Leonard Fournette still feels Nick Chubb's the best running back in the SEC

HOOVER, Ala. – A year ago at SEC Media Days, Leonard Fournette called Nick Chubb the best running back in the SEC.

After a season in which Fournette, the Heisman Trophy favorite entering the 2016 season, ran for 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns, Fournette was asked if he’d reassessed his opinion.

“I still feel that way,” Fournette said.

Fournette has earned just about every offensive-related headline this preseason, considering how he finished. Chubb was in the 2015 Heisman Trophy conversation with Fournette before experiencing a severe knee injury in a game against Tennessee.

Chubb is still recovering from the injury and it remains unknown if he’ll be able to play in Georgia’s Sept. 3 season-opener against North Carolina.

Fournette and Chubb first met at Nike’s 7-on-7 camp The Opening when they were juniors in high school and have stayed in contact since. The two backs reconvened as alumni in Oregon last week for this year’s The Opening and “became brothers.”

Fournette said he asked Chubb if he was getting enough strength back in his leg since he wants to see him back on the field.

“He told me he’s working right now,” Fournette said. “No days off is what he told me.”

As Chubb continues to recover with hopes of playing in Week 1, Fournette told him to listen to the gospel song “No Weapon” by Fred Hammond for motivation.  

Fournette has earned a ton of deserved praise after his sophomore season. But Chubb, who totaled 747 yards and 7 touchdowns in six games, was averaging 8.1 yards per carry. Fournette thinks Chubb should receive more national praise than he’s received so far.

“I communicate with him a lot, especially with him being one of the best running backs in the SEC,” Fournette said. “Like I told him at the Nike Opening, not everybody was talking about him because of his injury. That kind of hurts me for him. That shows most of this is about business at the end of the day. I just talked to him and gave him a few words of encouragement.”

This story was originally published July 14, 2016 at 1:24 PM with the headline "Leonard Fournette still feels Nick Chubb's the best running back in the SEC."