After eclipsing his national high school record of 12,124 yards at the professional level, Derrick Henry continues to close in on all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith factoring in yardage totals from high school, college and the professional level.
Smith, who played at
Escambia (Pensacola, Fla.) in high school, is the all-time leader with 31,087 yards, including 18,355 in the NFL and 8,804 at the high school level. Smith still leads by over 3,200 yards, but Henry has made up considerable ground the past few years.
Last week, Henry upped his career NFL total to 12,127 yards, surpassing his record-breaking total from high school when he played at
Yulee (Fla.). Add in his 3,591 yards at Alabama and Henry now has 27,842 career yards at all three levels. He has moved past Herschel Walker, whose rushing totals include time spent in the USFL with the New Jersey Generals. Walker finished his career with 25,183 yards.
After 10 seasons in the NFL, Derrick Henry finally surpassed his record high school rushing total as a pro last week. (PHOTO: Gray Quetti)
Henry has also closed to within two touchdowns of Smith's all-time touchdown record as well. Smith had 318 career touchdowns (106 at Escambia, 37 at Florida and 175 in the NFL) while Henry has 316 (154 at Yulee, 45 at Alabama and 117 in the NFL). Smith and Henry are the only two players to score over 300 touchdowns in the the three levels of play combined.
Several new players have been added since MaxPreps first published the list in 2020. They include active players Nick Chubb, Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey and Najee Harris.
Chubb, who played at
Cedartown (Ga.) and Georgia, ranks No. 18 all-time with 19,615 yards. Taylor, who played at
Salem (N.J.) and Wisconsin, is No. 27 with 17,958 yards.
McCaffrey played at
Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Stanford and has joined the list at No. 42 with 16,275 yards. Najee Harris, who played at
Antioch (Calif.) and Alabama, is No. 43 with 16,164 yards.
The list includes postseason totals for college and high school careers since playoff stats are included in career stats at those levels. Playoff yardage is not counted from the pro level since postseason stats are not included in career stats. All professional stats are current as of Nov. 12, 2025.
Career rushing yardage leaders
1. Emmitt Smith — 31,087
Prep: Escambia (Pensacola, Fla.), 8,804
College: Florida, 3,928
Pro: Cowboys, Cardinals, 18,355
2. Derrick Henry — 27,842
Prep: Yulee (Fla.), 12,124
College: Alabama, 3,591
Pro: Titans, Ravens, 12,127
3. Herschel Walker — 25,183
Prep: Johnson County (Wrightsville, Ga.), 6,137
College: Georgia, 5,259
Pro: Generals, Cowboys, Vikings, 13,787
4. Adrian Peterson — 23,970
Prep: Pasadena (Texas), 5,011
College: Oklahoma, 4,041
Pro: Five teams, 14,918
5. Eric Dickerson — 23,586
Prep: Sealy (Texas), 5,877
College: SMU, 4,450
Pro: Rams, Colts, 13,259
6. Frank Gore — 22,487
Prep: Coral Gables (Fla.), 4,512
College: Miami, 1,975
Pro: 49ers, Colts, Bills, 16,000
7. LaDainian Tomlinson — 22,312
Prep: University (Waco, Texas), 3,241
College: TCU, 5,387
Pro: Chargers, Jets, 13,684
8. Thomas Jones — 21,782
Prep: Powell Valley (Big Stone Gap, Va.), 7,193
College: Virginia, 3,998
Pro: Five teams, 10,591
9. Tony Dorsett — 21,537
Prep: Hopewell (Aliquippa, Pa.), 2,272
College: Pittsburgh, 6,526
Pro: Cowboys, Broncos, 12,739
10. Steven Jackson — 21,459
Prep: Eldorado (Las Vegas, Nev.), 6,396
College: Oregon State, 3,625
Pro: Rams, Falcons, Patriots, 11,438
11. Walter Payton — 21,326
Prep: Columbia (Miss.), 1,000 (estimate)
College: Jackson State, 3,600
Pro: Bears, 16,726
12. LeSean McCoy — 21,105
Prep: Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg, Pa.), Milford Academy, 7,187
College: Pittsburgh, 2,816
Pro: Four teams, 11,102
13. Ricky Williams — 20,417
Prep: Patrick Henry (San Diego, Calif.), 4,129
College: Texas, 6,279
Pro: Four teams, 10,009
14. Barry Sanders — 20,242
Prep: North (Wichita, Kan.), 1,417
College: Oklahoma State, 3,556
Pro: Lions, 15,269
15. Thurman Thomas — 20,050
Prep: Fort Bend Willowridge (Houston, Texas), 3,129
College: Oklahoma State, 4,847
Pro: Bills, Dolphins, 12,074
16. Cedric Benson — 19,980
Prep: Midland Lee (Midland, Texas), 8,423
