Is Jarquez Hunter one of college football's Top-10 running backs for the 2023 season?

AUBURN — Don’t look now, but Auburn’s Jarquez Hunter is gaining national attention as one of the best running backs in the country entering the 2023 season.

The On3 Sports college football staff recently ranked the top running backs in the country as spring camp approaches across the nation, and there’s Hunter ranked No. 5 overall.

Here’s what was said about Hunter:

Hunter doesn’t have the production of some of the other players on this list, but you have to keep in mind that Auburn was a team essentially going through a coaching change during the season. Hunter is plenty versatile and ran for 668 yards and seven touchdowns, as well as catching 17 passes for 224 yards and two scores. He’ll be a terrific weapon in the hands of Hugh Freeze.

It’s well-deserved attention for one of the most versatile and well-rounded backs in college football. Jarquez Hunter has rushed for 1,261 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first two seasons behind Bigsby, averaging 6.7 and 6.4 yards per carry each of his first two seasons. He’s also caught 29 passes and scored three touchdowns receiving, so he’s a threat out of the backfield as well.

And he did all of that as the No. 2 back, in an offense that lacked identity, and behind an offensive line that often times didn’t produce much room to run. There’s a reason Bigsby’s yards after contact nearly led the nation last fall.

RELATED: PREVIEWING THE AUBURN RB ROOM BEFORE SPRING CAMP STARTS

Maybe the most promising part of Hunter’s production came in the last three games of the 2022 season. Following the firing of Bryan Harsin, the Tigers’ offense went run heavy with Cadillac Williams taking over head-coaching duties and Will Friend leaning on the strengths of the offensive line. Here’s what that meant for Jarquez Hunter:

He rushed for three straight 100-yard games, totaling 357 rushing yards against Texas A&M, Western Kentucky and Alabama. He averaged 8.8, 8.4 and 12.2 yards per carry in each of those three games.

Jarquez Hunter would appear to be poised for a 1,000-yard-plus rushing season this fall with new offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery and Freeze dialing up the plays for the Tigers.

The rest of the Top 10 outside of Jarquez Hunter

1. Blake Corum, Michigan: Want a guy you can just hand the ball off to and have good things happen? Look no further than Corum, who carried a hefty load in the Michigan backfield. Corum single-handedly beat a couple teams last season, toting the rock 247 times for 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was a major reason Michigan made a repeat appearance in the College Football Playoff.

2. Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss: The freshman took the SEC by storm, racking up a wild 1,4567 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground for the Rebels. He even showed the versatility to catch the ball out of the backfield, boasting 15 catches for 132 yards and a touchdown. If he can expand those pass-catching abilities further he’ll be a living nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators.

3. Nick Singleton, Penn State: Another of the freshman phenoms last year, Singleton sure didn’t look like a freshman. At 6 foot, 219 pounds he packed a serious punch and Penn State wasn’t afraid to use it. A veritable battering ram at times, Singleton amassed 1,061 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 156 carries as a true freshman.

4. Raheim Sanders, Arkansas: Affectionately dubbed “Rocket,” Sanders exploded onto the scene as a sophomore after getting decent run as a freshman in 2021. He doubled his carries but nearly tripled his yardage output from freshman to sophomore season, totaling 1,443 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 28 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns, flexing his versatility.

6. Miyan Williams, Ohio State: A junior in 2022, Williams is one of the most experienced players on this ranking of the top 10 running backs in college football. He’s been plenty productive, though, having run for 825 yards and 14 touchdowns last season on just 128 carries. He’s one part of a deadly one-two punch in the Buckeyes’ backfield.

7. TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State: And part two of that one-two punch is Henderson. Henderson was banged up for much of the 2022 campaign, so his numbers don’t stand up super well to the rest of the list. But the talent is undeniable when he’s healthy. He ran for 1,248 yards and 15 scores as a freshman back in 2021.

8. Donovan Edwards, Michigan: Not to be outdone with a terrific one-two combo in the backfield, Michigan boasts its own with Corum and Edwards. Edwards managed to pile up some impressive yardage on a 7.1 yards per carry average, totaling 991 yards and seven touchdowns on just 140 carries.

9. Trey Benson, Florida State: The first inclusion on our top 10 running backs in college football from the ACC, Benson just narrowly missed the 1,000-yard mark a year ago. He ran for 990 yards and nine touchdowns on 154 carries, sporting an impressive 6.4 yards per carry as the complement to quarterback Jordan Travis. Florida State’s offense should be lethal again.

10. Braelon Allen, Wisconsin: Yet another Big Ten back on our list, Allen was one of the few bright spots during a relatively disappointing 2022 season for the Badgers. He ran for 1,242 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season, while also chipping in 13 catches for 104 yards. At times he single-handedly powered the offense as the passing game went into and out of sync.