CH #30

Chuba Hubbard

Running Back · Oklahoma State

Panthers running back and former unanimous All-American whose 2025 role shrank behind Rico Dowdle.

Chuba Hubbard arrived in Carolina as a high-volume college rusher and grew into the Panthers' starting back. A 2025 calf injury opened the door for Rico Dowdle, and Hubbard's workload dipped as the season wore on.

★ Unanimous All-American at Oklahoma State (2019)

★ Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year (2019)

Path to the league

Hubbard was a force at Oklahoma State, where he was a unanimous All-American, the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and the Jon Cornish Trophy winner in 2019. The Carolina-bound Canadian was selected by the Panthers in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, per his Wikipedia profile. He worked his way up the depth chart over his first several seasons.

Career highlights

Hubbard earned a four-year, $33.2 million extension in November 2024 after establishing himself as Carolina's lead back. His most productive seasons came in 2023 and 2024, when he handled a heavy workload. The Panthers committed to him with $15 million guaranteed on that extension.

2025 season

Hubbard opened 2025 as Carolina's starter but suffered a calf injury in Week 4 and missed the next two games, per Wikipedia. Dowdle rushed for nearly 400 yards in his absence and eventually took over as the lead back, relegating Hubbard to a complementary role and a downturn in production compared with his prior two seasons.