Colorado’s best running backs
Eric Bieniemy has the most rushing yards in Colorado history, 3,940 from 1987 to 1990. Since 2004, Phillip Lindsay has the most, 3,770 in 51 games.
Colorado’s running backs this season
- JaQuail Smith8 games, 45.1 a game361rushing yards
- Micah Welch6 games, 36.7 a game790 at Colorado.220rushing yards
- Richard Young5 games, 33.8 a game169rushing yards
By decade: 2020s · 2010s · 2004–09
rushing yards in Colorado history
- 1Eric Bieniemy1987 – 19903,940
- 2Rodney Stewart2008 – 20113,598
- 3Phillip Lindsay2014 – 20173,550
- 4Bobby Purify2000 – 20043,096
- 5Rashaan Salaam1992 – 19943,057
- 6Charlie Davis1971 – 19732,958
- 7Hugh Charles2004 – 20072,795
- 8Chris Brown2001 – 20022,787
- 9James Mayberry1975 – 19782,548
- 10Herchell Troutman1994 – 19972,487
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), through the 2025 season, which counts bowl games from 2002.
Compare with in · side by side
Every running back since 2004
| Place | Player | rushing yards | rushing touchdowns | yards from scrimmage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phillip Lindsay2014 – 2017 · 51 games | 3,770 | 36 | 4,851 |
| 2 | Rodney Stewart2008 – 2011 · 43 games | 3,598 | 25 | 4,567 |
| 3 | Hugh Charles2004 – 2007 · 44 games | 2,796 | 16 | 3,353 |
| 4 | Christian Powell2012 – 2015 · 44 games | 2,040 | 18 | 2,269 |
| 5 | Alex Fontenot2018 – 2022 · 31 games | 1,558 | 13 | 1,816 |
| 6 | Jarek Broussard2020 – 2021 · 17 games | 1,556 | 7 | 1,702 |
| 7 | Tony Jones2011 – 2014 · 46 games | 1,269 | 9 | 1,827 |
| 8 | Michael Adkins II2013 – 2017 · 30 games | 1,200 | 13 | 1,399 |
| 9 | Travon McMillian2018 · 12 games | 1,009 | 7 | 1,127 |
| 10 | Bobby Purify2004 · 12 games | 942 | 7 | 1,136 |
| 11 | Micah Welch2024 – 2026 · still playing | 790 | 10 | 925 |
| +220 this season · passes Bobby Purify for 10th in 5 games at his pace | ||||
| 12 | Demetrius Sumler2007 – 2009 · 34 games | 714 | 9 | 1,047 |
| 13 | Deion Smith2019 – 2022 · 28 games | 653 | 4 | 786 |
| 14 | Kyle Evans2015 – 2018 · 29 games | 601 | 7 | 792 |
| 15 | Anthony Hankerson2022 – 2023 · 20 games | 593 | 4 | 688 |
| 16 | Byron Ellis2004 – 2007 · 38 games | 546 | 3 | 684 |
| 17 | Dallan Hayden2024 – 2025 · 19 games | 522 | 2 | 669 |
| 18 | Mell Holliday2006 · 12 games | 512 | 2 | 512 |
| 19 | Lawrence Vickers2004 – 2005 · 24 games | 488 | 11 | 906 |
| 20 | Jaren Mangham2019 – 2020 · 15 games | 476 | 5 | 527 |
| 21 | Darrell Scott2008 – 2009 · 16 games | 438 | 1 | 578 |
| 22 | Donovan Lee2014 – 2018 · 31 games | 431 | 3 | 683 |
| 23 | Brian Lockridge2007 – 2011 · 26 games | 404 | 3 | 494 |
| 24 | Isaiah Augustave2024 · 11 games | 384 | 4 | 446 |
| 25 | JaQuail Smith2026 · still playing | 361 | 1 | 434 |
| +361 this season | ||||
rushing yards by decade
2020s
- Jarek Broussard2020 – 2021 · 17 games1,556
- › Micah Welch2024 – 2026 · 25 games790
- Alex Fontenot2021 – 2022 · 18 games641
- Anthony Hankerson2022 – 2023 · 20 games593
- Deion Smith2021 – 2022 · 20 games585
2010s
- Phillip Lindsay2014 – 2017 · 51 games3,770
- Rodney Stewart2010 – 2011 · 23 games2,172
- Christian Powell2012 – 2015 · 44 games2,040
- Tony Jones2011 – 2014 · 46 games1,269
- Michael Adkins II2013 – 2017 · 30 games1,200
2004–09
- Hugh Charles2004 – 2007 · 44 games2,796
- Rodney Stewart2008 – 2009 · 20 games1,426
- Bobby Purify2004 · 12 games942
- Demetrius Sumler2007 – 2009 · 34 games714
- Byron Ellis2004 – 2007 · 38 games546
Also at Colorado: quarterbacks · wide receivers · tight ends · defenders · kickers · punters · Colorado record book
Method
- Every running back who played at Colorado since 2004, ranked by rushing yards over his games there. Bowl and playoff games count.
- The numbers here start in 2004, so a running back who played at Colorado before then isn't here.
- A decade counts his rushing yards at Colorado in its seasons.
- The record book's numbers are the school's own. Where they and the box scores differ for one player, the box scores are missing a game or count bowls another way.
- A running back still playing at Colorado is counted at tonight's numbers against the record book's, which run through the 2025 season.