Spring Fling ‘22: Running Backs by the OTE Committee

I’m going to start this by noting that this exercise is a recap of the votes tabulated by all many some of the OTE “writing” staff and are not mine. That needs to get out there right away because I am not responsible for Minnesota’s ranking. Anyway...

14 - Aaron Young/Kyle Monangai (Rutgers)

They’re good local boys. That counts for something, right? 440 yards and 9 (nearly half of the Scarlet Knights 20 rushing TDs on the year!) came from the pair. Rutgers just wasn’t good offensively last season, and it won’t just be these guys’ fault if things don’t get better.

13 - Shaun Shivers/Josh Henderson (Indiana)

Well the good news is that they’re a pair of transfers from Auburn and UNC (Don’t laugh! Mack Brown has been recruiting his easily moldable accent off!). The bad news is that they’ve combined for 1,229 yards and 8 TDs on 242 career carries over 7 seasons. That’s...that’s not ideal.

12 - King Dourue/Sampson James (Purdue)

I like King Dorue. What B1G fan doesn’t like a good fatback? And James is a former 4-star recruit who transferred from Indiana to Purdue. THE AUDACITY! Anyway, there’s always a downside to teams this far down and for Purdue it’s the fact that they don’t run the ball a ton and the OL isn’t very good. So they’re being penalized for the sins of Brohm, and that’s just not fair.

11 - Challen Faamatu/Colby McDonald (Maryland)

So let’s go over the positives: It’s fun to say “Challen Faamatu.” Locksley loves McDonald as well as RS FR Antwain Littleton, & Roman Hemby. They think the OL is better. Taulia Tagovailoa is electric and should take pressure off them. Ummmmm...did I mention Tagoailoa? Oh yeah, they got a bunch of extra practices because Maryland made a bowl last season.

I’m running out of ideas here. This is the most unproven group in the conference alongside Indiana, and they’re not as highly touted as the Hoosiers’ group.

10 - Evan Hull/Anthony Tyus III/Cam Porter/Andrew Clair (Northwestern)

Have you been injured in a workplace accident? Before you sign anything, call Hull Tyus Porter & Clair for a free consultation to YOUR RIGHTS.

It’s Northwestern. They’re gritty and scrappy and at least two of these guys will get injured and miss a large chunk of the season and they’ll be replaced by 3-4 other guys who are gritty and scrappy.

9 - Anthony Grant/Gabe Ervin Jr. (Nebraska)

Grant accumulated 1,730 yards and 18 touchdowns last season for New Mexico Military Academy. Unfortunately for him, he committed to Nebraska where he will run behind a worse offensive line against better defenses. The rest of the Cornhusker backfield will be made up of guys who have more recruiting stars than career touchdowns.

8 - G. Williams/L. Williams (Iowa)

I have very simple thoughts on every Iowa offensive position this season: Phil Parker is an outstanding defensive coordinator.

7 - Jalen Berger/Jarek Broussard (Michigan State)

Kenneth Walker III ain’t walking through that door, but a pair of transfers from wisconsin and Colorado are. Broussard needed a fresh start after a pair of ACL injuries and realizing that Karl Dorrell isn’t on the same level as Mel Tucker (who recruited him to Boulder), and Berger left madison following a severely injured attitude. Both are decent upside guys, and I wouldn’t bet against them finishing higher up on the list than where they’re starting.

6 - Chase Brown/Josh McCray (Illinois)

Bert Bielema football: the rushing equivalent of a trip to Costco. Illinois finished 5th in rushes per game in the B1G last season, and they only finished that low because there were a few games where they got behind and had to throw. Brown and McCray are perfectly good RBs who combined for 1,554 yards (at a 5.5 YPC clip) but only 7 TDs. They’ll get plenty more opportunities this year, it’s just a question of if the OL will help them out and they’ll get carries throughout the games.

5 - Keyvone Lee/Nick Singleton/Kaytron Allen (Penn State)

ANOTHER FATBACK! Keyvone Lee is another guy that’s fun to watch run downhill (provided that you’re not an undersized LB or defensive back on the tracks), and Singleton and Allen are getting a lot of hype as true freshmen who are ready to jump in and help rejuvenate one of the worst rushing offenses in the B1G last season. Seriously. There’s a nice little clump at the bottom that consists of Iowa, Indiana, Purdue, and Penn State, which feels absolutely ridiculous but here we are.

4 - Braelon Allen (wisconsin)

Did you guys know that Braelon Allen was only 17 last season? Did you guys know that Braelon Allen shredded Nebraska and Northwester’s sieves that they called defenses for 228 and 173 yards respectively, while only getting 47 yards against Minnesota?

Get the September Heisman polished up. Games against Illinois State, Washington State, and Jerry Kill’s New Mexico State will get those numbers nice and fat.

3 - Blake Corum/Donovan Edwards (Michigan)

Speed speed speed speed speed. Holy hell, Michigan. The Wolverines have the best set of HR threats in the conference, and they’ll get plenty of chances to show it off in Jim Harbaugh’s early 80s offense. To be entirely honest, I’m excited to watch them this fall.

2 - TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State)

TreVeyon Henderson is really really good. And if they need to give him a rest, they’ve got Miyan Williams and Evan Pryor. Just like nearly every other position, the Buckeyes have an embarrassment of riches.

1 - Mo Ibrahim/Bryce Williams/Trey Potts (Minnesota)

No. This is ridiculous. You can’t put a group that has two guys coming off season-ending injuries in the top spot, especially when the two freshmen who stepped in and looked amazing both hit the portal. Minnesota will run the ball frequently and these guys are good, but I think it’s a bit ridiculous to assume that everything will be clicking to start the year. Next man up behind these guys is FR Zach Evans. There could be opportunities for him and (gratuitous spring practice disclaimer) he’s doing everything that’s been asked of him so far.

But seriously, knock this group down to about 5 or so. That’s where they belong to start the year.