After years of discussions, negotiations and preparation, Texas has finally joined the SEC. But how do the Longhorns stack up as they enter the toughest conference in college football?

We're ranking the SEC position by position, assigning points for each team — 16 points for first place through one point for 16th. We'll update the totals with each installment, giving a sense of which teams will contend for the SEC title and College Football Playoff spots.

We've already examined SEC quarterbacks. Next we rank the SEC schools on the strength of their running backs heading into the season:

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1. Ole Miss: Portal restocks the running backs depth

No team in the SEC boasts a deeper room, even with all-conference standout Quinshon Judkins' transfer to Ohio State. Head coach Lane Kiffin will spread the wealth, based on how he used the portal to rebuild the position. Ulysses Bentley IV, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior from Houston, seems primed for a breakout after rushing for 540 yards on 95 carries while backing up Judkins a year ago. But the newcomers boast their own bona fides, too: Henry Parrish Jr. led Miami in rushing last season and led the ACC with 6.3 yards per carry, and Rashad Amos paced Miami (Ohio) with 1,075 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Logan Diggs, who has 1,475 yards over the past two seasons at Notre Dame and LSU, also joined Ole Miss, but is likely to miss the early part of the year after offseason knee surgery.

2. Georgia: Bulldogs reload with arrival of Trevor Etienne

In one of the highest-profile portal moves of the offseason, Georgia signed former Florida star Trevor Etienne to help replace Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton, the team’s two leading rushers from a year ago. The 5-9, 205-pound junior rushed for 1,472 yards and 14 touchdowns in two seasons with the Gators, and he’ll add a jolt of speed to the backfield. Etienne could miss a game or two because of a DUI charge in June, but the Bulldogs seem well-equipped to handle an abbreviated absence; Branson Robinson returns after missing his sophomore season with an injury, Roderick Robinson II could break out as a sophomore, and five-star recruit Nathaniel Frazier leads a deep freshman class.

3. Auburn: Jarquez Hunter looks primed

Want to bet on who leads the SEC in rushing? Lay it down on Jarquez Hunter, a 5-10, 210-pound junior who rumbled for 909 yards on 159 carries a year ago. He has more than 2,000 career yards and a career average of 6.2 yards per carry. Tigers coach Hugh Freeze won’t need him to carry it 200 times either, since he has proven running backs Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb waiting in the wings. That trio helped the Tigers rank fourth in the SEC a year ago with 189 yards rushing a game.

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4. Oklahoma: How many yards can Sawchuck rush for?

Can Gavin Sawchuck, a 5-10, 200-pound redshirt sophomore, carry his late-season surge in 2023 into the 2024 campaign? If so, this position could be a team strength. Sawchuck ended last season with five consecutive 100-yard games, a stretch in which he averaged 7.2 yards a carry. The Sooners also should get a boost from a heathy Jovantae Barnes, who impressed as a freshman in 2022 but battled injuries a year ago. And Tennessee-Martin transfer Samuel Franklin shredded FCS competition for 1,386 yards and 11 TDs a year ago. The Sooners also signed the nation’s top running back prospect, Longview’s Taylor Tatum, and he might be too talented to keep off the field even with lots of depth at the position.

5. Texas: CJ Baxter, Jaydon Blue a tough combo

The Longhorns were averaging 183.5 yards rushing a game when Jonathon Brooks suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 10th game — and they averaged 200.8 rushing yards in the four games after his injury. That speaks to a solid scheme by head coach and play-caller Steve Sarkisian as well as the skills of sophomore CJ Baxter and junior Jaydon Blue, who shared the load down the stretch. The 6-1, 220-pound Baxter, a five-star recruit and the No. 1 running back prospect in the country in 2023, ran for 680 yards and snagged 24 passes while showing the skill set that makes him an every-down back. The 6-foot, 200-pound Blue brings pure speed and a yards-per-carry average of 6.1 in 2023. Recruiting has been strong with running backs coach Tashard Choice, but Texas can afford to wait on its young blue-chippers.

