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.

 

It’s true even if our fans get mad at it. It’s a fair take.

Just think our OL last season and put Baugh back there or Lacy. They would put up monster numbers imo. Fletcher is great but that’s what he lacks, it’s fair even if homers don’t agree.

Baugh is good, Gator or not.

I love Fletcher but prior to the playoffs, he was a very polarizing player. He does lack breakaway speed. Him at 5 is fair. That said, not sure I would take anyone else over him in the playoffs. Playoff Mark is another dimension.

 

I love all the annual Gaytor slurps, keep them coming, it makes their seasonal demise that much better.

 

Baugh is trash.

1/3 of his rushing yards last year came against Long Island and FSU.

Mark Fletcher earned every bit of acclaim during the playoffs last year. He was An animal against the absolute best defenses in the country. With very little threat to stretch defenses in our pass game, he ran through over and around teams who knew what was coming. He’s got plenty of speed for a guy his size. You don’t have two 50+ yard runs in the playoffs if you’re slow. There’s only so many Bo Jacksons out there running 4.3 at 230lbs.

 

I'm not trading Mark for any of em

 

Mark bout to shut them all up

 

It’s an embarrassment of riches in our RB room. Be interesting to see how Dawson allocates carries.

 

 

Baugh is trash.

1/3 of his rushing yards last year came against Long Island and FSU.

Mark Fletcher earned every bit of acclaim during the playoffs last year. He was An animal against the absolute best defenses in the country. With very little threat to stretch defenses in our pass game, he ran through over and around teams who knew what was coming. He’s got plenty of speed for a guy his size. You don’t have two 50+ yard runs in the playoffs if you’re slow. There’s only so many Bo Jacksons out there running 4.3 at 230lbs.

You are thinking just like me. Baugh had half of his yards and TDs against LIU, FSU and Miss ST.
Hardy feasted on those same kinds of teams and the only really good game he had against a quality team was Texas AM.
Now if someone wants to rank Lacy ahead of Mark, I won't have push back there.
Not saying that Baugh and Hardy aren't good backs, they certainly are. But ahead of Mark? No way for me.
Also add in that Mark doesn't get as many stretch and outside runs as other backs do and primarily runs straight up the middle in formations and situations where we are basically telling the other team what we are going to do.
As far as blocking and pass protection, Mark is elite, but I have to be honest I didn't watch the others as closely to see how they fare in that area to compare and rank.

 

Wouldn’t trade him for anyone because of his

Rudy Ruettiger > Myles Garret because of

 

He's the heart and soul of that lockerroom. He nakes everybody better. That makes him the best all around player at that position.

 

Fair top 5.

Spot the **** ball already.

 

Fletcher's playoff run was historic. He's a Canes legend. He may end up the Canes all time leading rusher.

But this 4 game swing in how he's perceived is pretty amazing.

Last season Fletcher finished 6th in All-ACC votes for RB's & no one argued against it.

Now ranking him the 4th in all of college football is disrespectful.

 

Fletcher's playoff run was historic. He's a Canes legend. He may end up the Canes all time leading rusher.

But this 4 game swing in how he's perceived is pretty amazing.

Last season Fletcher finished 6th in All-ACC votes for RB's & no one argued against it.

Now ranking him the 4th in all of college football is dis

Because people out a premium on big game performances. If Fletcher had padded his numbers against overmatched regular season opponents and flopped in the playoffs, nobody would be on his hype train. Personally, seeing a guy run that good against essentially three elite defenses, (Ole Miss is a notch below the other three playoff defenses we faced) is much more validating. I don’t care about guys putting up numbers against Stanford or USF.

 

It must be tough to watch your once superior SEC product turning to sht before your eyes...

Although as I type that I think ESPN should really be used to it by now.

I'm going to assume you misused the word "your" in the first sentence - and wasn't directing that at me.

Because I've been a hardcore UM fan since 1973 - when we really sucked - more than a Black Hole.

Did I assume correctly?

 

This is one the most impressive young men I’ve seen on a Canes team in a very long time. Not only is he great on the field, but he is as close to a perfect role model there is. Just listening to a few of his interviews, it would be hard even for rivals not to root for him, just a great young man!

 

It’s true even if our fans get mad at it. It’s a fair take.

Just think our OL last season and put Baugh back there or Lacy. They would put up monster numbers imo. Fletcher is great but that’s what he lacks, it’s fair even if homers don’t agree.

I'll say not elite in acceleration for sure, but 6'2 and 220 plus is hard to get going. His top end speed is more than adequate as he proved in the playoff games.

 

Fletcher was a different person during the playoff run.

 

Yep.

There are times when I consider ESPN - to be FOS.

It’s always that time, somewhere.

 

Because people out a premium on big game performances. If Fletcher had padded his numbers against overmatched regular season opponents and flopped in the playoffs, nobody would be on his hype train. Personally, seeing a guy run that good against essentially three elite defenses, (Ole Miss is a notch below the other three playoff defenses we faced) is much more validating. I don’t care about guys putting up numbers against Stanford or USF.

I get that & agree big game performances should be weighted more. But people only "sort of" do that.

Fletcher averaged 6.8 ypc in 4 playoff games - but only 4.2 in 8 regular season games.

Miami's last 2 games in 2024 were vs ranked teams - Martinez 11.0 - Fletcher 4.3 - Lyle 3.3

The main thing to watch is - his running style changed for the better in the playoffs (mainly running straight vs trying to make moves in the open field). Will that continue or will he revert?

IMO it's legit to rank Fletcher in the Top 5 RB's. That new style is the key to justifying it.

 

Mark needs to be somewhat limited in the regular season. We need playoff Mark in December/January fresh and ready.