Illinois’ best running backs
Robert Holcombe has the most rushing yards in Illinois history, 4,105 from 1994 to 1997. Since 2004, Chase Brown has the most, 3,206 in 32 games. Aidan Laughery is 9th, with 1,621; 157 more passes Donovonn Young for 8th.
Illinois’ running backs this season
- Aidan Laughery8 games, 70.0 a game1,621 at Illinois, the 9th-most since 2004.560rushing yards
- Ca'Lil Valentine5 games, 45.0 a game1,051 at Illinois.225rushing yards
- Javari Barnett5 games, 36.6 a game183rushing yards
By decade: 2020s · 2010s · 2004–09
rushing yards in Illinois history
- 1Robert Holcombe1994 – 19974,105
- 2Chase Brown2019 – 20223,206
- 3Antoineo Harris1999 – 20022,985
- 4Thomas Rooks1982 – 19852,887
- 5Jim Grabowski1963 – 19652,878
- 6Rocky Harvey1998 – 20012,711
- 7Josh Ferguson2011 – 20152,586
- T-8Juice Williams2006 – 20092,557
- T-8Mikel Leshoure2008 – 20102,557
- 10Pierre Thomas2003 – 20062,545
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 | Chase Brown2019 – 2022 · 32 games | 3,206 | 18 | 3,652 |
| 2 | Josh Ferguson2011 – 2015 · 46 games | 2,586 | 18 | 4,093 |
| 3 | Mikel Leshoure2008 – 2010 · 31 games | 2,557 | 23 | 2,996 |
| 4 | Rashard Mendenhall2005 – 2007 · 35 games | 2,539 | 22 | 3,103 |
| 5 | Reggie Corbin2016 – 2019 · 43 games | 2,361 | 18 | 2,704 |
| 6 | Pierre Thomas2004 – 2006 · 33 games | 2,312 | 18 | 2,711 |
| 7 | Jason Ford2008 – 2011 · 48 games | 1,962 | 26 | 2,351 |
| 8 | Donovonn Young2011 – 2014 · 48 games | 1,777 | 18 | 2,099 |
| 9 | Aidan Laughery2022 – 2026 · still playing | 1,621 | 10 | 1,776 |
| +560 this season · passes Donovonn Young for 8th in 3 games at his pace | ||||
| 10 | Josh McCray2021 – 2024 · 33 games | 1,370 | 14 | 1,578 |
| 11 | Mike Epstein2017 – 2021 · 22 games | 1,276 | 11 | 1,456 |
| 12 | Kaden Feagin2023 – 2026 · still playing | 1,251 | 12 | 1,665 |
| 13 | Daniel Dufrene2007 – 2009 · 34 games | 1,234 | 5 | 1,561 |
| 14 | Reggie Love III2020 – 2023 · 30 games | 1,066 | 6 | 1,152 |
| 15 | Kendrick Foster2015 – 2017 · 26 games | 1,064 | 9 | 1,185 |
| 16 | Ca'Lil Valentine2024 – 2026 · still playing | 1,051 | 6 | 1,182 |
| +225 this season | ||||
| 17 | Ke'Shawn Vaughn2015 – 2016 · 22 games | 1,024 | 9 | 1,232 |
| 18 | Dre Brown2017 – 2019 · 23 games | 902 | 7 | 992 |
| 19 | Troy Pollard2007 – 2011 · 40 games | 836 | 3 | 893 |
| 20 | Ra'Von Bonner2017 – 2019 · 29 games | 822 | 10 | 905 |
| 21 | Jason Davis2004 – 2005 · 19 games | 261 | 1 | 763 |
| 22 | Jakari Norwood2018 – 2021 · 18 games | 244 | 0 | 262 |
| 23 | Jordan Anderson2024 – 2026 · still playing | 228 | 3 | 249 |
| +175 this season | ||||
| 24 | Javari Barnett2026 · still playing | 183 | 2 | 183 |
| +183 this season | ||||
| 25 | Dami Ayoola2012 · 8 games | 117 | 2 | 128 |
rushing yards by decade
2020s
- Chase Brown2020 – 2022 · 30 games3,188
- › Aidan Laughery2022 – 2026 · 38 games1,621
- Josh McCray2021 – 2024 · 33 games1,370
- › Kaden Feagin2023 – 2026 · 32 games1,251
- Reggie Love III2020 – 2023 · 30 games1,066
2010s
- Josh Ferguson2011 – 2015 · 46 games2,586
- Reggie Corbin2016 – 2019 · 43 games2,361
- Donovonn Young2011 – 2014 · 48 games1,777
- Mikel Leshoure2010 · 13 games1,697
- Jason Ford2010 – 2011 · 24 games1,080
2004–09
- Rashard Mendenhall2005 – 2007 · 35 games2,539
- Pierre Thomas2004 – 2006 · 33 games2,312
- Daniel Dufrene2007 – 2009 · 34 games1,234
- Jason Ford2008 – 2009 · 24 games882
- Mikel Leshoure2008 – 2009 · 18 games860
Also at Illinois: quarterbacks · wide receivers · tight ends · defenders · kickers · punters · Illinois record book
Method
- Every running back who played at Illinois 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 Illinois before then isn't here.
- A decade counts his rushing yards at Illinois 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 Illinois is counted at tonight's numbers against the record book's, which run through the 2025 season.