So, this happened.
My first thought is that Todd Gurley is way too modest.
My second thought is how quickly we forget about Garrison Hearst.
My last thought is that picking only three is really tough.
And yours?
- Bloviation for the Dawgnation
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Quote Of The Day
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“And Georgia fans, don’t be turds. Enjoy this. Soak it up. It’s awesome. If you don’t win this year, it’s still not a failure. It’s a heck of a run. Back-to-back in the Playoff era hasn’t been done. So, to ask for a third I feel like it’s gluttonous. I feel like it’s not OK. But we’ll be in the mix.”-- David Pollack, On3.com, 5/9/23
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Get The Picture · Bloviation for the Dawgnation
Get The Picture 
Herschel
Gurley
3a. Chubb
3b. Sony
Hurst
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For me, on talent plus production, it’s Herschel (duh!), Gurley, and Chubb with Hearst a close 4th. Hearst was Sony before Sony. Breakaway runner, excellent receiver, Doak Walker winner, ESPY PotY, highest Georgia finisher in the Heisman since Herschel.
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Hard to argue with those names. I’d go Herschel, Gurley, Sony, Chubb, and Garrison Hearst would likely round out my top five, but there’s voice in my head screaming for Rodney Hampton.
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Mine is Walker, Gurley and Trippi. Trippi was so good he is in the NFL Hall of Fame.
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Gaskill, I think the question was more about the modern era. Trippi is probably #2 on the all-time list of Dawgs regardless of position behind the GOAT.
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Understand, but what year did “the modern era” begin? And what is the reason for that demarcation?
If we are talking about the Dooley Era forward I at least understand the reason for that demarcation.
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I interpret it as the Dooley era forward.
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“Modern era” is generally taken to mean post-segregation.
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Senator and ee, that makes sense. For UGA that means 1972 to now.
Make my 1972 forward Wslker. Gurley and Hearst.
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I’m with Sony
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I remember, as a 10-year-old, the shock in seeing Hearst’s calf muscles and thighs. I didn’t know it was possible to have legs that big. I would put Hearst above Sony, sharing 3rd with Chubb. But, I never saw Sony in person.
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Beat me to my story!
One quarter Hearst and I caught the same bus 3 days a week. I remember the following: “that’s mother trucking garrison hearst!” He would exchange a head nod with me. Next, he had all Georgia everything. Clothes, pack, shoes, watch. Finally, it was hard not to stare at his calves. Ripped like he was going to the Arnold Classic.
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He wouldn’t crack the Top 3, but really loved Rodney Hampton.
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Hampton was outstanding. Didn’t he have his meniscus repaired during a bye week and he played in the next game?
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Yes
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I’m a little surprised nobody’s mentioned Moreno.
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I love Knowshon, but I think if he had played a full 3 years rather than leaving after his redshirt sophomore year, he would be on the list. Of course, I still have no idea why Richt didn’t play him in 2006 when you heard all about what he was doing with the scout team.
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As far as Moreno’s true freshman year we had 3 veteran backs, each of whom played in the NFL, ahead o FCC him. W ed know how Moreno was after a year in the S & C program but we do not know how physically ready he was when he first arrived. I understand not taking carries away from NFL quality veterans in favor of a kid 3 months removed from prom.
I do not know how physically ready Moreno was but the coaches do.
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Richt learned his lesson that year when Moreno left as a redshirt sophomore when he played Washaun Ealey midway through 2009. I may be wrong, but I don’t think Richt redshirted another blue-chip running back after Moreno.
I sense all of that was due to pass protection.
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Agreed. I feel like the Moreno thing almost morphed into a lingering cautionary tale of its own. For better or worse, coaches are going to throw the freshman running backs out there if for no other reason than their own political accountability. The fans almost demand no redshirting of highly talented, non-injured running back signees. It’s a stupid position to redshirt going forward with the modern tread-on-the-tires theory. Just give the younger guys still learning less carries and cupcake mop up duty instead of scout team time. The older ones appreciate that lighter load anyway.
