ESPN this week published an article ranking college football’s 100 best running backs of the past 60 years (subscription required).
Clemson legend C.J. Spiller — a College Football Hall of Famer and 2009 ACC Player of the Year and unanimous first-team All-American — did not appear on the list, authored by ESPN staff writer Bill Connelly.
It’s certainly surprising to see Spiller excluded from the list, as he was one of the most dynamic players in college football history.
Spiller recorded 21 career touchdowns covering at least 50 yards and still holds ACC single-season and career records for all-purpose yards, posting 2,680 in 2009 and finishing his career with 7,588, which was second-most in FBS history at the time of his graduation.
Meanwhile, Clemson’s Travis Etienne made Connelly’s list, but not by much.
The two-time ACC Player of the Year and three-time first-team All-America honoree is ranked at the bottom of Connelly’s list as the 95th-best running back of the past six decades.
That ranking doesn’t seem appropriate for a player that completed one of the most prolific careers in Clemson, ACC and college football history across the 2017-20 seasons, rushing 686 times for 4,952 yards with 70 rushing touchdowns and catching 102 passes for 1,155 and eight receiving touchdowns over 55 games (42 starts).
Etienne is the NCAA FBS record holder for most career games scoring a touchdown (46 of his 55 career games) and the ACC career record-holder for rushing yards (4,952), total touchdowns (78), rushing touchdowns (70) and points (468). He became the ACC’s all-time leading rusher in 2020, surpassing a mark held by NC State’s Ted Brown since 1978.
The first four ranked ahead of Etienne on Connelly’s list are Mel Renfro of Oregon (No. 94), Mel Farr of UCLA (No. 93), Jim Grabowski of Illinois (No. 92) and Mercury Morris of West Texas A&M (No. 91).
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