Michigan State football: 15 greatest running backs in Spartans history
By John Buhler
Jehuu Caulcrick was a powerful runner for the Spartans in the mid-2000s. Born in Liberia, he and his family emigrated to the United States once the civil war broke out. His father was assassinated for his politics, but a young Caulrick, his mother and sister did make it stateside to Findley Lake, New York. Caulcrick wanted to play soccer but picked up a love for football in grade school.
Arriving in East Lansing in 2003, Caulcrick had to redshirt his freshman year. He would end up splitting time in the Spartans backfield with another talented running back in the form of Javon Ringer from 2005 to 2007. But a shared workload didn’t stop Caulcrick from being an incredible runner during his time with the Spartans program.
As a redshirt freshman in 2004, Caulcrick would be named Freshman All-Big Ten, as he rushed for 619 yards and five touchdowns on 113 carries. Though he would rush under 500 yards in the two following years, he did rush for a combined 13 touchdowns in his sophomore and junior seasons in the green and white.
Then in 2007, that’s when Caulcrick made himself a Michigan State legend. The redshirt senior rushed for 872 yards on 222 carries for a ridiculous 21 touchdowns. This would lead him to be named an honorable mention for the All-Big Ten team.
Caulcrick finished his Michigan State career with 532 carries for 2,395 yards and 39 touchdowns, splitting time with Ringer and playing both tailback and fullback for the Spartans. He would go undrafted in 2008 but would spend part of the next three seasons on primarily NFL practice squads before being cut by the Buffalo Bills in 2011.
What has Caulcrick nearly cracking the top 10 is his impressive touchdown numbers. He ranks third in school history behind only Jeremy Langford and the iconic Lorenzo White. Even though Ringer was the more talented tailback, Caulcrick’s ability to find pay dirt and be an ultimate team player was a separating factor for the guy.