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ESPN names Alabama ‘RBU,’ ranks best in school history

James Fletcher IIIby:James Fletcher III•08/04/21•

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Fanbases argue each season over where their favorite players stack all-time and which school claims the best talent at each position. ESPN puts math into the discussion with a formula that backs up the title of Position U. As part of its rankings, ESPN named Alabama Running Back U over Wisconsin, LSU and others.

Najee Harris won the Doak Walker Award last season and former Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry won Offensive Player of the Year in the NFL last season, making it no surprise that Alabama is RBU. With a pair of five-star running backs on the current roster and more on the way in 2022, the Crimson Tide’s running back pipeline keeps rolling.

How it works

The ESPN formula for determining each Position U school combines each players college success, NFL Draft stock and NFL success. Points come from all-conference and All-American selections during college with a sliding scale based on draft position and NFL success. The formula only considers the first five years of each player’s professional career, giving credit to the trainers and coaches beyond that point.

ESPN’s solution to the transfer portal problem is simple. Any award won by the player goes toward the school where he was playing that season. Any professional achievements by that player are credited to the last school he attended before entering the draft.

Running Back U

Alabama’s rich history of running backs makes the school an easy choice for RBU, but who is the best in school history?

As part of the Position U series, ESPN created a Mount Rushmore of the top team’s players. Alabama has two Heisman trophy winners at running back and a long list of NFL players to choose from in this section.

  • Derrick Henry (2013-15)

Henry won Alabama’s second Heisman trophy in 2015 on the way to a national championship. His 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns made him a unanimous All-American and won every award he was eligible to claim. After slipping to the second round in the NFL Draft, Henry has won back-to-back rushing titles and ran for over 2,000 yards in 2020.

  • Shaun Alexander (1996-99)

Alexander is unique on this list in that he came to Alabama before the arrival of coach Nick Saban. His 3,565 career rushing yards and 41 touchdowns were enough to push him into the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Alexander was a three-time Pro Bowler and won NFL MVP in 2005.

  • Mark Ingram (2008-2010)

Ingram brought Alabama its first Heisman trophy in school history. He finished 2009 with 1,992 scrimmage yards and 20 touchdowns. He was later drafted in the first round by the New Orleans Saints and made the Pro Bowl three times.

  • Najee Harris (2017-20)

Harris is the latest Alabama running back to post ridiculous numbers over the course of his college career. He finished 2020 with 1,891 scrimmage yards and 30 touchdowns. Harris also became known for his hurdling abilities and was drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in April.

  • Others

Notable exclusions include Bobby Humphrey, Trent Richardson and T.J. Yeldon who had outstanding Alabama careers but did not have the same level of professional success.

Image courtesy of Don Juan Moore/Getty Images