North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton has the most carries and most yards. Catawba’s LJ Turner has the most trips to the end zone.
North Carolina Football News checks in on the state’s collegiate rushing leaders through week 7, and these two standouts have galloped their way to the top of the Old North State stat sheets.
Hampton from Clayton (Cleveland HS) has 901 yards on 155 carries thus far for the Tar Heels. His yardage total ranks third among NCAA FBS players beyond Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty (1,248) and Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson (937).
Turner from Palm Bay, Fla. (Heritage HS) has the best single-game rushing performance in the state thus far: 329 yards and five touchdowns against Anderson in week six. That massive output, plus this week’s two-TD effort against Limestone, pushes Turner’s touchdown total to 10 for the season.
Turner is second in our state and in NCAA Division II in total rushing yardage (855). He’s tied for third in D2 in rushing touchdowns.
Here are other notes about our state’s rushing leaders, followed by a chart of the top rushers by yards, touchdowns, yards-per-game and yards-per-carry:
* Davidson’s Mari Adams leads all FCS rushers in the state and is third overall. He’s at 749 yards (8 touchdowns) after six contests. His rushing total is sixth-best in FCS.
* North Carolina Wesleyan’s Anthony Byrd leads our D3 rushers and is fourth in the state in total rushing yards with 721 (5 TDs). Byrd has the best per-game average of anyone in North Carolina, earning 144.2 yards per contest for the Battling Bishops. Turner isn’t far behind, averaging 142.5 per game.
* Five North Carolina players are averaging more than 100 yards per game: Byrd, Turner, Hampton (128.7), Adams and Lenoir-Rhyne’s Zayvion Turner-Knox (118.7), though Knox has missed three games.
* North Carolina A&T’s Kenji Christian also has missed games this season, but his 8.8 yards-per-carry average is the best in the Old North State. Adams is second in this category, averaging 7.3 yards per contest.
* J’Mari Taylor (North Carolina Central) and Mason Sheron (Davidson) have each scored nine rushing touchdowns. Adams has eight, while Hampton, Quavaris Crouch (Johnson C. Smith) and Chancellor Lee-Parker (Brevard) have found the end zone seven times.
* Hampton and Adams crossed the 1,000-yard rushing barrier last season. Mason Sheron was just a few first downs away. Can all three make it to 1,000 this season? Who else will join them?
All-North Carolina Rushing Leaders | Rushing Yards
Minimum 250 Yards