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I don’t consider him even close to the names being mentioned. Just an opinion, and he was very good, but not at this level discussion. I think he made some of the best 3 and 4 yard runs I have ever seen as he broke tackles behind the lines and turned it into positive yardage. Solid runner, lacked explosiveness. I would put Terrell Davis ahead of him, and also think Swift is already a better runner than Moreno.
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Yep. I met Knowshon at the Georgia Theatre one night while he was still a player at Georgia. He,Stafford, Brannen Southerland, and Brandon Kotou were all out celebrating BK being drafted. I was coming back from taking a leak and about to walk down the steps from where the two bars were in those days, this was pre fire, and Knowshon and I nearly ran into each other. Without thinking I blurted, “Hey Knowshon!”. He grinned and we shook hands and talked for a second. He was real nice. Met Stafford that night too. He was ok but more reserved which I get. To me we will never know how good Knowshon really was. He left too early. That second year he had some injury stuff that seemed to slow him a little and that offensive line was truly awful. He’s not in Herschel, Chubb, Gurley, and Sony’s category but I think he might have been close. We just don’t know. To me he’s like Keith Marshall. It sucks to think about what might have been. Personally I’ll always love Knowshon for the spark he gave that ’07 team. He gave that team something that they were able to ride until the team started to come together some time after the Florida game that went beyond just his talent.
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Knowshon would have been lights out behind a Kirby line. Dude was slippery….he could get through a seem that seemed totally closed off.
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Loved Knowshon, he and Thomas Brown v. Auburn will never be forgotten, nor his Florida game. He left too soon and we were cursed with a string of 4* & 5* backs that couldn’t carry the torch after him. I was sitting in a Ft. Lauderdale bar a few years ago when he walked by. I shouted “Knowshon!” right as he hit the exit, he turned around and we talked for a quick minute. Great guy, hope he’s doing well somewhere.
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As I mentioned on another board yesterday, I’m really surprised people have Heart so low. The dude played for a bumbling, totally incompetent coach, and the program during that time was at its worst point since the 50’s. And not only was the talent down, the OL was horrid, and that same clueless head coach favored upperclassman to fresh/sophs even though Heart was the absolute best RB on the team the moment he stepped foot on campus. Hence, Hearst got limited carries as a fresh/soph just because, and it wasn’t until midway through his sophomore year that they finally gave him more carries as other RB’s got injured.
If you look at his UGA highlights, you’ll see that we rarely got any help and had to create most of the yards on his own. Also, unlike Chubb, Michel, etc., he still managed to overcome all of that and win the Doak Walker award and finish third in the Heisman in ’92. And if UGA was a better team that year, I’m almost certain he would have won it.
With all that said, here’s my list:
Walker
Gurley
Hearst
Chubb
Michel
Hampton
Moreno
Edwards (another forgotten RB due to bad teams and injuries)
Worley
Thomas Brown
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Whoops – flip Worley and Moreno.
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Good list, 3&G. I may have Worley above Edwards, but that’s just splitting hairs. Regarding Hearst, that 1992 offense was hell on wheels (can’t find the stats, but that offense led the league in multiple categories). Hearst was SEC PotY. His 1992 season was spectacular.
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I don’t get the ’92 criticism, either.
Zeier at QB, Davis as a backup RB, Hastings at wideout, not to mention a pretty good o-line and a very capable OC in McDuffie.
The offense averaged 450 ypg that season. Its 31.3 ppg ranked ninth nationally.
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I never criticized ’92 specifically – I pointed out that, over his three year career from 90-92, he played for some bad teams, a bad HC, and some bad OL’s. And my opinion still holds that if that ’92 team would have won more (say, the SEC, etc.), he would have won the Heisman.
BTW, IMO the ’92 OL was mediocre at best, though I agree that McDuffie – though crazy – was a very, very good OC. The stories I used to hear about him from his players were borderline nuts, and during the season he often would sleep in his office during the week on a cot, while Goff and his buddies would cut out early to do god knows what. I’m amazed McDuffie was even able to put up with Goff at all, and it’s really sad that he’s not still around today.
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1990, of course, was the worst Georgia team since Johnny Griffith when the cupboard ran dry (I’m convinced looking back on it that Dooley knew the day of reckoning was coming and got out first).
