Spring practice provides coaches with their first real look at their full roster for next season on the same field at the same time. It’s one more step in the evaluation process as preparations continue for the new season. One of the most intriguing aspects of spring practice is the position battles as players compete for the starting jobs at every position across the board. The running back position is no exception with a handful of those competitions certainly worth monitoring. Here is a look at the four biggest running back battles to watch in college football this spring.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Heisman trophy-winning running back Derrick Henry left for the NFL and his replacement will certainly have big shoes to fill for the defending national champion Crimson Tide this season. Alabama leaned heavily on its star running back a year ago and limited the touches that the other backs on its roster received so there is still a lot to learn about the leading candidates to replace Henry. Damien Harris got the bulk of the work early last season when he had 17 carries in the Tide’s first two game, but the majority of experts feel that Bo Scarborough is the favorite to land the starting job. The sophomore back is an absolute beast at 6’2’’ and 240 pounds with an elite combination of size, speed and power and it could be only a matter of time before Alabama names him its starting running back with Harris available to spell him as a strong No. 2 option moving forward.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Ezekiel Elliott was a Heisman trophy finalist at Ohio State last season. He ran for 3,699 yards and 41 touchdowns over the last two seasons and his production will be hard to replace. It didn’t help that redshirt sophomore Jalin Marshall decided to turn pro, but head coach Urban Meyer has done a terrific job recruiting over the years and he will have some quality options in the mix to take over as the new No. 1 back. Bri’onte Dunn and Curtis Samuel combined for 31 carries and each had a touchdown last year with Samuel as the more versatile threat having added 22 catches including two for scores. Both of them have the skill to thrive as a starting running back, but they aren’t alone in the Ohio State running back competition. Mike Weber was forced to redshirt after he tore a knee ligament last fall, but is back at full strength heading in to this season. Meanwhile, Antonio Williams was ranked as the consensus seventh-best running back prospect in the 2016 class and should figure in to the mix as well.
Wisconsin Badgers
Last season was the least-productive rushing year in a decade for Wisconsin so getting the run game back on track will be a priority for head coach Paul Chryst. It will help that Corey Clement is healthy and ready for a productive senior season after an early injury derailed his hopes of thriving as the Badgers’ lead back a year ago. Clement will have to prove he is still Wisconsin’s best option in spring practice though now that there are another couple of quality options in Taiwan Deal and Dare Ogunbowale that are in the mix as well. The Badgers are also giving converted linebacker Bradrick Shaw the opportunity to prove he can excel at the running back position and it will be interesting to see how things play out.
Florida Gators
Jim McElwain’s first season at Florida was a tremendous success, but year two will provides some new challenges. The Gators need to find a capable starting quarterback and it would certainly help if they can find a capable running back that can takes some of the pressure off whoever can win the starting job. Mark Thompson is a 6’2’’, 225-pound back that was a second-team JUCO All-American last season at Dodge City Community College and will look to push Jordan Cronkrite and Jordan Scarlett for the No. 1 job. Cronkrie and Scarlett combined for 338 yards and three touchdowns while backing up Kelvin Taylor has season and both are talented enough to start. The running back competition will continue throughout the spring and in to the preseason practices, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if all three running backs received significant touches next season.
Want to give your comments about this article? You can either leave them here or you can join us on the Get More Sports Forum and talk about this article and many more! Brag about your favorite team, argue about an athlete’s performance or tell us about a game you saw. Join a new community of sports fans who live and breathe sports and sports entertainment. It’s free! Join now
