Establish the run. That’s long been a coaching maxim in football, but it’s repeated because it’s true.
The 2025 season has already produced some huge rushing performances across every level of North Carolina college football. North Carolina Central’s Chris Mosley and NC State’s Hollywood Smothers are leading the charge in overall season totals, while others like Wake Forest’s Demond Claiborne and NC Wesleyan’s Nahjiir Seagraves have delivered eye-popping single-game outings.
One underlying connection: each of these schools committed to running the ball have winning records through the first month of the season. Mosley ranks third in FCS in total rushing, while Smothers tops the list in the ACC (5th nationally). Seagraves has the eighth-best rushing tally in D3 football, eclipsing 100 yards in each of NC Wesleyan’s first three games. Catawba’s Bennett Galloway ranks eighth in D2 football.
Here’s a look at the North Carolina college football’s rushing leaders through Week 4 — plus the biggest individual rushing performances of the year so far.
Running Wild #1Pack1Goal | @h3llywood pic.twitter.com/WCjfn4sqqG — NC State Football (@PackFootball) September 23, 2025
👉 Check out our Statewide Stats Leaders Page to view North Carolina college football stat leaders in other offensive, defensive and special teams categories like passing, receiving, tackles and punting.
🏃 Top 10 Rushing Leaders in North Carolina (Through Week 4)
- Chris Mosley (NC Central, FCS, Sr, RB) – 535 yards | 107.0 YPG | 6.9 YPC
- Hollywood Smothers (NC State, FBS, So, RB) – 503 yards | 125.8 YPG | 6.3 YPC
- Nahjiir Seagraves (NC Wesleyan, D3, Jr, RB) – 449 yards | 149.7 YPG | 8.0 YPC
- Bennett Galloway (Catawba, D2, Jr, RB) – 432 yards | 108.0 YPG | 6.9 YPC
- Rashod Dubinion (App State, FBS, Sr, RB) – 400 yards | 133.3 YPG | 5.6 YPC
- Xavier Pugh (Wingate, D2, So, RB) – 311 yards | 103.7 YPG | 5.4 YPC
- Quasean Holmes (Gardner-Webb, FCS, Sr, RB) – 301 yards | 75.3 YPG | 5.5 YPC
- Kevin Lalin (Catawba, D2, Jr, RB) – 296 yards | 98.7 YPG | 8.0 YPC
- Bobby Smith (Johnson C. Smith, D2, So, LB/RB) – 295 yards | 73.8 YPG | 5.3 YPC
- Jon Gullette (Mars Hill, D2, Jr, RB) – 288 yards | 96.0 YPG | 6.5 YPC
🔥 Touchdown Machines (4+ TDs)
- Xavier Pugh (Wingate, D2, So, RB) – 6 TDs in 3 games
- Bennett Galloway (Catawba, D2, Jr, RB) – 6 TDs in 4 games
- Nahjiir Seagraves (NC Wesleyan, D3, Jr, RB) – 5 TDs in 3 games
- Kelvin Durham (Johnson C. Smith, D2, Sr, QB) – 5 TDs in 4 games
- Demond Claiborne (Wake Forest, FBS, Sr, RB) – 4 TDs in 3 games
- Hollywood Smothers (NC State, FBS, So, RB) – 4 TDs in 4 games
- Jackson Parrish (Barton, D2, So, RB) – 4 TDs in 4 games
- Landen Clark (Elon, FCS, Fr, QB) – 4 TDs in 4 games
- Nate Hampton (Gardner-Webb, FCS, Sr, QB) – 4 TDs in 4 games
- Tre Robinson (UNC Pembroke, D2, So, QB) – 4 TDs in 4 games
- Chris Mosley (NC Central, FCS, Sr, RB) – 4 TDs in 5 games
💥 Top Single-Game Rushing Performances (2025)
- 194 yards – Rashod Dubinion (App State, Week 2 vs. Lindenwood)
- 193 yards – Demond Claiborne (Wake Forest, Week 2 vs. Western Carolina) – just 10 carries, 3 TDs, including an 85-yarder.
- 174 yards – Chris Mosley (NC Central, Week 0 vs. Southern) – MEAC/SWAC Challenge MVP.
- 173 yards – Kyjuan Westmoreland (Greensboro, Week 3 vs. Roanoke)
- 168 yards – Chris Mosley (NC Central, Week 4 at NC A&T) – 3 touchdowns in the Aggie-Eagle rivalry game.
- 164 yards – Hollywood Smothers (NC State, Week 3 at Wake Forest)
- 159 yards – Nahjiir Seagraves (NC Wesleyan, Week 3 at Apprentice School) – 4 TD performance.
- 154 yards – Khamoni Robinson (Lenoir-Rhyne QB, Week 3 vs. Emory & Henry) – 2 TDs, including an 83-yarder for Bears’ signal caller.