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6. Florida: Montrell Johnson is a key to the attack

The Gators will need a big season from Montrell Johnson Jr., especially after Etienne's transfer to Georgia damaged the team's depth. Tulane transfer Cam Carroll arrives as a pass-catching threat out of the backfield, and sophomore Treyaun Webb provides some depth, but the 5-11, 215-pound Johnson will carry a heavy load. That won’t be anything new for the durable senior, Florida’s leading rusher over the past two years, who has 2,496 career yards, 27 rushing touchdowns and 1,129 total snaps.

7. Missouri: Transfers to replace SEC leader

Quick, name last year's leading rusher in the SEC. That would be Missouri's Cody Schrader, a late bloomer whose 2023 production testified to a run-friendly offense. The Tigers mined the portal to replace Schrader, now with the San Francisco 49ers, and uncovered two Sun Belt gems, Georgia State’s Marcus Carroll and Appalachian State’s Nate Noel. The 5-9, 210-pound Carroll ran for 1,350 yards and 13 touchdowns last year and thrives between the tackles while the elusive 5-10, 190-pound Noel is a speedy open-field threat who averaged 5.9 yards per carry across four seasons at App State. This pair could be two of the more underrated portal players in the conference.

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8. Tennessee: Dylan Sampson's time to shine

Sure, quarterbacks draw the most attention in head coach Josh Heupel’s high-flying offense. But the Vols also led the SEC in rushing last season with 204.8 yards a game, which means Dylan Sampson could thrive in his first season as the starter. The 5-11, 195-pound junior has racked up 1,001 yards and 13 touchdowns on 164 carries over his first two seasons with a hearty per-carry average of 6.1 yards. Cam Seldon suffered a spring injury and might miss some time, but Heupel and his staff love the potential of freshman Peyton Lewis, who might work his way into the rotation.

9. Alabama: Can vets boost the ground game?

What in the name of Derrick Henry and Bobby Humphrey and Mark Ingram is going on in the backfield for the Tide, whose top returning rusher not playing quarterback is Jam Miller with just 201 yards and 41 carries? The new coaching staff headed by Kalen DeBoer didn’t express much concern this spring, when Miller showed off his versatility and fellow returner Justice Haynes flashed the skills that made the 5-11, 205-pound sophomore a five-star recruit in 2023. The Tide averaged just 4.3 yards a carry last season, and DeBoer will want more efficiency from a ground game that must keep the pressure off quarterback Jalen Milroe.

10. South Carolina: Gamecocks need Raheim Sanders to blast off

After his team ranked last in the SEC with 85.1 yards rushing per game in 2023, head coach Shane Beamer focused on rebuilding his running backs room. The reconstruction starts with former Arkansas player Raheim Sanders, a 6-2, 225-pound senior with explosiveness that earned him the nickname “Rocket.” A 2022 All-SEC selection after amassing 1,714 yards from scrimmage for the Razorbacks, Sanders battled injuries a year ago and sat out the spring with a shoulder issue. If those injuries linger, the Gamecocks will lean on former North Texas star Oscar Adaway III and South Carolina State transfer Jawarn Howell. Neither approaches Sanders’ talent level, however, making the Rocket’s health critical for the Gamecocks.

11. Mississippi State: Davon Booth a key new face

Star Ja’Quavious Marks left for USC and anticipated starter Seth Davis suffered a possible season-ending injury in the spring, but the portal provided some late help for new coach Jeff Lebby and his staff. Former Utah State star Davon Booth joined the Bulldogs, and he bolsters hopes that Mississippi State can produce another effective rushing attack. The 5-10, 205-pound senior rushed for 805 yards on 120 carries and six touchdowns in his lone season as the starter at Utah State, and the Bulldogs will need that production since returners Keyvone Lee and Jeffery Pittman combined for only 343 yards last year.

