As we continue our look at the “best returning” for the Big 10 conference, we move on to the running backs. You can be a transfer and still be eligible for the list if the transfer was within the conference. These running backs figure to have a big say in the 2025 conference race. They are listed in ascending order from fourth to first.
The Best Returning Big 10 Running Backs
4. Darius Taylor, Junior, Minnesota
Taylor has already had an impact on the Golden Gophers for two years. As a freshman in 2023, he played in six games and totaled 799 rushing yards. He was also the offensive MVP in the Quick Lane Bowl.
Last year, though, Taylor really made his mark both in Minnesota and in the Big 10 conference.
He started in 11 games and put up 986 yards and a team-leading 10 rushing touchdowns. But Taylor is a legitimate dual threat in the backfield. He also had 54 catches for 354 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Predictably, his 1,336 combined yards led Minnesota in multi-purpose yards. Need more proof of his multi-skill ability? He had a 10-yard touchdown pass.
Taylor is a two-time All-Big 10 Honorable Mention.
3. Jonah Coleman, Senior, Washington
Coleman spent his first season in Seattle in 2024 after transferring from Arizona. He started 11 of the Huskies’ 13 games and finished with 1,053 rushing yards, to go with 10 touchdowns. That was on 193 carries in an offense where quarterback Demond Williams had 282 carries. He had five games of more than 100 yards rushing.
He was the first Washington running back in nearly five decades to have more than 100 yards rushing in his Huskies’ debut with 127 yards and three touchdowns on just 16 carries against Weber State.
Coleman was a third-team All-Big Ten in the vote by conference media, and an honorable mention by the Big 10 coaches.
2. Kaytron Allen, Senior, Penn State
Talk Penn State running game, and you are going to get two names that the fan base would tout as number one in the conference.
Allen was named All-Big Ten honorable mention after a season in which he played in all 16 games. He had 1,108 yards on 220 carries. We will save you the math work. That is an average of just over five yards per carry. He also had eight rushing touchdowns. Allen added 18 catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Those rushing stats were good enough to finish fifth in the Big 10.
With one season left to go in his college career, he already ranks ninth all-time at Penn State in rushing attempts with 559. Allen is 11th in rushing yardage with 2,877, and he is tied for 15th in rushing touchdowns with 24.
He likely will see his name on several preseason award watch lists, having been on the Doak Walker watch list last year.
1. Nicholas Singleton, Senior, Penn State
Our top returning running back for the Big 10 shares the backfield and the carries with Kaytron Allen.
Singleton started 12 games for the Nittany Lions in 2024. He racked up 1,099 yards on the ground with 12 touchdowns on 172 carries. He had 41 receptions for 375 yards and five touchdowns. His year doesn’t end there. He also had 14 kickoff returns for 331 yards.
Those numbers made him the all-purpose yards leader in the Big 10 and put him in seventh place in the country.
Singleton was all-conference honorable mention as a running back and return specialist in both the coaches and media polls.
He is tied with PSU great Lydell Mitchell for second all-time in career touchdowns with 41. Singleton goes into the 2025 season fifth all-time at Penn State in rushing touchdowns with 32. He is also eighth in yards per carry with just under six.
With Singleton and Allen returning for their senior seasons, Penn State is returning more than 2,200 yards in the run game. That goes along with quarterback Drew Allar coming back after throwing for 3,300+ yards last season.
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