RUSHING LEADERS YDS/ YDS/ PLAYER (SCHOOL) DIV CLASS POSITION GAMES ATT TD TOTAL PER GAME PER ATT. Omarion Hampton (North Carolina) FBS Jr. RB 7 155 7 901 128.7 5.8 LJ Turner (Catawba) D2 Jr. RB 6 123 10 855 142.5 7.0 Mari Adams (Davidson) FCS Jr. RB 6 102 8 749 124.8 7.3 Anthony Byrd (NC Wesleyan) D3 Sr. RB 5 103 5 721 144.2 7.0 Trevon Hester (Winston-Salem State) D2 Jr. RB 7 112 4 638 91.1 5.7 Mohamed Nyanamukenga (Livingstone) D2 Jr. RB 7 132 2 609 87.0 4.6 J’Mari Taylor (North Carolina Central) FCS Jr. RB 7 116 9 594 84.9 5.1 Travon Tensley (Shaw) D2 So. RB 7 102 2 563 80.4 5.5 Star Thomas (Duke) FBS Sr. RB 6 113 3 528 88.0 4.7 Mason Sheron (Davidson) FCS Jr. RB 6 88 9 527 87.8 6.0 Demond Claiborne (Wake Forest) FBS Jr. RB 6 99 6 524 87.3 5.3 TJ Thomas Jr. (Elon) FCS Fr. RB 6 69 4 444 74.0 6.4 Rahjai Harris (East Carolina) FBS Sr. RB 6 100 3 397 66.2 4.0 Branson Adams (Western Carolina) FCS Jr. RB 6 74 4 375 62.5 5.1 Zayvion Turner-Knox (Lenoir-Rhyne) D2 Jr. RB 3 72 4 356 118.7 4.9 Jadien Deaton (Brevard) D3 Sr. RB 4 45 1 350 87.5 7.8 Quavaris Crouch (Johnson C. Smith) D2 Sr. RB 5 73 7 329 65.8 4.5 Malik Woodard (Guilford) D3 So. RB 5 75 2 329 65.8 4.4 Chancellor Lee-Parker (Brevard) D3 Sr. RB 4 53 7 318 79.5 6.0 Edward Saydee (Gardner-Webb) FCS Sr. RB 6 72 1 314 52.3 4.4 Sajari Love (Methodist) D3 So. RB 6 80 2 309 51.5 3.9 Avante George (Johnson C. Smith) D2 Jr. RB 6 58 2 307 51.2 5.3 Hahsaun Wilson (Charlotte) FBS Jr. RB 6 47 5 307 51.2 6.5 Carson Gresock (Gardner-Webb) FCS So. RB 6 63 6 301 50.2 4.8 Evan Sullivan (Guilford) D3 So. RB 5 57 0 295 59.0 5.2 Alex Boyd (Lenoir-Rhyne) D2 Jr. RB 6 70 6 288 48.0 4.1 Kanye Roberts (Appalachian State) FBS So. RB 6 66 1 285 47.5 4.3 Kendrick Raphael (NC State) FBS So. RB 7 48 3 277 39.6 5.8 Maurice Smith (Chowan) D2 Fr. QB 4 53 3 270 67.5 5.1 Jordan Waters (NC State) FBS Sr. RB 7 66 2 260 37.1 3.9 Traquan Johnson (Shaw) D2 So. RB 4 41 2 259 64.8 6.3 Kenji Christian (North Carolina A&T) FCS Jr. RB 3 29 1 256 85.3 8.8 Kamarro Edmonds (Johnson C. Smith) D2 Jr. RB 5 53 2 255 51.0 4.8
Rushing Touchdowns
Minimum 4 TDs
RUSHING TD LEADERS PLAYER (SCHOOL) DIV CLASS POSITION GAMES ATT TD LJ Turner (Catawba) D2 Jr. RB 6 123 10 J’Mari Taylor (North Carolina Central) FCS Jr. RB 7 116 9 Mason Sheron (Davidson) FCS Jr. RB 6 88 9 Mari Adams (Davidson) FCS Jr. RB 6 102 8 Chancellor Lee-Parker (Brevard) D3 Sr. RB 4 53 7 Omarion Hampton (North Carolina) FBS Jr. RB 7 155 7 Quavaris Crouch (Johnson C. Smith) D2 Sr. RB 5 73 7 Alex Boyd (Lenoir-Rhyne) D2 Jr. RB 6 70 6 Carson Gresock (Gardner-Webb) FCS So. RB 6 63 6 Demond Claiborne (Wake Forest) FBS Jr. RB 6 99 6 Anthony Byrd (NC Wesleyan) D3 Sr. RB 5 103 5 Hahsaun Wilson (Charlotte) FBS Jr. RB 6 47 5 Jalynn Williams (Western Carolina) FCS Sr. RB 2 5 Branson Adams (Western Carolina) FCS Jr. RB 6 74 4 JR Martin (Mars Hill) D2 Sr. QB 4 4 TJ Thomas Jr. (Elon) FCS Fr. RB 6 69 4 Trevon Hester (Winston-Salem State) D2 Jr. RB 7 112 4 Zayvion Turner-Knox (Lenoir-Rhyne) D2 Jr. RB 3 72 4
Rushing Yards-Per-Game
Minimum 50.0 ypg
