The running back position was always a fascinating position to fill for a school that has developed a reputation for their "air raid" offense. Quarterbacks are the stars, and the receivers the beneficiaries as the pigskin is flung from one end of the field to the other.
But as BYU football took to the skies, the running backs fell a bit out of the mainstream. More specialized weapons than workhorse load-bearers, getting elite talent at running back was a major area of concern. Until the turn of the century, that is.
Legendary names populate BYU football's record books, and countless talents stuffed the stat sheet from Provo's backfield. Here are the very best this program has to offer.
1. Luke Staley
Luke Staley is a BYU legend and was a tragic injury away from being a national legend as well. It could be an article of its own how if he doesn’t get injured in the Cougars' second-to-last game of the regular season against Mississippi State, BYU likely goes undefeated in 2001, is the first BCS Buster, and Staley a Heisman finalist, if not the outright winner.
He had 196 carries for 1,582 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground with 32 catches for 334 yards and four touchdowns receiving in 10.5 games. His 24 rushing touchdowns were the most rushing touchdowns in the nation, and his 28 overall were the most total touchdowns in college football, as were his 170 points. His 1,930 yards from scrimmage were the second most in the nation. His 2,004 total yards were the most ever by a BYU player and are still second all-time for the Cougars.
BYU was 11-0 with him playing, and they averaged outscoring their opponents by three touchdowns, 49-28. Without him, they were 1-2 and averaged losing 26-40. That’s a 35-point swing! I’m not sure a single player in BYU’s vaunted history had more of a direct impact on his team than Luke Staley. That’s why he’s not only the best running back of the last 25 years, but of all-time in BYU history!
2. Tyler Allgeier
Allgeier had more than his share of BYU rushing records, and we’ll get to them, but his legacy at BYU is of winning, getting BYU to the Big 12, and getting back to winning the Holy War. Zach Wilson got most of the headlines, but Tyler Allgeier was just as important in BYU’s special 2020 season, as they went 11-1. Allgeier had 1,304 total yards in 2020, 1,130 of them rushing the football on 150 carries for a whopping 7.5 yards per carry. He also found the endzone 13 times that year.
#25 would go out with a bang in his final season in 2021. On Friday, September 10th, 2021, after leading BYU to a win over Arizona the previous Saturday, the Cougars would receive and accept an invitation to join the Big 12 Conference in 2023. Allgeier and BYU would play Utah the next day and for the first time since November 28th, 2009, the Cougars would defeat the Utes in the Holy War. Allgeier would have over 100 yards in the 26-17 win. He’d finish his final season at BYU with 1,606 rushing yards, the program's single-season record, and 23 rushing touchdowns. Allgeier would leave BYU with over 2,900 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns.
3. Curtis Brown
Curtis Brown was a critical part of the Cougars' resurgence at the beginning of the Bronco Mendenhall Era. He and John Beck form one of the all-time BYU quarterback-running back duos. In year one under Mendenhall, after three straight losing seasons, BYU would go 6-6 and build for the future. Brown 1,123 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns with 454 more yards and two more touchdowns receiving.
It was 2006, though, when BYU, Beck, and Brown would pay off the grinding and rebuilding they’d done in Provo. Brown would have his second straight 1,000-yard season rushing with 1,010 yards and seven touchdowns. He’d again be a huge threat catching the football with 566 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He’d be the first and only BYU player to post consecutive seasons with over 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns in two straight seasons. BYU would go 11-2 in ’06, winning the Mountain West, beating Utah, and beating Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl. Brown would leave BYU with the most all-purpose yards in school history with 4,996 yards.
4. Jamaal Williams
Williams had 726 carries for 3,901 yards and 35 touchdowns rushing. He added another 567 yards on 60 catches and a touchdown receiving. Williams’ 4,468 total yards is fifth all-time in BYU history. Jamaal Williams’ career mirrored that of the quarterback from his time at BYU, Taysom Hill. They both battled injuries, though Williams not as much as Hill, but when healthy, were stars and could run on anyone they played.
In his senior season, Williams had 1,375 yards rushing and scored 12 touchdowns. He set the BYU single-game rushing record in the 55-53 shootout win over Toledo. His 286 rushing yards stand to this day, and his five rushing touchdowns tied the record for rushing touchdowns in a game. He shares that record with Luke Staley and Tyler Allgeier.
5. Harvey Unga
Harvey Unga is similar to Luke Staley in that we can’t help but wonder what might have been. You wish you could see what his senior season of 2010 would have been like with him on the field. If nothing else, the one-point loss in the Holy War might have shifted back BYU’s way. Regardless, Unga had a fantastic career at BYU and is one of the most beloved players and running backs in Cougar history.
Like when Max Hall passed the torch from John Beck and ran with it at quarterback, Harvey Unga did likewise from Curtis Brown. And like Brown, Unga could carry the ball and catch the ball. In 43 games, Harvey Unga had 696 carries for 3,455 yards and 36 touchdowns, averaging 5.0 yards per carry over his career. He also had 102 receptions for 1,085 yards and nine touchdown catches. His 4,540 career yards are fourth all-time for BYU. BYU was 32-7 in Unga’s three years as the starting running back.
Honorable Mention: LJ Martin: Depending on how the rest of his career turns out, Martin could crack this list, especially as he is poised to have a big 2025 season.