Syracuse football needs running backs. Here's who 'Cuse should target in the portal.

Syracuse football coaches are going to target various positions in the transfer portal, which will be open from January 2 to January 16. At or near the top will likely be the running back spot.

This week, leading rusher Yasin Willis, a sophomore in the 2025 campaign, said that he plans to transfer. Other running backs on the Orange's 2025 roster who plan to enter the portal include fellow sophomores Jaden Hart and Malachi James.

Looking ahead to the 2026 season, the 'Cuse running back room could include freshman Malachi Coleman, fellow freshman Tylik Hill and redshirt sophomore Tyler Chandler. Redshirt senior Will Nixon has said he's applied for a waiver with the NCAA to play again in 2026, while the team's 2026 prep cycle includes three-star running back Shavane Anderson Jr. of William Penn High School in York, Pa.

No disrespect here, but that's not a running back room that overly jazzes me. Syracuse football needs a top-tier, starting running back to complement its passing attack, which will be led by redshirt junior Steve Angeli, assuming he's fully healthy.

Now, there are financial considerations and implications as the Orange staff peruses the portal for running backs and players at other positions. Those NIL dollars include direct revenue-sharing from Syracuse Athletics and also third-party collectives - namely, SU Football NIL.

Here are five running backs whom Syracuse football should target in the transfer portal.

Hollywood Smothers
Redshirt sophomore, N.C. State
2025 statistics: 160 carries for 939 yards and six touchdowns
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Smothers "is exceptional after contact, as 614 of his 939 yards came after contact, as he's constantly bouncing off of defenders," my guy Nicholas Rome of FanSided sister site Saturday Blitz wrote.

Marquise Davis
Freshman, Missouri
2025 statistics: 34 carries for 200 yards and two touchdowns
The 6-foot, 204-pound Davis only appeared in three games this season for the Tigers, preserving his redshirt. The Orange staff should have familiarity with Davis, as he was offered a scholarship by Syracuse football in January of 2024 while a standout at Cleveland Heights High School in Ohio.

Cam Edwards
Redshirt junior, UConn
2025 statistics: 199 carries for 1,132 yards and 14 touchdowns
Rome notes: "Given that Cam Edwards has shown for 3 seasons that he can lead an offense while improving year over year, he should draw a ton of interest." Edwards is 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds. UConn's head coach, Jim Mora, is moving on to be the next head coach at Colorado State. The Orange has played the Huskies each of the past two seasons, winning both games by a touchdown.

Jahiem White
Junior, West Virginia
2025 statistics: 24 carries for 133 yards and three touchdowns
The 5-foot-7, 190-pound White only appeared in two games in 2025 due to an injury. However, in the prior two seasons, White rushed for 842 yards and four TDs in 2023 and 845 yards with seven touchdowns in 2024. Rome describes White as "an incredibly attractive option for Power 4 teams replacing a running back." Yes, please.

Adam Mohammed
Sophomore, Washington
2025 statistics: 106 carries for 523 yards and five touchdowns
The 6-foot, 220-pound Mohammed was the Huskies' backup to star senior Jonah Coleman, so Mohammed's reps in 2025 were somewhat limited. Still, he averaged 4.9 yards per carry. With two years of collegiate eligibility left, Mohammed is an enticing option out of the portal.