Who has the most rushing yards in a college football season?

Before becoming an NFL MVP and a Hall of Fame running back for the Detroit Lions, Barry Sanders tore through defenses for Oklahoma State, where he recorded one of the most dominant individual seasons in college football history.

During his junior campaign in 1988, Sanders rushed for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns in 11 regular-season games. Sanders also had a kick return touchdown and returned a punt for a score. He finished the season with 3,249 all-purpose yards, was named the Walter Camp Player of the Year and won the Maxwell Award and the Heisman Trophy.

Sanders received 559 first-place votes for the Heisman. USC QB Rodney Peete, Sanders' longtime teammate with the Lions, garnered the second-most first-place votes, with 70.

Sanders' 2,628 rushing yards in 1988 remain a single-season record. Here is a look at the greatest single-season rushing performances in FBS history:

2,628 - Barry Sanders (Oklahoma State) in 11 games in 1988

2,601 - Ashton Jeanty (Boise State) in 14 games in 2024

2,587 - Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin) in 14 games in 2014

2,567 - Kevin Smith (UCF) in 14 games in 2007

2,342 - Marcus Allen (USC) in 11 games in 1981

2,248 - Rashaad Penny (San Diego State) in 13 games in 2017

2,219 - Derrick Henry (Alabama) in 15 games in 2015

2,194 - Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin) in 13 games in 2018

2,185 - Troy Davis (Iowa State) in 11 games in 1996

2,177 - Andre Williams (Boston College) in 13 games in 2013

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