The ACC has had its fair share of great backs in the past couple of years. The likes of Travis Etienne, AJ Dillon, and Cam Akers have filled the ears of ACC fans from Chestnut Hill to Miami. Some of the mid-tier running backs have been taken by the NFL, but most remain. Lets take a look:
15: Hassan Hall, Louisville
Too bad this list is not ranked off of skill because Hall would be way higher. In the 2018 season, Hall ran for 303 yards and 3 TDs for the Cardinals. Also, he shows surprising length and explosiveness out of the running back spot. If the Louisville line can develop their line a bit more to protect their running backs, then Hall could jump up by a lot on this list.
14: PK Kier, Virginia
I am assuming that playing understudy to Jordan Ellis would provide PK Kier with the knowledge of what is expected. With only rushing for 80 yards last season, Kier has got to show up to help the Cavaliers balance out their running game this season. Perkins takes a lot of responsibility with splitting rushing yards, but if it is all dependent on Perkins, then Virginia might have an issue.
13: Ricky Person Jr, NC State
Like most of the running backs near the bottom of this list, Ricky Person Jr will be taking over the Wolfpack backfield from Reggie Gallaspy Jr. Person led a nice, solid rushing list in 2018 with 471 rushing yards and averaging 4.2 yards a carry. And with some new life on this offense, it would be no surprise to see NC State shift more to their running game and let Ricky Person have some room to work.
12: A.J Davis, Pittsburgh
I am not sure what Andre Powell is teaching those running backs up in Pittsburgh every season, but they always seem to bring the heat. Last year it was Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall, this year it is looking to be A.J Davis and V’Lique Carter. However, I see Davis taking more of the leader role though. Last season, Davis rushed for 134 yards and averaged 4.2 yards a carry.
11: Lyn-J Dixon, Clemson
As a backup, Lyn-J Dixon already topples some ACC running backs. After Travis Etienne is set to depart, most likely this year, Dixon will be the man to take it over for the Tigers. Dixon is some what of a speedy pinball, bouncing off of defender and defender. Look out to see a whole lot of production out of this backup running back. I would only imagine he does better than his previous stat line of 547 rushing yards and 5 TDs.
10: KirVonte Benson, Georgia Tech
Coming off of an injury, I am not too sure how Benson will do this season. However, if he does anything like his 2017 tenure, then ACC fans will be in for a treat. Even in his two games last year, Benson ran up 2 TDs with 116 rushing yards to go along with that. I would also like to think that Geoff Collins would utilize Benson with the new spread offense on HB Screens or as another passing option too.
9: Deshawn McClease, Virginia Tech
There was a lot of uncertainty with McClease going into the 2019 season with the Hokies, as his name was in the NCAA Transfer Portal, but withdrawn. However, now that issue is resolved, and McClease will be the main running back for Virginia Tech this season. In 2018, McClease had 433 rushing yards, with an average of 4.5 a carry. Be on the lookout for this shifty running back to shake up things in the ACC.
8: Moe Neal, Syracuse
First off, Moe Neal’s father must be his #1 fan, as we were made aware of how great he will be this season. However, that is besides the fact that this Syracuse running back will most likely break 1,000 rushing yards this year. He may have only had 5 rushing TDs, but don’t be fooled, his elite quickness landed him 869 rushing yards. The Orange will have another leader aside Tommy Devito to lean on for this 2019 season.
7: Michael Carter, UNC
Whether he is blasting a defense on the ground or through the air, Michael Carter is a problem for any defense. Carter averaged 7.1 yards a carry and 5.4 yards a catch for the Tarheels in 2018. And now, Carter should have a solid blocking line that has few holes in it. I would really consider Carter an underrated player in not only the ACC, but the nation.
6: Deon Jackson, Duke
Jackson is an all-purpose back for the Blue Devils that will most likely be their sole focus this season. After the departure of Daniel Jones, Duke isn’t willing to put the offense all into the hands of Quentin Harris. We will see Deon Jackson take on a new-found role as an offensive leader. And luckily for him an Harris alike, the Blue Devil offensive line is sure to be rock solid for rush protection and pass protection. I’d be very interested to see if he could hit the 1,500 mark for all-purpose yards this season.
5: DeeJay Dallas, Miami
In this video, Dallas pretty much bullies his own linebacker. Well, good news for Hurricane fans, he does this to other team’s defenders too. And last year was an absolute field day between Dallas and Homer, both accounting for over 600 yards each on the ground. Now, the page flips and it is up to Dallas to run this rushing game for the Hurricanes, which he is more than capable of. Dallas is a quick running back with lots of power, which makes him more able to take on outside linebackers.
4: Cade Carney, Wake Forest
This man reminds me of a Christian McCaffrey who would’ve just stuck to running the ball. He is just very patience before his runs and you can see it often with his film. In his 2018 tenure, Carney ran for 1,0005 yards, in which he averaged 5.3 yards a rush. Cade Carney will definitely be a scary offensive weapon to try to defend against because he is so methodical in the running lanes he takes.
3: Cam Akers, Florida State
We are going to give some slack to Cam Akers for last year’s season. And to be quite honest, it wasn’t event that bad of a year for him. Akers ran for 706 rushing yards and punched in 6 rushing TDs. Now that I think the Florida State offensive line has gained some experience, I think that Cam Akers can finally hit that 1,000 rushing yard mark again. Akers is explosive, and once he tears into open field, you are not catching him. The Seminoles should rely on Akers a lot, as their new quarterback in James Blackman.
2: AJ Dillon, Boston College
An absolute combo was created last year with AJ Dillon and Anthony Brown at Boston College. Dillon was reliable almost 100% of the time for the Eagles to grab a group of yards. And with averaging 4.9 yards a carry, on top of his already 1,108 rushing yards, you could see why Steve Adazzio would want to pound the rock. Dillon will most likely return the same amount of production next season, but it is more probable that it will be more than what he showed us last year.
1: Travis Etienne, Clemson
It is no surprise why Travis Etienne topples this list over all of the other ACC running backs. Etienne, just last year, was in the talks for the Heisman Trophy, so why wouldn’t he be poised to make another run for it this year. And with his rushing yards pushing up to 1,658 yards with 24 rushing TDs, there is only up to go for this young running back. Plus, Etienne drove opposing defenses crazy with his 8.1 yards a carry average, which speaks for itself in the video above.
If you missed any of the other lists:
Cover Image Credits: https://247sports.com/Player/Deon-Jackson-79874/
