Texas Football: 10 best running backs all-time for the Longhorns

4. Chris Gilbert (1966-1968)

There’s no question that the ultra-reliable and productive 1968 Consensus All-American and College Football Hall-of-Fame inductee Chris Gilbert belongs in the top five on this list. Gilbert was a record-breaking running back in his day for the Longhorns. He was the first running back in program history to register at least 1,000 rushing yards in every single one of the years he played in college.

Gilbert was also the first running back in NCAA history to register at least 1,000 rushing yards for three seasons in a row. That type of consistency and efficiency is absolutely insane.

While he was great for the Longhorns in all three seasons he donned the burnt orange, Gilbert was at his best in 1968. He registered 1,132 rushing yards, 6.2 yards per carry, and 13 rushing touchdowns en route to an eighth-place finish in the Heisman voting.

3. Cedric Benson (2001-2004)

The late and great Cedric Benson was a beast for head coach Mack Brown and the Longhorns in the early 2000s. Benson’s greatness was evidenced by the consistency and insane production that he registered in each of his four seasons in college.

Benson still ranks in the top 10 in NCAA football history in career rushing touchdowns (64), 11th in rushing yards (5,540), 13th in total yards from scrimmage (6,161), and ninth in total plays from scrimmage (1,181). Those numbers just go to show the greatness that Benson exhibited in college on a macro level.

But Benson was stellar in the midst of the Longhorns’ rise to national prominence throughout the early 2000s. It’s just a shame that he never was able to win a National Championship during his collegiate career.

Benson’s elite college career rounded out at its peak in 2004, when he won the Doak Walker Award and finished sixth in the Heisman voting. He was then selected in the top five of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.