Wisconsin Football: Top Five Big Ten Running Backs

#4 – LJ Scott, Michigan State

Michigan State’s LJ Scott has been a star for the Spartans since he arrived in East Lansing.

A heralded high school recruit out of Hubbard, Ohio, Scott has led Michigan State in rushing each season of his career. With his senior season still to go, he is already 12th on both the Spartans’ all time rushing yards (2,591) and rushing touchdowns (24) lists.

Last year, Scott rushed for 898 yards and also added 146 receiving yards. He was an Honorable Mention selection for the All-Big Ten Team.

Michigan State’s offensive line experienced some growing pains and struggled a bit last season. Accordingly, Scott averaged a career-low 4.5 yards per carry.

That being said, expect he and the Michigan State offense to make a significant jump in 2018. The Spartans return more production from last season than any other FBS team, including four starters on the offensive line and talented quarterback Brian Lewerke.

With an experienced offensive line and a dual-threat quarterback capable of sharing the load, Scott could be in position to have the best season of his career as a senior. He has come close to topping the 1,000 yard mark in his previous three seasons, but expect that to happen in 2018.

Like Ohio State’s Weber, Scott is well-situated to improve his draft stock in a big way this season. He is just below Weber on Matt Miller’s early big board for 2019 as the eighth-ranked running back. Like Weber, the potential is there for him to end the season much higher than that.

Expect Scott to have a big senior year and help put the Spartans in contention for the Big Ten crown.