Who’s the next Austin Ekeler? The next Danny Woodhead? The next Craig Reynolds or Joique Bell?

If you’re wondering if there’s something in common with those names, there is — they were all former NCAA Division II football stars at running back before going on to carve out good to great careers in the NFL.

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Sure, D-II usually isn’t the first place pro scouts are looking at when evaluating talent for potential, but don’t get it twisted. There are some ballers at the D-II level, and when you consider the career progression to date of someone like Western Colorado alum Ekeler — who is widely considered one of the best running backs playing today — there are no doubt some gems hidden among the D-II pile.

But in terms of answering the questions posed at the beginning on who may be the next backfield standout to come from the D-II ranks, the 10 players listed below have some of the highest chances to break through.

Here’s a look ahead at 10 running backs to watch out for in Division II football this upcoming season, with games from multiple D-II conferences being streamed all season long live and exclusively on FloFootball:

Blake Delacruz, Harding

If you’re the returning lead running back on what was literally the most productive rushing offense in the history of college football last season, that’s most definitely enough to land you a spot on this list. 

Delacruz was the main cog of the Harding triple-option, flexbone machine that scampered for a beyond-belief total of 6,161 yards in all a season ago — the first 6,000-yard season on the ground for any team at any level in any year of NCAA football — and ended with the program’s first D-II national championship, with the Bisons’ pummeling Colorado Mines by a 38-7 margin in the title game. 

The Missouri native was one of two Harding backs to run for 1,000 yards, one of four to run for at least 500, and one of seven to run for at least 350 as he finished fifth nationally with 1,508 rushing yards in all off of 252 carries (5.98 yards per rush), and there’s no reason to think that the Bisons are going anywhere anytime soon with quarterback Cole Keylon — who ran for more yards (677) than he threw (661) — and fellow 1,000-yard back Braden Jay back with Delacruz for another run at D-II gold. 

Sure, the flexbone is sometimes not the most flashy style, but as long as it gets results (and Delacruz is churning up yards in the backfield), don’t expect Harding to change anything in the near future.

Braden Jay, Harding

It would feel wrong to include Delacruz in this list and then not include Jay in the same breath when talking about Harding’s record-smashing rushing offense from last season, considering that how they complement each other is a major reason why the program’s philosophy works so well. 

Whereas Delacruz holds down the fullback role for the Bisons in their patented flexbone offense, Jay was the team’s top slotback who would often be the team’s choice if it wanted to kick a run to the outside; just take one look at his slick 73-yard pitch and score in the third quarter of the national title game against Colorado Mines and you’ll see the role he plays and what he can do for the Bisons yourself. 

Jay finished with 1,075 yards with 12 touchdowns on the ground last season, but keep in mind that those numbers were picked up on just 86 carries, making him by far the national leader in yards per carry (12.5) and quite possibly the best big-play threat in all of D-II entering the fall. Plus, in the rare instance that Harding decides to throw the ball, Jay can also catch and run just fine, leading the team with eight catches for 168 yards and two scores in 2023.

Jariq Scales, Southern Arkansas

Though it was overshadowed by in-state rival Harding’s headline-grabbing rushing attack, Southern Arkansas’ ability to grind up yards on the ground was also very good in 2023 as the Muleriders finished third in D-II in rushing yards with 3,482 and 44 touchdowns. 

Besides Harding, SAU was the only other team in the country to have a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Scales and now-graduated quarterback OB Jones, who went to the CFL briefly with the Edmonton Elks; that leaves Scales with a lot of ground to make up (literally) for the Muleriders as he now preps for what would be a fourth straight 1,000-yard season if he can pick it up this fall. 

The odds are good for him to cross that threshold once again as he has 11 career games with 150 yards are more — including in back-to-back games to close SAU’s season last year, which ended with a Live United Bowl win over Missouri Western for the program’s first 10-win season since 1952 — and has no signs of slowing down, especially with even more touches up for grabs in one of the most run-heavy offenses in D-II.

Kendel Givens, Ouachita Baptist

There’s got to be something in the water in Arkansas that makes it a breeding ground for elite D-II running backs. 

OBU’s reigning Male Athlete of the Year and the only unanimous All-Great American Conference First Team choice as one of the top stars of one of the best leagues in D-II football, Givens was sensational in 2023 as he scampered for 1,227 yards and 21 touchdowns, the latter of which tied him for second in the country and contributed to him breaking the school’s all-time record for career rushing scores well before his junior year had even ended. 

Givens is 5-foot-9 but carries himself at a bruising 215 pounds, allowing him to push through piles effectively and give himself a great balance of power and flash; his nearly 3,000 career rushing yards entering his senior year, plus his great first act as the Tigers’ lead back last year following the graduation of All-American tailback T.J. Cole after the 2022 season, speak to that. OBU has a mountain to climb if it wants to catch Harding for both a GAC title and a spot among the D-II elites, but Givens is a great back to have in that pursuit.

Jada Byers, Virginia Union

One of the best HBCU players at any level of college football entering the 2024 season, Byers battled through injuries that forced him to miss two-and-a-half games in 2023 yet still finished with 1,186 yards on the ground with 16 touchdowns, the latter number of which ranked in the top 10 in D-II as he led the Panthers to their first conference title in 22 years plus a trip to the playoffs. 