That 1991 team was 9-3 coming off 4-7 the year before. They beat Clemson in a massive upset, hung with Bama in Tuscaloosa, faceplanted at Vandy, lost badly to Florida, and beat a top 10 Auburn and began the domination of Fech in Atlanta. All of that with a true freshman at QB by midseason.
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Everyone remembers the 6(!) turnovers in a 34-31 loss to Tennessee and the absolute face plant against Spurrier in Jacksonville (giving up that 3rd & long late in the game when we could have gotten the ball to have a chance to kick a game winning FG). Of course, on the flip side, we were fortunate on the Plains against Auburn.
Georgia/Bama 1992 in the 1st SECCG would have been an all-out war between the league’s best offense and best defense.
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At one time, Hearst and Davis were #1 and #2 RBs respectively in the NFL and were that way most of that year. That proves a great deal as to which ones were great runners for UGA. Davis doesn’t register in many fans’ minds simply because he ran behind Hearst. Edwards was always in the mix in the same few years.
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I don’t think Davis really registers on this list because TD became a force in the NFL. I remember the old joke that Ray Goff was the only guy who could hold TD to under 100 yards per game.
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I stated why he has been left off list, but have always considered him one of the greatest RBs we have had. Running behind Hearst was the reason for the lack of yardage that pushes these athletes high in the media reports and not due to his ability to run the ball. Davis was always that good and, when used as the primary runner in the NFL, that was proven to be true.
Goff had riches in that position that were the best in CFB, but you can only give the ball to one man and as long as Hearst delivered then that kept another great back from getting those headline yards. It was a good thing for UGA. Yep, we were and have always been RBU. Go Dawgs!
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Agree and I flipped Worley/Moreno above. You could certainly make a case for Worley being above Hampton too.
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At least they both recognize who #1 is and will likely ways be.
And yeah, picking 3 is way too hard.
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I really hate to have to rank them. There are so many great memories of running backs at Georgia. My father told me (and I read about) Sinkwich and Trippi. Then I can remember watching Jimmy Poulous “The Greek Streak”, Horace King, “Gliding” Glen Harrison, Kevin McLee, Willie McClendon, Herschel, Lars Tate, Keith Henderson and Tim Worley Rodney Hampton, Patrick Pass, Garrison Hearst, Tron Jackson, Musa Smith, Thomas Brown, Moreno, Gurley, Chubb, Michel, Swift, Holyfield, Herrien. All of them gave me great memories. And I’m sure I’m leaving a bunch out.
Heck, Pulpwood Smith embarrassed Alabama in Birmingham. They were afraid to play us in Tuscaloosa.
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Talk about a Sophie’s Choice.
It’s obvious that Herschel Walker is #1 by himself and it isn’t even close. Beyond that, I think there’s at least an argument it being 2A, 2B, 2C, etc.
I think Nick Chubb did enough in his career to be #2 all by himself, though. If you look at the stats he put up in college and consider that he wasn’t really getting heavy service for the first half of his freshman year, was injured the last two thirds of his sophomore year, and wasn’t full strength for most of his junior year and yet still is second on most of our all-time lists… AND throw in the fact that he was one of the leaders (along with Sony) on the team that took Georgia to the Rose Bowl and then the national title game and damn near won it… yeah, Nick’s number two.
That’s as far as I can get, though. It’s a multiple-way tie for third on my list after that. Sony, Gurley, Garrison Hearst, Knowshon… if you’re the running backs coach and you’ve got to choose who you’re sending in to run the next play how the hell are you making that call?!
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You know you are RBU when you have a guy like Terrell Davis who is in the NFL HOF and is not even mentioned in the conversation about who is the GOAT a UGA.
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Recently watched a Davis highlight show on NFL network. Dude manhandled a superbowl run.
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1) Walker
2) Chubb
3) Gurley
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If Swift has a heisman season and leaves where does he rank?
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Number 2
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Walker
Sinkwich
Gurley
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Walker
Sinkwich
Gurley
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He’s not in the top 5, but Willie McClendon will always be a favorite of mine. I suppose it is when I really started following UGA football closely. Jimmy Poulos is a close second for favorites…I was younger though.
