The three top rushers in the state of North Carolina during the 2023 college football season also finished among the nation’s best.
Barton’s Jordan Terrell, Lenoir-Rhyne’s Dwayne McGee and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton all crossed the 1,500-yard plateau in the ground game — and each landed in the top 15 nationally across all NCAA divisions.
NC Football News is putting the finishing touches on the 2023 season by looking at the state’s statistical leaders. Today, our Statewide Stats feature reviews the top collegiate ground gainers.
Terrell’s 1,732 rushing yards leads all college players from North Carolina. The junior’s tally, which included a 403-yard effort in the season finale against Erskine, ranks second among Division II rushers and is tied for third across the entire NCAA.
Only Division II Southern Nazarene quarterback Gage Porter (1,987 yards) and Division III North Central running back Joe Sacco (1,818 yards) had more rushing yards in the NCAA this past season. Terrell tied with Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon for third, though Terrell gained his yardage in three fewer games than Gordon.
Terrell’s 157.5 yards-per-game ranks third in the NCAA behind Porter and Division III Curry’s Montie Quinn.
McGee powered Lenoir-Rhyne to the NCAA D2 semifinals with 1,533 rushing yards across 14 games. That ranks second in the state, third in all of D2 and 12th across all NCAA divisions. UNC’s Hampton finished with 1,504 yards, fifth among FBS rushers and 15th throughout the entire NCAA.
Top NCAA Rushers in 2023
More notes on the state’s collegiate rushing leaders for 2023:
* Mari Adams from FCS Davidson joined Terrell, McGee and Hampton in the 1,000-yard rushing club. Adams powered the Wildcats’ run-heavy offense with 1,019 yards. Teammate Mason Sheron nearly gave Davidson two 1,000-yard backs. Sheron finished with 949 yards to rank fifth overall among North Carolina players.
* Brevard’s Chancellor Lee-Parker was the top ground-gainer in the state among D3 players. He rushed for 907 yards in 10 games.
* Despite an injury-filled back half of the season, Western Carolina’s Desmond Reid managed to rush for 897 yards (seventh-best in the state overall). Reid appeared in just eight games, averaging 112.1 yards per contest. He announced last month that he is leaving Cullowhee to play for Pitt in 2024.
* North Carolina Central quarterback Davius Richard led all players in the state in rushing touchdowns with 18. Hampton and Adams added 15 apiece, while Sheron and Reid found the end zone on the ground 13 times.
* Terrell, Hampton, Reid and McGee each averaged better than 100 yards per game — the only four players in the state to accomplish that feat.
* Henry Rutledge of Charlotte appeared in 10 games and posted the top yards-per-carry average (11.6) among rushers who played in more than two-thirds of their team’s games. Rutledge only had 15 rushing attempts, picking up a bulk on a 55-yard play.
* Louisburg College featured a pair of promising backs in Christian Franklin and Jeiel Melton who each finished with an average of better than 10 yards per tote.
* Among those with more than 100 carries during the season, UNC Pembroke’s Sincere Baines led all rushers by averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Baines had 105 attempts.
* Barton’s Terrell had the most attempts of any rusher in the state, 268. He averaged an amazing 6.5 yards-per-tote despite the heavy workload.
* Davidson’s Sheron ripped off the longest recorded rushing play of the season, covering 94 yards. Four other players had runs of 80 yards or better — Gardner-Webb’s Jayden Brown (88), Lenoir-Rhyne’s Zayvion Turner-Knox (87), Duke’s Jordan Waters (83) and North Carolina Wesleyan’s Anthony Byrd (80).