RUSHING YPG YDS/ PLAYER (SCHOOL) DIV CLASS POSITION GAMES ATT TD TOTAL PER GAME Anthony Byrd (NC Wesleyan) D3 Sr. RB 5 103 5 721 144.2 LJ Turner (Catawba) D2 Jr. RB 6 123 10 855 142.5 Omarion Hampton (North Carolina) FBS Jr. RB 7 155 7 901 128.7 Mari Adams (Davidson) FCS Jr. RB 6 102 8 749 124.8 Zayvion Turner-Knox (Lenoir-Rhyne) D2 Jr. RB 3 72 4 356 118.7 Trevon Hester (Winston-Salem State) D2 Jr. RB 7 112 4 638 91.1 Star Thomas (Duke) FBS Sr. RB 6 113 3 528 88.0 Mason Sheron (Davidson) FCS Jr. RB 6 88 9 527 87.8 Demond Claiborne (Wake Forest) FBS Jr. RB 6 99 6 524 87.3 Mohamed Nyanamukenga (Livingstone) D2 Jr. RB 7 132 2 609 87.0 Kenji Christian (North Carolina A&T) FCS Jr. RB 3 29 1 256 85.3 J’Mari Taylor (North Carolina Central) FCS Jr. RB 7 116 9 594 84.9 Travon Tensley (Shaw) D2 So. RB 7 102 2 563 80.4 TJ Thomas Jr. (Elon) FCS Fr. RB 6 69 4 444 74.0 Maurice Smith (Chowan) D2 Fr. QB 4 53 3 270 67.5 Rahjai Harris (East Carolina) FBS Sr. RB 6 100 3 397 66.2 Malik Woodard (Guilford) D3 So. RB 5 75 2 329 65.8 Quavaris Crouch (Johnson C. Smith) D2 Sr. RB 5 73 7 329 65.8 Traquan Johnson (Shaw) D2 So. RB 4 41 2 259 64.8 Branson Adams (Western Carolina) FCS Jr. RB 6 74 4 375 62.5 Evan Sullivan (Guilford) D3 So. RB 5 57 0 295 59.0 Edward Saydee (Gardner-Webb) FCS Sr. RB 6 72 1 314 52.3 Avante George (Johnson C. Smith) D2 Jr. RB 6 58 2 307 51.2 Kamarro Edmonds (Johnson C. Smith) D2 Jr. RB 5 53 2 255 51.0 Carson Gresock (Gardner-Webb) FCS So. RB 6 63 6 301 50.2
Rushing Yards-Per-Attempt
Minimum 4.0 ypc
RUSHING YPC YDS/ PLAYER (SCHOOL) DIV CLASS POSITION GAMES ATT TD TOTAL PER ATT. Kenji Christian (North Carolina A&T) FCS Jr. RB 3 29 1 256 8.8 Jadien Deaton (Brevard) D3 Sr. RB 4 45 1 350 7.8 Mari Adams (Davidson) FCS Jr. RB 6 102 8 749 7.3 Anthony Byrd (NC Wesleyan) D3 Sr. RB 5 103 5 721 7.0 LJ Turner (Catawba) D2 Jr. RB 6 123 10 855 7.0 TJ Thomas Jr. (Elon) FCS Fr. RB 6 69 4 444 6.4 Traquan Johnson (Shaw) D2 So. RB 4 41 2 259 6.3 Chancellor Lee-Parker (Brevard) D3 Sr. RB 4 53 7 318 6.0 Mason Sheron (Davidson) FCS Jr. RB 6 88 9 527 6.0 Omarion Hampton (North Carolina) FBS Jr. RB 7 155 7 901 5.8 Kendrick Raphael (NC State) FBS So. RB 7 48 3 277 5.8 Trevon Hester (Winston-Salem State) D2 Jr. RB 7 112 4 638 5.7 Travon Tensley (Shaw) D2 So. RB 7 102 2 563 5.5 Avante George (Johnson C. Smith) D2 Jr. RB 6 58 2 307 5.3 Demond Claiborne (Wake Forest) FBS Jr. RB 6 99 6 524 5.3 Evan Sullivan (Guilford) D3 So. RB 5 57 0 295 5.2 J’Mari Taylor (North Carolina Central) FCS Jr. RB 7 116 9 594 5.1 Maurice Smith (Chowan) D2 Fr. QB 4 53 3 270 5.1 Branson Adams (Western Carolina) FCS Jr. RB 6 74 4 375 5.1 Zayvion Turner-Knox (Lenoir-Rhyne) D2 Jr. RB 3 72 4 356 4.9 Kamarro Edmonds (Johnson C. Smith) D2 Jr. RB 5 53 2 255 4.8 Carson Gresock (Gardner-Webb) FCS So. RB 6 63 6 301 4.8 Star Thomas (Duke) FBS Sr. RB 6 113 3 528 4.7 Mohamed Nyanamukenga (Livingstone) D2 Jr. RB 7 132 2 609 4.6 Quavaris Crouch (Johnson C. Smith) D2 Sr. RB 5 73 7 329 4.5 Malik Woodard (Guilford) D3 So. RB 5 75 2 329 4.4 Edward Saydee (Gardner-Webb) FCS Sr. RB 6 72 1 314 4.4 Alex Boyd (Lenoir-Rhyne) D2 Jr. RB 6 70 6 288 4.1 Rahjai Harris (East Carolina) FBS Sr. RB 6 100 3 397 4.0
