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Some of y’all thought I was going to jinx Najee Harris during the season when I updated this list. Well, I think things turned out alright for the eventual Doak Walker Award winner.
Last we checked, Harris had two career fumbles (only one lost); and he had a sizable lead over Mark Ingram for touches per fumble (284 vs. 211.3). Harris, despite the bad juju some thought I was putting on him, did not fumble again. So let’s take a look at how absurd his numbers ended up.
Updated fumble rates
| Player | Fumble rate (touches/fumble) | Fumbles |
|---|---|---|
| Player | Fumble rate (touches/fumble) | Fumbles |
| Bo Scarbrough | 96 | 3 |
| Damien Harris | 179.7 | 3 |
| Derrick Henry | 123.8 | 5 |
| Eddie Lacy | 65 | 6 |
| Glen Coffee | 64.9 | 7 |
| Jalston Fowler* | 66 | 2 |
| Josh Jacobs | 105.7 | 3 |
| Kenyan Drake | 49.8 | 7 |
| Mark Ingram | 211.3 | 3 |
| Najee Harris | 381.5 | 2 |
| T.J. Yeldon | 62.2 | 10 |
| Trent Richardson | 90.9 | 7 |
I had previously said Harris was blowing Ingram out of the water, but the final numbers have Harris in entirely separate pool. And the only fumble Harris lost in college came on a play that should have been blown dead before he lost the ball. That would have given Najee Harris one fumble (which Alabama recovered) across 763 touches over his four years.
Not bad.
Once again, I’m not including Brian Robinson, Jr. in the list (though that should change after the coming season). For comparison’s sake, however, B-Rob has 302 career touches with two fumbles. This 151 touches/fumble rate would put him solidly in fourth place behind Harris the Younger, Ingram, and Harris the Elder.