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oktexan · Jun 26, 2023

Berry Tramel would be much nicer to us.

Best of the Big 12: The running backs take center stage as we rank all 14 conference teams

Thomas Jones
Austin American-Statesman

Ranking the Big 12 schools on the strength of their running backs heading into summer camp:

1. Baylor

Richard Reese might not be the biggest back or come from the biggest town, but the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Bellville product broke onto the college scene in a big way in 2022. Reese earned freshman All-American honors after rushing for 972 yards and 14 touchdowns on 198 carries and could be even better with a year of experience — and work in the Bears’ weight room. And Baylor's backfield depth will ease the burden on him. Senior Taye McWilliams, the starter last season before an early injury, provides a physical presence at 6-1, 215 pounds, and 230-pound Qualan Jones rumbled for 462 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago. Oklahoma State transfer Dominic Richardson adds some appreciated versatility after running for 543 yards and eight touchdowns with 22 receptions for 220 yards in 2022.

Baylor's Richard Reese, fighting for yardage against Texas last season, returns after rushing for almost 1,000 yards and earning freshman All-American honors.

2. Kansas

A team strength added even more muscle in the offseason when former 1,000-yard rusher Dylan McDuffie rejoined Kansas coach Lance Leipold, who had coached him at Buffalo. The 6-foot, 220-pounder will ease some of the pressure on gifted junior Devin Neal, who has 1,797 yards and 17 touchdowns rushing through his first two seasons. The 5-11, 210-pound Neal, the only returning Big 12 rusher who reached 1,000 yards on the ground last season, averaged 6.1 yards a carry and gives the Jayhawks a potential workhorse with breakaway speed. Daniel Hishaw Jr. adds to the riches after tallying 262 yards and five touchdowns in just five games a year ago.

Kansas' Devin Neal, scoring a touchdown against Oklahoma during a 1,000-yard rushing campaign last year, leads a deep and talented backfield for the Jayhawks.

3. West Virginia

Head coach Neal Brown signaled his intentions in the offseason by promoting former running backs coach Chad Scott to offensive coordinator: The Mountaineers plan to run the ball — a lot. And they look well-equipped to do just that, even with last year’s leading rusher, Tony Mathis, now playing for new conference rival Houston. CJ Donaldson, a 6-2, 240-pound bruiser, rumbled for 526 yards and eight touchdowns in just seven games last season. Junior Justin Johnson Jr. is the most experienced player in the backfield and had 430 yards and three touchdowns a year ago while redshirt sophomore Jaylen Anderson flashed his potential with 155 yards and two touchdowns in the regular-season finale against Oklahoma State. Oh, and talented freshman Jahiem White might just have too much juice to keep off the field.

4. BYU

The transfer portal proved profitable for the Cougars, who welcome an established workhorse in UNLV's Aidan Robbins, a 6-3, 230-pound banger who rumbled for 1,099 yards on 209 carries a year ago. He seems an ideal fit for an offense that cranked out 175 yards rushing a game last season. Third-year offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick has less proven backfield options in Miles Davis, Hinckley Ropati and converted dual-threat quarterback Sol-Jay Maiva-Peters. The Cougars also could use four-star freshman L.J. Martin, an El Paso native with a slashing running style who had offers from Baylor, Texas Tech, Kansas State and Stanford, among others.
More:Texas football 2024 recruiting class grows to five with recent commitments

5. Kansas State

Replacing Deuce Vaughn, with his career numbers of 4,884 yards from scrimmage and 43 total touchdowns, will be a collective effort. D.J. Giddens, a 6-1, 210-pound redshirt freshman, has a different body type from the 5-5 Vaughn but could produce some big numbers after racking up 518 yards and six touchdowns on the ground a year ago. Florida State transfer Treshaun Ward, who ran for 1,143 yards and 11 touchdowns over the past two years, also will see plenty of action. Wildcats fans missing Vaughn will enjoy watching freshman Trey Engram, another diminutive speedster who could have an impact on the passing game.

6. Central Florida

Coach Gus Malzahn knows how to produce efficient running games, as evidenced by the 228.4 yards rushing a game and 5.2 yards per carry tallied by the Knights a year ago. But can an unproven set of running backs take advantage of Malzahn’s system? RJ Harvey averaged an impressive 6.7 yards on 118 carries last season, and Johnny Richardson put up 6.9 yards a tote, but it’s Demarkcus Bowman who has UCF fans abuzz. The former five-star recruit saw limited action in 2020 and 2021 while playing for Clemson and Florida, respectively. He sat out last season after his transfer to Central Florida but looked every bit like a blue-chip prospect during the spring.

7. Oklahoma

Sooner Nation doesn’t seem too concerned about the running game despite the departure of Eric Gray, who had more than 1,000 yards on the ground in 2022 and now plays for the New York Giants. Sophomores Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk provide some good reasons for the optimism; the speedy 5-11, 185-pound Sawchuk ran for 100 yards on 15 carries in a bowl victory over Florida State, and the 6-foot, 200-pound Barnes racked up 519 yards and five touchdowns on 116 carries. Can this young but talented combination approach last year’s average of 219 yards rushing a game and keep the pressure off quarterback Dillon Gabriel?

Texas' Jonathon Brooks will be among the ball carriers who must replace Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson in the backfield. He's expected to get the first shot at being the lead back.