That missed time dampened his hype last year after his stellar sophomore season he had in 2022, in which he finished third in Harlon Hill Trophy voting and was an All-American after an eye-popping 1,920 yards and 19 touchdowns. But with an offseason to get back to full health and VUU pushing for another trip to the postseason, a 2,000-yard season in 2024 is definitely not out of the question for Byers as long as he stays healthy. 

He’s only 5-7, but thanks to his balance plus blazing quick speed and agility, there will most likely be some NFL interest (potentially as a returner and/or multi-tooled type of player, similar to fellow undersized ex-small-schooler Tarik Cohen) in Byers once his decorated career with the Panthers wraps up.

Tyler Flanagan, Central Washington

Potentially D-II’s best team west of the Mississippi River heading into this season, Central Washington’s run to the national quarterfinals gets even better for Wildcats fans when they realize that many of the pieces who were crucial in that stretch are back for another go-round in Ellensburg. 

Flanagan is among the Cats who are back, and his career year in 2023 was a great return to form after he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opening game of the 2022 season. The Lone Star Conference’s Offensive Back of the Year had a career-high 1,014 yards and 12 touchdowns, hitting the 100-yard mark in a game five times with one such instance being a 143-yard, four-touchdown day against Western New Mexico. 

More injuries impacted Flanagan from being a major player in CWU’s playoff run as he was limited to a total of seven carries in the Cats’ three playoff games (while missing the second-round win over Bemidji State entirely), and CWU’s hope for him for 2024 will be that he keeps in good health and is able to chug along to another 1,000-yard season with expectations raised.

Kelvin Smith, Delta State

When “KJ” gets going for the Statesmen, there aren’t many other defenses that can consistently bring him down. While it was a bit of a slow start to the season last year for the eventual All-Gulf South Conference Second Team tailback as he only had 171 yards in his first four games combined, three 100-yard efforts the rest of the way solidified his spot as one of the best-rushing threats in the GSC. 

Then No. 19-ranked Valdosta State got a taste of Smith at his best during its game against DSU back on Oct. 7 of last year, when he tore the Blazers up for 181 yards on 23 carries with three touchdowns in what was a big top-25 showdown. Smith ended up with 875 rushing yards for the year with many of his touches being swallowed up by back-to-back GSC Offensive Player of the Year Patrick Shegog and his over 3,308 yards of total offense at quarterback, which included 690 yards running the ball. 

Now that Shegog has graduated, it’ll be a major challenge for the Statesmen to navigate life without him under center, but it’s also a major opportunity for Smith to relish being a potential true workhorse back for DSU this fall.

Idris Lawrence, Slippery Rock

Lawrence is at a new home for the 2024 season, but it wasn’t due to a decision on his end to enter the transfer portal after the season. Instead, like the rest of the Falcons’ football team, he was forced out of town due to circumstances beyond their control. 

After running for 1,145 yards and earning a First Team All-Mountain East Conference selection for Notre Dame College a season ago, Lawrence was forced to find another school this spring after NDC announced in February that it would be closing at the end of the spring semester. Slippery Rock quickly pounced on the opportunity to add Lawrence, and The Rock now has one of the most lethal offenses in all of D-II because of it. 

Together with star quarterback and Harlon Hill Trophy finalist Brayden Long and fellow MEC transfer Rashawn Harvey (West Liberty) arriving at receiver, Lawrence and Slippery Rock should be a lot of fun to watch move the ball down the field as one of D-II’s strongest programs over the past decade appears primed and ready for another good year. 

Myren Harris, Davenport

Those who have been following Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football on FloFootball for some time now know all about Harris, who moved to a new school for 2023 in Davenport but still romped his way to an award-winning season. 

The 5-11 Harris began his college career at Wayne State, where he was an All-GLIAC First Team tailback and second in the country in yards per carry in 2021 in his first year playing for the program when he tallied a 1,000-yard campaign. His production slipped a bit during his final year at WSU in 2022, but Harris got right back to business once he joined the Panthers; winning the GLIAC’s Offensive Back of the Year award, he immediately became DU’s single-season rushing record holder with 976 yards and four touchdowns on 153 carries, putting up a strong 6.38 yards per rush. 

Crucial to Davenport’s fantastic 8-2 season last year in which it started 8-0 before running into Ferris State and Grand Valley State buzzsaws, the vibes are good in the Panthers’ locker room right now, and they’ll get even better if Harris lives up to his potential as an All-American-level back.

Marcellous Hawkins, Central Missouri

Though the Mules’ offense a season ago was mainly known for the record-setting campaign of Harlon Hill Trophy-winning quarterback Zach Zebrowski, don’t sleep on Hawkins, an incoming junior from Oklahoma City. 

Just like his teammate under center, 2023 was a breakout campaign for Hawkins, who became UCM’s main option in the backfield by finishing with 1,053 yards on 157 carries with 18 scores for a strong average of 6.7 yards per rush. He had four games of at least 140 rushing yards or better, with the most being a 183-yard, three-touchdown day against Emporia State in the regular season, but Hawkins’ role did decrease a bit as the season went along as he only had 18 carries combined in the final three games of the year, with Zebrowski and the passing game getting the lion’s share of the attention on offense once UCM got to the playoffs. 

Still, Hawkins’ ability to turn a game in the Mules’ favor by himself forces defenses to respect him and not just pile all their resources onto stopping Zebrowski and the receiving corps — and if they don’t respect Hawkins and what he can do on the ground, chances are that they’re going to get burned for it. 

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