San Diego State’s best running backs
Donnel Pumphrey has the most rushing yards in San Diego State history, 6,405 from 2013 to 2016. Lucky Sutton is 6th, with 1,970; 730 more passes Juwan Washington for 5th.
Of the Mountain West’s best running backs since 2004, Donnel Pumphrey is 1st and Rashaad Penny 8th.
San Diego State’s running backs this season
- Javion Kinnard8 games, 76.6 a game613rushing yards
- Lucky Sutton6 games, 78.8 a game1,970 at San Diego State, the 6th-most since 2004.473rushing yards
- Josiah Lucas4 games, 42.3 a game169rushing yards
By decade: 2020s · 2010s · 2004–09
rushing yards in San Diego State history
- 1Donnel Pumphrey2013 – 20166,405
- 2Marshall Faulk1991 – 19934,786
- 3Larry Ned1998 – 20013,792
- 4Rashaad Penny2014 – 20173,643
- 5Ronnie Hillman2010 – 20113,384
- 6Jonas Lewis1996 – 19993,015
- 7Adam Muema2011 – 20132,959
- 8George Jones1995 – 19962,904
- 9Norm Nygaard1952 – 19542,766
- 10Wayne Pittman1991 – 19942,498
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 | Donnel Pumphrey2013 – 2016 · 54 games | 6,405 | 62 | 7,446 |
| 2 | Rashaad Penny2014 – 2017 · 51 games | 3,656 | 38 | 4,135 |
| 3 | Ronnie Hillman2010 – 2011 · 26 games | 3,243 | 36 | 3,581 |
| 4 | Adam Muema2011 – 2013 · 32 games | 2,955 | 34 | 3,203 |
| 5 | Juwan Washington2016 – 2019 · 43 games | 2,699 | 25 | 2,983 |
| 6 | Lucky Sutton2022 – 2026 · still playing | 1,970 | 17 | 1,977 |
| +473 this season · passes Juwan Washington for 5th in 10 games at his pace | ||||
| 7 | Chase Price2012 – 2015 · 36 games | 1,874 | 12 | 2,121 |
| 8 | Walter Kazee2009 – 2012 · 41 games | 1,852 | 17 | 2,089 |
| 9 | Greg Bell2020 – 2021 · 21 games | 1,737 | 15 | 1,856 |
| 10 | Brandon Bornes2004 – 2007 · 47 games | 1,536 | 13 | 1,833 |
| 11 | Atiyyah Henderson2006 – 2008 · 32 games | 1,437 | 6 | 1,945 |
| 12 | Chance Bell2018 – 2022 · 46 games | 1,392 | 9 | 1,574 |
| 13 | Jordan Byrd2018 – 2022 · 56 games | 1,352 | 12 | 1,571 |
| 14 | Marquez Cooper2024 · 12 games | 1,274 | 12 | 1,411 |
| 15 | Chase Jasmin2017 – 2020 · 30 games | 1,121 | 11 | 1,278 |
| 16 | Brandon Sullivan2007 – 2010 · 42 games | 1,087 | 14 | 1,911 |
| 17 | Lynell Hamilton2005 – 2007 · 19 games | 964 | 10 | 1,224 |
| 18 | Jaylon Armstead2020 – 2024 · 26 games | 883 | 10 | 905 |
| 19 | Kaegun Williams2018 – 2021 · 33 games | 667 | 3 | 792 |
| 20 | Kenan Christon II2022 – 2023 · 25 games | 639 | 1 | 1,047 |
| 21 | Javion Kinnard2026 · still playing | 613 | 5 | 714 |
| +613 this season | ||||
| 22 | Christian Washington2025 – 2026 · still playing | 575 | 4 | 620 |
| +12 this season | ||||
| 23 | Michael Franklin2004 – 2005 · 22 games | 499 | 2 | 736 |
| 24 | Cam Davis2022 – 2024 · 30 games | 452 | 1 | 521 |
| 25 | Dakota Gordon2014 – 2015 · 25 games | 297 | 3 | 522 |
rushing yards by decade
2020s
- › Lucky Sutton2022 – 2026 · 26 games1,970
- Greg Bell2020 – 2021 · 21 games1,737
- Marquez Cooper2024 · 12 games1,274
- Jaylon Armstead2020 – 2024 · 26 games883
- Jordan Byrd2020 – 2022 · 35 games860
2010s
- Donnel Pumphrey2013 – 2016 · 54 games6,405
- Rashaad Penny2014 – 2017 · 51 games3,656
- Ronnie Hillman2010 – 2011 · 26 games3,243
- Adam Muema2011 – 2013 · 32 games2,955
- Juwan Washington2016 – 2019 · 43 games2,699
2004–09
- Brandon Bornes2004 – 2007 · 47 games1,536
- Atiyyah Henderson2006 – 2008 · 32 games1,437
- Lynell Hamilton2005 – 2007 · 19 games964
- Brandon Sullivan2007 – 2009 · 29 games963
- Michael Franklin2004 – 2005 · 22 games499
Also at San Diego State: quarterbacks · wide receivers · tight ends · defenders · kickers · punters · San Diego State record book
Method
- Every running back who played at San Diego State 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 San Diego State before then isn't here.
- A decade counts his rushing yards at San Diego State 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 San Diego State is counted at tonight's numbers against the record book's, which run through the 2025 season.