Brian Robinson Jr. nearing top 10 among Alabama high schools’ NFL rushers

For the third season in a row, Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. had the most NFL rushing yards among players from Alabama high schools.

In every season of his career, the former Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa star has topped the group, and with 2,329 rushing yards after three seasons, the former Alabama ball-carrier is nearing the top 10 for NFL rushing yards by a former Alabama prep player.

Former Glenn High School and Alabama standout Bobby Humphrey holds the 10th spot on that list with 2,857 NFL rushing yards in his career.

Of the 10 former Alabama high school players with the most NFL rushing yards, at least one was on the field in every season from 1968 through 1995, including four in the 1980, 1981 and 1982 seasons. But in the past 13 seasons, only one of the top 10 has played, and in 2023 and 2024, there weren’t any.

Of the 333 players who recorded rushing attempts during the NFL’s 2024 season, seven came from Alabama high schools, and two joined Robinson in topping 100 rushing yards.

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (Pinson Valley) ran for 430 yards and four touchdowns on 92 carries in his rookie season, and Las Vegas Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah (Homewood) ran for 311 yards and two touchdowns on 66 carries in his 10th season. Abdullah is 6 rushing yards away from becoming the 17th player from an Alabama high school with 2,000 rushing yards.

The 10 players from Alabama high schools with the most NFL rushing yards are:

1. Antowain Smith: 6,881 rushing yards

Buffalo Bills 1997-2000, New England Patriots 2001-03, Tennessee Titans 2004, New Orleans Saints 2005: The former Stanhope Elmore standout averaged 3.9 yards on 1,784 carries and scored 54 rushing touchdowns during his career.

Smith played only one season of high school football, and he worked for two years to aid his grandparents after finishing high school. After his grandmother died, he followed her advice to further his education. His return to football started at East Mississippi Community College, which led to two seasons at Houston before joining the Bills as the 23rd selection in the 1997 NFL Draft.

Smith ran for 1,124 yards in his second season with the Bills. In 2001, he topped that with 1,157 yards for the Patriots, and Smith had 92 rushing yards in New England’s 20-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI to cap that campaign. Smith ran for 83 yards and one touchdown in the Patriots’ 32-29 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII two years later.

2. Joe Cribbs: 5,356 rushing yards

Buffalo Bills 1980-83, 1985, San Francisco 49ers 1986-87, Miami Dolphins 1988, Indianapolis Colts 1988: The former Sulligent and Auburn standout averaged 4.1 yards on 1,309 carries and scored 27 rushing touchdowns during his career.

Cribbs might have been No. 1 had he not played two seasons in the USFL. He ran for at least 1,097 yards in three of his first four seasons with Buffalo, missing 1,000 yards only in the strike-shortened 1982 season. He was the AFC Rookie of the Year in 1980 and went to the Pro Bowl three times.

Cribbs came home to play for the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL in 1984. After two seasons, the USFL folded. Cribbs returned to the NFL — going straight from the USFL’s spring/summer season to the NFL’s fall kickoff in 1985 — but in four more seasons, he added only 1,310 yards to his NFL rushing total.

During his two seasons in the USFL, Cribbs ran for 2,514 yards and led the league in rushing in 1984, but those yards don’t count in his NFL total.

3. Jordan Howard: 4,362 rushing yards

Chicago Bears 2016-18, Philadelphia Eagles 2019-20, 2021, Miami Dolphins 2020, New Orleans Saints 2022: The former Gardendale and UAB standout averaged 4.3 yards on 1,019 carries and scored 37 rushing touchdowns. Howard started his NFL career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and received a Pro Bowl invitation as a rookie.

Former Alabama prep standouts have produced 10 1,000-yard rushing seasons, with Howard’s 1,313 yards in 2016 topping the list. The other 1,000-yard seasons were turned in by Joe Cribbs with three, Antowain Smith and Bobby Humphrey with two apiece and Carnell “Cadillac” Williams with one.

4. Carnell “Cadillac” Williams: 4,038 rushing yards

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2005-10, St. Louis Rams 2011: The former Etowah and Auburn standout averaged 3.8 yards on 1,055 carries and scored 21 rushing touchdowns during his career. Williams was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2005, when he ran for a career-high 1,178 yards.

5. Wilbur Jackson: 3,852 rushing yards

San Francisco 49ers 1974-79, Washington Redskins 1980-82: The former Carroll-Ozark and Alabama standout averaged 4.0 yards on 971 carries and scored 13 rushing touchdowns during his career. Jackson’s final three NFL seasons came when four of the top seven rushers on the high school list were active. Also playing at that time were Joe Cribbs, Rickey Young and Tony Nathan.

6. Rickey Young: 3,666 rushing yards

San Diego Chargers 1975-77, Minnesota Vikings 1978-83: The former Vigor standout averaged 3.6 yards on 1,011 carries and scored 23 rushing touchdowns during his career. Young was considered as much a threat coming out of the backfield as a receiver as he was as a runner. In 1978, he led the NFL with 88 receptions, which was the most for a running back in league history at the time.

7. Tony Nathan: 3,543 rushing yards

Miami Dolphins 1979-87: The former Woodlawn and Alabama standout averaged 4.8 yards on 732 carries and scored 16 rushing touchdowns during his career. Nathan finished his career with 49 more receiving yards than rushing yards and equaled his rushing TD total with 16 touchdown receptions.

8. Cid Edwards: 3,006 rushing yards

Los Angeles Rams 1968-71, San Diego Chargers 1972-74, Chicago Bears 1975: The former Selma standout averaged 4.3 yards on 698 carries and scored 15 rushing touchdowns during his career. A 230-pound fullback, Edwards was the first former Alabama high schooler to reach 3,000 rushing yards in the NFL.

9. Brad Baxter: 2,928 rushing yards

New York Jets 1989-95: The former Slocomb and Alabama State standout averaged 3.8 yards on 779 carries and scored 35 rushing touchdowns during his career. A 233-pounder, Baxter was the Jets’ fullback for six seasons.

10. Bobby Humphrey: 2,857 rushing yards

Denver Broncos 1989-91, Miami Dolphins 1992: The former Glenn and Alabama standout averaged 4.1 yards on 695 carries and scored 15 rushing touchdowns during his career. Humphrey’s first two NFL seasons were 1,000-yard campaigns.

In addition to the top 10 and Robinson, five other former Alabama high school players have more than 2,000 NFL rushing yards — Joe Childress (Robertsdale), Ronnie Coleman (Walker), Andra Franklin (Anniston), Bo Jackson (McAdory) and T.J. Yeldon (Daphne).

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X @AMarkG1.