The votes are in and we’ve picked our 2022 Preseason All-American team. We’ll announce a couple of positions per week right up to the beginning of the season. You can find all of our selections here.

We move to running backs today and make two sections, along with five honorable mentions listed below that were discussed in- depth

Our running back All-Americans are…

RB Bijan Robinson – Texas

RB Zach Charbonnet – UCLA

Bijan Robinson and Zach Charbonnet not only led their respective conferences in Rushing Total Points, but led all FBS running backs returning in Total Points, each accounting for at least 60.

Robinson had a breakout year in Texas’ offense last season, rushing for over 1,100 yards despite missing the last two games due to injury. He was near the top of the FBS in Broken + Missed Tackle % for all players, and tops among running backs in 2021. He should return healthy, and is primed to have another stellar season. His mix of power, elusiveness, and acceleration make him an all-around threat in the run game. 

Charbonnet is a bruising back from UCLA and had over 1,100 yards with the Bruins last season. In 2021, he was an SIS FBS leader in Total Points Per Play when facing an overloaded defensive box. He also had a low Bust % which allows him to be a positive force in the Bruins offense. His ability to bounce off tackles and accelerate downfield minimizes the potential for negative plays, when hit behind the line of scrimmage. He is poised to continue his dominant running this season.

Honorable Mentions

RB Sean Tucker – Syracuse

RB TreVeyon Henderson – Ohio State

RB Jahmyr Gibbs – Alabama

RB Lew Nichols III – Central Michigan

RB Rasheen Ali – Marshall

Sean Tucker will be one of the ACC’s top returning rushers in Rushing Total Points after rushing for nearly 1,500 yards last season.

Henderson was a Doak Walker Award and Walter Camp Semi-Finalist as a freshman last year. He contributed 42 Total Points during his freshman campaign. He will look to take on a greater role in the Ohio State offense and improve upon his freshman mark with the loss of their top two offensive threats. 

Alabama transfer Jahmyr Gibbs spent last season at Georgia Tech. Although he was not a 1,000-yard rusher at Georgia Tech, he was a versatile weapon for the Yellowjackets. He will battle for the starting spot at Alabama and is poised for a big year. 

We also want to highlight Lew Nicholls III from Central Michigan. Last year, he led all FBS rushers in yards and yards per game. He ended the year with over 1,800 rushing yards and 2,100 all-purpose yards. He was a vital part to the Chippewas offense, and his ability to lower his shoulder to fight for extra yards will be vital to maintaining that high mark for the 2022 season.

Finally, we wanted to give an honorable mention to Rasheen Ali from Marshall. Ali is the returning Total Points leader for running backs in Conference USA. He is a downhill runner that amassed around 1,400 yards last season