Top 3..since the Dooley era. IMHO
HW..duh.
Gurley
Chubb/Hearst for 3rd..
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See Willie Run….Underdawgs to Wonderdawgs…a fun year.
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Good comment about McClendon, PTC. I think he gets lost in the sands of time and being the guy B.H. (before Herschel).
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1 Walker
2 Gurley
3 Hearst/Chubb/Michel
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I forgot Knowshon – put him into a 4 way tie at #3. He only played 2 years so I’m sorry but I forgot. If the defense had been half decent…..but you know that.
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The first two are easy for me but that third spot’s a doozy.
Herschel
Gurley
Chubb
I’ll echo the love for Hampton and Edwards.
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It’s hard for me to put Gurley ahead of Chubb and Michel did. Gurley was great no doubt, but leadership wise Chubb/Michel were ahead of him. And Chubb/Michel were just as productive, in addition to leading us to the SEC and the Rose Bowl championships.
I love Gurley as a player and a person, but getting down to brass tacks, Gurley’s final season was interrupted by the suspension (as stupid as the whole NCAA nonsense was and is) when the team was counting on him and he was ultimately somewhat upstaged by Chubb as a freshman, who the team had to depend on instead.
Without a championship, it’s hard to put Gurley clearly ahead of other guys without one, like Hampton and Hearst, It’s been a long time, but as others have mentioned how easily we forget how immensely talented those guys were.
Watch the 88′ Tennessee game on YouTube for Hampton if you are too young to have ever seen him. The 91′ GT, 92′ Auburn, GT, and Citrus Bowl (vs. Ohio State) are all on there for Hearst.
Personally, I’d go:
Herschel
Chubb
Sony
TG III
Hearst
Hampton
Knowshon
Worley
Edwards
10.Lars Tate
I’m not ranking Sinkwich, because I didn’t see him play, much different era and there’s not proper video to assess him at this point, but he did win the Heisman. Charlie Trippi, same rationale, he didn’t win the Heisman, but he did spearhead an undefeated season. Willie McClendon, Terrell Davis, Thomas Brown, and Musa Smith are all honorable mentions.
Swift, at a minimum also already deserves a mention. As do Mack Strong, Keith Henderson, Theron Sapp, Pulpwood Smith, Brannen Sutherland and Verron Haynes, even though they were fullbacks.
Finally, I’d mention the great Hines Ward, who made his primary impact at wide receiver in college and the pros, but also played some running back (and astoundingly threw for 400+ yards in the Peach Bowl as an emergency quarterback), he’s a Top 5 all-time athlete at UGA, imo.
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Trippi is in both the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame. He had to have been damn good.
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If we are ranking them by talent I would put Gurley second. As awesome as Nick and Sony were I think Gurley was more talented than both of them. But if we are ranking them by what they did while in Athens I put him at fourth with Nick and Sony both ahead of him.
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Walker
The rest.
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You wouldn’t believe the young whipper snappers over on 247 ranking Gurley first. Again, Gurley was awesome and while they were about the same size Herschel was faster and had way more stamina. Everybody in the stadium knew he was getting the ball almost every play and he just broke teams, by the fourth quarter they didn’t want anymore and he seemed stronger. I’ve never seen another running back who could jump like that either. It was almost a lock if we got inside the 5 with 3 downs, just have Herschel start jumping and we were going to score.
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1 Hershel Walker – Freshman,
2 Hershel Walker sophomore,
3 Hershel Walker Junior
Tim Worley was also a man among children.
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Walker
Sony
Moreno
Chubb
Gurley
Hearst
Edwards
Smith
Hampton
Brown
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After Walker you could give Chubb the nod then throw a blanket over 5 or 6 guys
Hearst
Hampton
Sony
Gurley (not hurt or suspended)
Edwards ( if never hurt his foot was on pace to put up unthinkable numbers)
Worley (grades and coke up the nose held his numbers down) If the man would have had his mind right he would have been 2nd on this list pushing Walker
Cant judge Pre 80s RBs I never saw play
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