As we close in on the opening kickoff of the 2023 college football season, excitement is ebbing higher and higher across the gridirons of Texas.
Nowhere is that more so the case than in Waco, where the Dave Aranda-coached Baylor Bears are looking to right the ship this fall after a six-win drop in wins last season.
Much of that rejuvenation will rest on the back of sophomore Richard Reese, who gained 972 yards with 14 scores on the ground a year ago.
With the college football season beginning in late August, BetTexas.com utilized Google Trends to find the college football running backs with the most search interest for the 2023 season. The results were taken from April 25 through July 25.
Auburn’s Jarquez Hunter was removed due to his potential suspension pushing his search interest up.
Unfortunately for state football fans, there will be no legal Texas sportsbooks where you can wager this season.
Search Interest For College Running Backs
Baylor’s Reese Among Most Hyped CFB Backs
Among returning running backs, Reese is tied with Raheim Sanders of Arkansas and Notre Dame’s Audric Estime for the eighth highest search interest score at 13.
That’ll happen when you nearly eclipse 1,000 yards and 5 yards per carry as a freshman, which the Bellville native did in 2022.
Overall, Reese finished behind Michigan’s Blake Corum (23 search interest score), Nicholas Singleton of Penn State (18), and Donovan Edwards of Michigan and Southern Miss’ Frank Gore Jr. (16 apiece) on the national level.
Among Big 12 running backs, Reese is clearly the most hyped ball-carrier, sitting as the only conference player on the list.
Of the most hyped running backs in college football, Reese was one of two (along with Gore Jr.) to not have preseason Heisman odds.
Although there are no Texas sports betting apps, national operators have Baylor in a tie with TCU for fifth in Big 12 Championship odds at +2000.
Texas is the league favorite at +100, followed by Oklahoma (+325).
