 | Nov. 17, 2012 Temple |
| 18 | Garrett Wolfe | 353 | Sep. 30, 2006 Northern Illinois |
| 19 | Scott Harley | 351 | Nov. 30, 1996 East Carolina |
| 20 | Eric Allen | 350 | Oct. 30, 1971 Michigan State |
| 20 | Ricky Williams | 350 | Oct. 3, 1998 Texas |
| 22 | Paul Palmer | 349 | Oct. 11, 1986 Temple |
| 22 | Matt Forte | 349 | Oct. 20, 2007 Tulane |
| 24 | Shun White | 348 | Aug. 30, 2008 Navy |
| 25 | Ron Johnson | 347 | Nov. 16, 1968 Michigan |
| 25 | Ricky Bell | 347 | Oct. 9, 1976 USC |
| 27 | Tavon Austin | 345 | Nov. 11, 2012 West Virginia |
| 27 | Leon Allen | 345 | Nov. 15, 2014 Western Kentucky |
| 29 | Tony Jeffery | 343 | Sep. 13, 1986 TCU |
| 30 | D'Onta Foreman | 341 | Nov. 5, 2016 Texas |

## Rushing touchdowns
### Career

The career leader in rushing touchdowns is Navy's Keenan Reynolds, whose 88 career touchdowns passed a record previously held by Montee Ball.
| # | Player | TDs | Team |
| 1 | Keenan Reynolds | 88 | 2012 2013 2014 2015 Navy |
| 2 | Montee Ball | 77 | 2009 2010 2011 2012 Wisconsin |
| 3 | Travis Prentice | 73 | 1996 1997 1998 1999 Miami (OH) |
| 4 | Ricky Williams | 72 | 1995 1996 1997 1998 Texas |
| 4 | Kenneth Dixon | 72 | 2012 2013 2014 2015 Louisiana Tech |
| 6 | Travis Etienne | 70 | 2017 2018 2019 2020 Clemson |
| 7 | Devin Singletary | 66 | 2016 2017 2018 Florida Atlantic |
| 8 | Anthony Thompson | 64 | 1986 1987 1988 1989 Indiana |
| 8 | Cedric Benson | 62 | 2001 2002 2003 2004 Texas |
| 10 | Ron Dayne | 63 | 1996 1997 1998 1999 Wisconsin |
| 11 | Donnel Pumphrey | 62 | 2013 2014 2015 2016 San Diego State |
| 12 | Royce Freeman | 60 | 2014 2015 2016 2017 Oregon |
| 13 | Eric Crouch | 59 | 1998 1999 2000 2001 Nebraska |
| 13 | Colin Kaepernick | 59 | 2007 2008 2009 2010 Nevada |
| 15 | Ian Johnson | 58 | 2005 2006 2007 2008 Boise State |
| 15 | Blake Corum | 58 | 2020 2021 2022 2023 Michigan |
| # | Player | TDs | Team |
| 17 | Marshall Faulk | 57 | 1991 1992 1993 San Diego State |
| 17 | Tim Tebow | 57 | 2006 2007 2008 2009 Florida |
| 17 | Myles Gaskin | 57 | 2015 2016 2017 2018 Washington |
| 20 | Steve Owens | 56 | 1967 1968 1969 Oklahoma |
| 20 | Ken Simonton | 56 | 1998 1999 2000 2001 Oregon State |
| 20 | Collin Klein | 56 | 2009 2010 2011 2012 Kansas State |
| 23 | Tony Dorsett | 55 | 1973 1974 1975 1976 Pittsburgh |
| 23 | Chester Taylor | 55 | 1998 1999 2000 2001Toledo |
| 23 | DeAngelo Williams | 55 | 2002 2003 2004 2005 Memphis |
| 26 | LaDainian Tomlinson | 54 | 1997 1998 1999 2000 TCU |
| 27 | Dwone Hicks | 53 | 1999 2000 2001 2002 Middle Tennessee |
| 27 | LaMichael James | 53 | 2009 2010 2011 Oregon |
| 27 | Bernard Pierce | 53 | 2009 2010 2011 Temple |
| 27 | Mohamed Ibrahim | 53 | 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Minnesota |

### Single season

The single-season record was set by Barry Sanders in 1988. The record for quarterbacks (or any position other than running back) was set by Bryson Daily in 2024.
| # | Player | TDs | Team |
| 1 | Barry Sanders | 37 | 1988 Oklahoma State |
| 2 | Montee Ball | 33 | 2011 Wisconsin |
| 3 | Devin Singletary | 32 | 2017 Florida Atlantic |
| 3 | Bryson Daily | 32 | 2024 Army |
| 5 | Kapri Bibbs | 31 | 2013 Colorado State |
| 5 | Keenan Reynolds | 31 | 2013 Navy |
| 7 | Mike Rozier | 29 | 1983 Nebraska |
| 7 | Kevin Smith | 29 | 2007 UCF |
| 7 | Melvin Gordon | 29 | 2014 Wisconsin |
| 7 | Ashton Jeanty | 29 | 2024 Boise State |
| 11 | Terry Metcalf | 28 | 1971 Long Beach State |
| 11 | Willis McGahee | 28 | 2002 Miami (FL) |
| 11 | Toby Gerhart | 28 | 2009 Stanford |
| 11 | Jay Ajayi | 28 | 2014 Boise State |
| 11 | Derrick Henry | 28 | 2015 Alabama |
| # | Player | TDs | Team |
| 16 | Ricky Williams | 27 | 1998 Texas |
| 16 | Lee Suggs | 27 | 2000 Virginia Tech |
| 16 | Ricky Dobbs | 27 | 2009 Navy |
| 16 | Collin Klein | 27 | 2011 Kansas State |
| 16 | Bernard Pierce | 27 | 2011 Temple |
| 16 | Kenneth Dixon | 27 | 2012 Louisiana Tech |
| 16 | Anthony Wales | 27 | 2016 Western Kentucky |
| 16 | Blake Corum | 27 | 2023 Michigan |
| # | Player | TDs | Team |
| 24 | Leon Burns | 26 | 1969 Long Beach State |
| 24 | Lydell Mitchell | 26 | 1971 Penn State |
| 24 | Brock Forsey | 26 | 2002 Boise State |
| 24 | James Conner | 26 | 2014 Pittsburgh |
| 24 | Najee Harris | 26 | 2020 Alabama |
| 29 | Ricky Williams | 25 | 1997 Texas |
| 29 | Travis Prentice | 25 | 1997 Miami (OH) |
| 29 | Ian Johnson | 25 | 2006 Boise State |
| 29 | Will Worth | 25 | 2016 Navy |
| 29 | Tre Stewart | 25 | 2024 Jacksonville State |

### Single game

The single-game record of 8 is shared by Howard Griffith and Jaret Patterson. Five players have rushed for 7 touchdowns in a game, and many more have rushed for 6.
| # | Player | TDs | Date / Team |
| 1 | Howard Griffith | 8 | Sep. 22, 1990 Illinois |
| 1 | Jaret Patterson | 8 | Nov. 28, 2020 Buffalo |
| 3 | Showboat Boykin | 7 | Dec. 1, 1951 Ole Miss |
| 3 | Marshall Faulk | 7 | Sep. 14, 1991 San Diego State |
| 3 | Montel Harris | 7 | Nov. 17, 2012 Temple |
| 3 | Keenan Reynolds | 7 | Nov. 22, 2013 Navy |
| 3 | Kalen Ballage | 7 | Sep. 10, 2016 Arizona State |
| 8 | 6 – many times | 6 – many times | 6 – many times |