8. Texas

How do you replace Doak Walker Award winner Bijan Robinson and do-everything backup Roschon Johnson, the two primary backs a year ago for the Longhorns, who are both now in the NFL? That’s a question for coach Steve Sarkisian, who prides himself on regularly producing a 1,000-yard rusher regardless of the offensive personnel. Jonathon Brooks, a 6-foot, 200-pound sophomore, seems likely to be Robinson’s heir as the lead back after averaging 6.6 yards a carry with five touchdowns on 30 carries last season, and 6-1, 215-pound freshman C.J. Baxter looked every bit the nation’s top-rated running back recruit during the spring. Converted receiver Savion Red and scatback Keilan Robinson could see extensive action in the passing game, and coaches like the potential of sophomore Jaydon Blue.

9. Texas Tech

Texas Tech likes to run the ball, but coach Joey McGuire would undoubtedly like more return on that investment. Last season, the Red Raiders were No. 5 in the conference in rushing attempts (525) but just eighth in yards-per-carry with 3.9. A pair of local products should help improve that second number; Manor’s Tahj Brook, a 5-10, 230-pound junior, has 1,514 yards and 18 touchdowns rushing over the past three seasons and averages 5 yards a carry for his career, and 5-9, 205-pound sophomore Cam’ron Valdez of Rockdale averaged 9.4 yards a carry in limited time last season. They should carry the load.
More:Golden: Steve Sarkisian has it right — it's Big 12 crown or bust for Texas right now

10. Oklahoma State

The Cowboys’ offense looked unrecognizable at times a year ago while struggling to 3.4 yards a carry and an average of just 93 yards on the ground over the final six games. Those are the worst rushing numbers of the Mike Gundy era, which began in 2005, but the longtime coach thinks second-year back Ollie Gordon can rise to star status. He rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns over the final three games. The 6-1, 190-pound slasher will get some help from Michigan State transfer Elijah Collins, a 220-pound senior. Promising redshirt sophomore Jaden Nixon could be a force in the passing game after hauling in 21 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns a year ago.

11. Cincinnati

New coach Scott Satterfield will bring in a new offense, a new quarterback and a new vibe at one of the newest Big 12 programs. But the backfield looks similar to last season's, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the Bearcats. Leading rusher Charles McClelland jumped into the transfer portal, but 5-9, 210-pound Corey Kiner, a former LSU signee, looks primed for a big year with an increased role after rushing for 362 yards and five touchdowns last season. Ryan Montgomery also will see more carries after rushing 63 times for 270 yards, and Myles Montgomery flashed jaw-dropping speed while averaging 8.6 yards a carry.
More:Texas football team's first SEC schedule includes Georgia, Texas A&M in 2024

12. Iowa State

Improving the running game looks like a priority for Iowa State, which averaged a conference-low 3.3 yards a carry last season. That performance helped cost offensive coordinator Tom Manning his job, but can the Cyclones find more production? A healthy Jirehl Brock will help, considering the 6-foot, 220-pound senior had a pair of 100-yard games to open 2022 before injuries took a toll. Sophomore speedster Cartevious Norton ran for 312 yards while spelling Brock and looks in line for more carries. Eli Sanders provides solid depth, and newcomer A.J. Harris transferred in from Stanford, though the former four-star recruit saw limited action.

13. Houston

The Cougars suffered a blow this spring when 2021 freshman All-American running back Alton McCaskill IV — who missed the 2022 season with a knee injury — joined Deion Sanders’ renovation of Colorado. Houston had lured Tony Mathis away from West Virginia by the time McCaskill left, but the Cougars will need the 5-11, 205-pound redshirt sophomore to take on a lead role instead of complementing McCaskill. Stacy Sneed and Brandon Campbell combined for 936 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago and provide veteran depth.

14. TCU

The top-scoring team in the Big 12 a year ago suffered massive roster losses, including its top three rushers. That makes the health of former Alabama player Trey Sanders particularly important, since junior Emani Bailey is the only returner with double-digit carries in 2022. The top running back recruit in the nation in 2019, the 6-1, 215-pound Sanders was limited by injuries at Alabama while racking up 116 career carries, including just 14 for 80 yards last season. The 5-9, 200-pound Bailey led the Big 12 with 8.1 yards a carry last season but had just 31 carries. However, he did show durability during his redshirt freshman year at Louisiana with 108 carries for 642 yards and eight touchdowns.

About this series

This summer, we're ranking each Big 12 team position by position. We will assign points for each team at each position, with 14 for the leader and one for 14th place. We’ll update the totals with each installment, giving an idea, in theory, of which teams will contend for the conference title and a possible College Football Playoff spot.
The lineup: (Week 1) quarterbacks, (2) running backs, (3) receivers, (4) offensive line, (5) defensive line, (6) linebackers, (7) defensive backs, (8) coaching and intangibles

Current standings

1. Kansas 27 points
T2. Baylor 21
T2. Kansas State 21
T2. Oklahoma 21
5. BYU 20
T6. Central Florida 19
T6. Texas 19
8. West Virginia 13
9. Texas Tech 12
10. Iowa State 11
11. Cincinnati 9
12. Oklahoma State 7
T13. TCU 5
T13. Houston 5

blazzinkenny · Jun 26, 2023