Talking season for the 2026-27 college football season is right around the corner. ESPN is already getting the talking started by naming the top-10 best running backs in College Football. Miami Hurricanes star-studded running back Mark Fletcher made the list of the top-10 best running backs in the country. The website listed Fletcher as the nation's No. 4 best player in his position group.
After the 2025-26 season concluded, Fletcher had a decision to make. Would he enter his name into the 2026 NFL Draft, or would he come back for another year? He ultimately made the decision to come back for his senior season under head coach Mario Cristobal.
During the 2025-26 season, Fletcher started at running back for the Hurricanes' where he recorded a total of 1,192 rushing yards on 216 carries, and he also tallied 12 rushing touchdowns. Fletcher made it known this past season with the Hurricanes that he was one of the best running backs in the country. He has a powerful downhill running game and can make players miss.
ESPN ranked three running backs ahead of Fletcher: No. 1 Kewan Lacy, No. 2 Jaden Baugh, No. 3 Ahmad Hardy. Fletcher played both Lacy and Baugh this past season, and he had more rushing yards than both of them.
Baugh vs. Fletcher:
Fletcher: (24 carries, 116 rushing yards, 1 touchdown)
Baugh: (12 carries, 46 rushing yards, 1 touchdown)
Lacy vs. Fletcher:
Fletcher: (22 carries, 133 rushing yards)
Lacy: (11 carries, 103 rushing yards, 1 touchdown)
Here is what ESPN had to say about Mark Fletcher:
Fletcher cemented himself among the sport's elite big-game performers during Miami's playoff run last season. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native totaled 507 rushing yards on 6.8 yards per carry across four CFP games, an overwhelming stretch that included a 172-yard effort against Texas A&M and a 112-yard, two-touchdown performance against Indiana in January's national title game. A third-team All-ACC selection, Fletcher set career highs in carries (216), rushing yards (1,192) and rushing touchdowns (12) in his junior season. His powerful, downhill running style, paired with Miami's physical blocking scheme, makes the 6-2 225-pounder a handful for opposing defenses. A chunk-play machine, Fletcher ranked 11th nationally with 36 runs of 10-plus yards and converted 31 of his 39 rushes in short-yardage situations (2 yards to gain or less) for first downs or touchdowns, per ESPN Research. One nitpick is that Fletcher does not possess the game-breaking speed or pass-catching ability that some of his counterparts do, but last season's CFP run left little doubt about Fletcher's dominance. -- ESPN.
