Georgia has had more than its share of elite running backs and they went on to become high NFL Draft picks and had strong careers in the pros.
Sony Michel
Sony Michel was impressive enough for Bill Belichick to use a New England Patriots first-round pick on the RB. One of the most amazing nuggets in Georgia football history is Michel, Nick Chubb and Todd Gurley all were on the team in the same season, 2014. That year, Michel had 64 carries for 410 yards. He surged over the 1,000-yard mark as a sophomore and wound up with 3,631 yards on a 6.1 yard per carry average in four seasons. Michel is approaching the 1,500-yard mark as a pro.
Nick Chubb
The Cleveland Browns got quite the steal when they selected Nick Chubb in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, 35th overall. Chubb rushed for more than 1,000 yards in three of his four seasons as a Bulldog. The lone one when he didn’t reach four figures was 2015 when he played in six games and had 747 yards, gauging turf at an 8.1 clip. Overall, Chubb wound up with an astonishing 4,769 yards and 44 TDs for the ‘Dawgs. With Cleveland, Chubb has become the top RB and has run for more than 2,000 yards in one-plus seasons.
Todd Gurley
The third member of the trifecta in the Georgia backfield that is now in the NFL is Todd Gurley. In 2014, he played in six games and rushed for 911 yards, averaging a career-best 7.4 yards per carry. Gurley played in 30 games for the Bulldogs and rushed for 3,285 yards, which is clearly more than 100 yards per game. To date, he has rushed for more than 5,000 yards in four-plus seasons with the Rams.
Knowshon Moreno
Knowshon Moreno spent two seasons at Georgia but what years they were. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry while rushing for 2,734 yards and 30 TDs before becoming a first-round pick of the Denver Broncos. Moreno rushed for more than 3,400 yards and 26 TDs as a Bronco.
Tim Worley
Tim Worley played for three seasons at Georgia, rushing for 2,038 yards and 27 TDs. He played in only four games in his sophomore season. Worley went on to become the seventh overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Worley rushed for 1,792 yards in the NFL with a career-best 770 as a rookie.
Robert Edwards
Robert Edwards began his college career as a DB. He switched to RB for the ‘Dawgs in his sophomore season and took off, rushing for 325 yards … in two games. Edwards wound up adding 1,700 yards in his final two seasons in Athens. He wound up as the 18th overall pick by the New England Patriots in 1998. He rushed for more than 1,100 yards as a rookie before his career was short-circuited by a freak injury during a rookie beach football game on Pro Bowl week. Edwards tore three ligaments in his left knee — the ACL, MCL and PCL — and partially tore his LCL tendon as well, he had also suffered major nerve damage. On top of all this, and most serious of all his injuries, he had sliced the artery in his left leg. The injuries ruined what looked like an amazing NFL career. Edwards did eventually return to play for the Dolphins and in the CFL.
Lars Tate
Lars Tate played four seasons for Georgia. gaining 3,017 yards from 1984-87. He scored 36 touchdowns and was a second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tate rushed for more than 1,000 yards and scored 15 TDs in his two seasons as a Buc.
Rodney Hampton
Rodney Hampton’s running exploits for Georgia led to him being a first-round pick of the New York Giants in 1990. The Giants liked what they saw out of a running back who rushed for 2,668 yards and and 22 TDs. Hampton’s first season for Georgia football saw him run for 890 yards. Not stunning. What was amazing was the 7.1 ypc he averaged.
Garrison Hearst
Garrison Hearst ran and ran and ran for the ‘Dawgs from 1990-92. He finished with 3,232 yards in three seasons. The bulk of that came in ’92 when he rushed for 1,547 yards at a 6.8 clip! Hearst scored 19 TDs in that season, which led to him being chosen third overall in the 1993 NFL Draft by the Phoenix Cardinals. Hearst rushed for 7,966 yards and 30 TDs in an NFL career that saw him play for four teams.
Terrell Davis
Terrell Davis went on to become and NFL Hall of Famer after his time at UGA. However, he was not a yardage machine for the Bulldogs. Davis started his career at Long Beach State before transferring. He played from 1992-94 and scored 14 TDs while running for 1,657 yards at a 5.2 ypc clip. His performance wound up getting him selected by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round. He rushed for 7,607 yards in an NFL career cut short by injuries. Davis rushed for 2,008 yards in 1998. Overall, that adds up to more than 9,200 rushing yards.
Herschel Walker
Herschel Walker set every record imaginable during his time in Athens. The incomparable college RB rushed for 1,891 yards in 1981. Over his career as a Bulldog, Walker rushed for 5,259 yards, more than 2,000 yards better than any other running back at the school known for producing wonderful backs. Walker’s NFL career never lived up to the college hype but he still rushed for 8,225 yards, giving him more than 13,000 rushing yards between college and the NFL, not factoring in his time in the USFL!