College: Texas, 5,540
Pro: Bears, 6,017
17. Shaun Alexander — 19,680
Prep: Boone County (Florence, Ky.), 6,662
College: Alabama, 3,565
Pro: Seahawks, Redskins, 9,453
18. Nick Chubb — 19,615
Prep: Cedartown (Ga.), 7,601
College: Georgia, 4,769
Pro: Browns, Texans, 7,245
19. Edgerrin James — 18,706
Prep: Immokalee (Fla.), 3,500 (estimation)
College: Miami, 2,960
Pro: Colts, Cardinals, Seahawks, 12,246
20. Marshall Faulk — 18,668
Prep: Carver Collegiate Academy (New Orleans, La.), 1,800
College: San Diego State, 4,589
Pro: Colts, Rams, 12,279
21. Curtis Martin — 18,449
Prep: Taylor Allderdice (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 2,643
College: Pittsburgh, 1,705
Pro: Patriots, Jets, 14,101
22. Jamal Lewis — 18,163
Prep: Douglass (Atlanta, Ga.), 4,879
College: Tennessee, 2,677
Pro: Ravens, Browns, 10,607
23. Marcus Allen — 18,151
Prep: Lincoln (San Diego, Calif.), 1,098
College: Southern California, 4,810
Pro: Raiders, Chiefs, 12,243
24. Jerome Bettis — 18,026
Prep: Mackenzie (Detroit, Mich.), 2,452
College: Notre Dame, 1,912
Pro: Rams, Steelers, 13,662
25. Jonathan Stewart — 18,001
Prep: Timberline (Lacey, Wash.), 7,775
College: Washington, 2,891
Pro: Panthers, Giants, 7,335
26. O.J. Simpson — 17,979
Prep: Galileo (San Francisco, Calif.), 768
College: San Francisco City College, Southern California, 5,975
Pro: Bills, 49ers, 11,236
27. Jonathan Taylor — 17,958
Prep: Salem (N.J.), 4,632
College: Wisconsin, 6,174
Pro: Colts, 7,152
28. Fred Taylor — 17,675
Prep: Glades Central (Belle Glade, Fla.), 2,905
College: Florida, 3,075
Pro: Jaguars, Patriots, 11,695
29. Tiki Barber — 17,446
Prep: Cave Spring (Roanoke, Va.), 3,608
College: Virginia, 3,389
Pro: Giants, 10,449
30. DeAngelo Williams — 17,370
Prep: Wynne (Ark.), 3,248
College: Memphis, 6,026
Pro: Panthers, Steelers, 8,096
31. Corey Dillon — 17,356
Prep: Franklin (Seattle, Wash.), 1,356
College: Garden City College, Dixie State, Washington, 4,759
Pro: Bengals, Patriots, 11,241
32. Ezekiel Elliott — 17,253
Prep: Burroughs (St. Louis, Mo.), 4,162
College: Ohio State, 3,961
Pro: Cowboys, Patriots, 9,130
33. Marshawn Lynch — 17,060
Prep: Oakland Tech (Oakland, Calif.), 3,417
College: California, 3,230
Pro: Bills, Seahawks, Raiders, 10,413
34. Ahman Green — 16,895
Prep: Omaha Central (Omaha, Neb.), 3,810
College: Nebraska, 3,880
Pro: Packers, 9,205
35. Eddie George — 16,709
Prep: Fork Union Military Academy (Fork Union, Va.), 2,500
College: Ohio State, 3,768
Pro: Titans, Cowboys, 10,441
36. Billy Sims — 16,664
Prep: Hooks (Texas), 7,738
College: Oklahoma, 3,820
Pro: Lions, 5,106
37. Mike Rozier — 16,552
Prep: Woodrow Wilson (Camden, N.J.), 4,000 (estimation)
College: Coffeyville Community College, Nebraska, 5,937
Pro: Maulers, Bulls, Oilers, Falcons, 6,615
38. Matt Forte — 16,493
Prep: Slidell (La.), 2,432
College: Tulane, 4,265
Pro: Bears, Jets, 9,796
39. Earl Campbell — 16,486
Prep: Tyler (Texas), 2,636
College: Texas, 4,443
Pro: Oilers, Saints, 9,407
40. Travis Henry — 16,385
Prep: Frostproof (Fla.), 7,221
College: Tennessee, 3,078
Pro: Bills, Titans, Broncos, 6,086
41. Michael Hart — 16,349
Prep: Onondaga (Nedrow, N.Y.), 11,045
College: Michigan, 5,040
Pro: Colts, 264
42. Christian McCaffrey — 16,275
Prep: Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), 5,340
College: Stanford, 3,922
Pro: Panthers, 49ers, 7,013
43. Najee Harris — 16,164
Prep: Antioch (Calif.), 7,948
College: Alabama, 3,843Pro: 2 teams, 4,373
44. Warrick Dunn — 16,115
Prep: Catholic-B.R. (Baton Rouge, La.), 1,189 (estimate)
College: Florida State, 3,959
Pro: Buccaneers, 10,967
45. Anthony Thomas — 15,957
Prep: Winnfield (La.), 7,594
College: Michigan, 4,472
Pro: Four teams, 3,891
46. Leonard Fournette — 15,947
Prep: St. Augustine (New Orleans, La.), 7,619
College: LSU, 3,830
Pro: 3 teams, 4,498
47. George Rogers — 15,899
Prep: Duluth (Ga.), 3,632
College: South Carolina, 5,091
Pro: Saints, 7,176
48. James Robinson — 15,753
Prep: Lutheran (Rockford, Ill.), 9,045
College: Illinois State 4,444
Pro: 3 teams, 2,264
49. Mark Ingram — 15,620
Prep: Grand Blanc (Mich.),
Flint Southwestern Academy (Mich.), 4,248
College: Alabama, 3,261
Pro: 3 teams, 8,111
50. Franco Harris — 15,522
Prep: Rancocas Valley (Mt. Holly, N.J.), 1,400
College: Penn State, 2002
Pro: Steelers, Seahawks, 12,120