12. Texas A&M: Another running backs committee?

The Aggies utilized a backfield committee a year ago while battling injuries and some inefficiency for a rushing attack that ranked just 11th in the conference with 136.2 yards a game. The committee looks as if it will remain, but new coach Mike Elko and his offensive coordinator, Collin Klein, hope the mix of juniors Amari Daniels and Le’Veon Moss, sophomore Rueben Owens and Stanford transfer EJ Smith can be more productive. The 210-pound Moss can pound the rock between the tackles, and former five-star recruit Owens boasts home run speed but needs consistency. Daniels led A&M in rushing last year with 532 yards and six touchdowns while Smith didn’t play much but has the blue bloodlines: He's the son of NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith.

13. Vanderbilt: Sedrick Alexander gives Austin flavor

Austin native Sedrick Alexander, an LBJ graduate and the Austin school district’s all-time leading rusher, hit the ground running as a freshman in 2023. The 5-9, 200-pounder led the Commodores with 96 carries, 371 rushing yards and four touchdowns while earning All-SEC freshman honors despite playing for a struggling offense that ranked last in the SEC. Classmate AJ Newberry, another Texan from Grand Prairie, offers a speedy complement. Head coach Clark Lea moved on from running backs coach Jayden Everitt in the offseason while trying to shake things up on offense, but the Commodores need more than a coaching change to juice up the backfield.

14. LSU: Backfield thin on bayou

The Tigers entered spring football with only two running backs on scholarship, Kaleb Jackson and Josh Williams, prompting lots of hand-wringing from a fan base unhappy with the portal departures of Armoni Goodwin, Tre Bradford, John Emery Jr. and Logan Diggs — who picked neighboring Ole Miss, of all teams. But the 6-foot, 225-pound Emery reversed course in June and is staying on the bayou, much to the relief of a coaching staff that doesn’t want to again have a quarterback lead the team in rushing, as 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels did. The Tigers also could get a boost from Duncanville’s Caden Durham, an explosive freshman who helped his high school win multiple Class 6A state championships.

15. Arkansas: Hogs' hopes rest with former Longhorn

Former Texas running back Ja’Quinden Jackson, a blue-chip recruit from Duncanville in the Tom Herman era, has the athleticism and size at 6-2 and 225 pounds to emerge as a star after transferring from Utah. But does he have the health? He ran for 627 yards and four touchdowns on 122 carries a year ago while battling an ankle injury, and embattled Arkansas coach Sam Pittman will need him at full strength to rebuild his running back corps. The Hogs must replace the dynamic Raheim Sanders, who’s now at South Carolina, as well as Isaiah Augustave and  Dominique Johnson. Oh, and veteran running backs coach Jimmy Smith also left during the offseason exodus.

16. Kentucky: Portal, NFL draft leave cupboard bare

The Wildcats lost star Ray Davis to the NFL and haven’t exactly restocked the backfield cupboard. They missed out on several portal targets but did sign former Arizona State and Ohio State running back Chip Trayanum, a four-star prospect and high school hero in his native Ohio who has yet to capture that magic at the collegiate level. New offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan hopes true freshmen Jason Patterson and Tovani Mizell, touted recruits from Florida, can provide an immediate jolt.

About this series

This summer, the American-Statesman is ranking each SEC football team position by position. We will assign points for each team at each position, with 16 for the leader and one for 16th place. We’ll update the totals with each installment, giving an idea of which teams will contend for the conference title and a possible College Football Playoff spot.

The lineup: (1) quarterbacks, (2) running backs, (3) receivers, (4) offensive line, (5) defensive line, (6) linebackers, (7) defensive backs, (8) coaching and intangibles

Current team standings

1. Georgia, 31

2. Ole Miss, 29

3. Texas, 27

T4. Alabama, 22

T4. Missouri, 22

6. Oklahoma, 21

T7. Auburn, 20

T7. Florida, 20

9. Tennessee, 19

10. LSU, 14

11. Texas A&M, 12

12. Mississippi State, 10

13. South Carolina, 8

14. Vanderbilt, 7

15. Kentucky, 6

16. Arkansas, 4

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Who has the best RBs in the SEC? The Statesman ranks all 16 schools