FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - One position group that Arkansas seems to have done well building is at running back.
It all starts with Memphis 5th-year transfer Sutton Smith and junior Braylen Russell, who are expected to receive a large portion of snaps in the season opener on Saturday against North Alabama. The Razorbacks have historically produced a strong running game no matter the coach and last year was no different.
Since 2000, Arkansas has seen 12 different players rush for 1,000 yards each with two of them doing it three times each in Darren McFadden and Alex Collins . The Razorbacks could add another name to that list this fall, although Cramsey's preference for spreading touches among versatile backs could make another 1,000-yard season less likely.
Arkansas Razorbacks running back Mike Washington runs against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images
| Player (Year) |
Yards |
|---|---|
| Fred Talley (2002) |
1,119 |
| Cedric Cobbs (2003) |
1,320 |
| Darren McFadden (2005-2007) |
1,112, 1,647 and 1,830 |
| Felix Jones (2006-2007) |
1,168 and 1,162 |
| Michael Smith (2008) |
1,072 |
| Knile Davis (2010) |
1,322 |
| Jonathan Williams (2013) |
1,190 |
| Alex Collins (2013-15) |
1,026, 1,100 and 1,577 |
| Rawleigh Williams (2016) |
1,360 |
| Rakeem Boyd (2019) |
1,233 |
| Rocket Sanders (2022) |
1,443 |
| Mike Washington (2025) |
1,020 |
During offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey's time at Memphis, his offense produced a 1,000 yard rusher twice in four seasons. Once with Mario Anderson, Jr. (2024) and Blake Watson (2023) while he had three players eclipse the 500-yard mark on the ground last season.
But a good chunk of the work at running back comes through the air as they caught 62 passes (2025), 82 (2024), 76 (2023), and 55 (2022). While this year's team likely won't pull down around 70 receptions out of the backfield in 2026, that's at least the precedent Cramsey wants moving forward.
"Yeah, I like where we're at in the run department," Cramsey said on Tuesday. "We got a couple guys back there, Sutton and Braylen, they really complement each other. There's things Sutton can do that Braylen isn't the best at, and then vice versa. And then you've got Cam Settles back there who is kind of the complete back.
Arkansas Razorbacks running back Sutton Smith looks for running room during spring practice | Sutton Smith, Instagra
"The young guys, Jasper [Parker], T.J [Hodges], and [Markeylin] Batton add some depth to that room. Those top three guys with Sutton back to full go and Braylen probably 20 pounds lighter than what you all know him as, but still a big back for us. Those two guys complement each other very well. They allow us to do a couple things [by] rotating those guys in."
Smith's advantage is his experience and knowledge of a system that really fits his style of play. While he was a junior in high school at George Walton High School in Georgia, he played mostly slot receiver before coach Ryan Silverfield requested that he show off what he could do as a running back.
That little bit of belief by the first-year Arkansas coach created a strong sense of loyalty between the two and it's resulted in a successful college career to this point. While Smith is considered an all-purpose back due to his threat as a return man, he has shown off his hands plenty over the past four seasons by recording 44 receptions for 332 yards and a pair of scores in the pass game.
Even Russell has shown some proficiency as a pass-catcher with seven career receptions for 47 yards. While he has trimmed up significantly over the summer, he's still a bigger back capable of picking up short-yardage and seems to have a renewed burst of speed.
Sophomore Cam Settles didn't receive many reps until the latter portion of 2025, but he's become a "Swiss Army Knife" of sorts for the Razorbacks' offense as Cramsey refers to him as "the complete back."
While Arkansas might have a strong rushing attack, it all comes down to how well the offense can execute in the passing game with KJ Jackson going into the season as a full-time starter for the first time in his career.
"Then, [Settles] being the complete back allows us, especially in some third down situations, to use him in some ways," Cramsey said. "So I feel good about the run game, but the run game is going to be strictly predicated upon how can we throw the ball. Starting with these guys, I don't care who you play. It's going to be the same thing I tell you every week.
"The defense is going to try and stop the run. They're going to force us to throw and catch. And if we can't throw and catch, then we ain't gonna run the ball well because there's gonna be an extra hat down there. So the game complements itself. The run game, the pass game complements itself, and we've got to be good in the throw game for the run game to improve."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arkansas as Razorbacks' Loaded Backfield Gives OC Tim Cramsey Multiple Ways to Attack .
