Will the Minnesota Gophers Have a Running Back By Committee in 2024 + Big Ten Running Back Rankings!

Intro are we actually going to see a running back by committee for the first time in PJ Flex intended Minnesota Career we're diving into that today you are locked on Golden Gophers your daily podcast on the Minnesota Golden Gophers part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day Running Back Committee what up gopher fans you're listening to lock on Golden Gophers part of the lock on podcast Network your team every day my name is Kane Rob host of the podcast former Collegiate football video coordinator and recruiting assistant here to talk Golden Gophers with you each and every day of the week Monday through Friday now today we're breaking down the Gophers running back room is it going to actually be a true committee for the Gophers to preserve health or will it be more of the Workhorse and then some then we're going to break down the depth chart for for this running back room which I think could be one of the deepest we've seen in some time but I said that last year and we saw a ton of injuries so we'll see what happens and then also we're going to rank every single Big 10 running back room in the conference 1 to 18 so be sure to sit back relax and enjoy the show be sure to hit subscribe over on YouTube and leave a comment down below if you're liking what you're seeing if you have any disagreements or if you have any things that you agree 100% with I love getting the feedback in the comments down below and if you're listening on audio platforms please leave to five star view wherever you get your podcast so others can find the show but first we're going to dive into is it time to expect a true committee for PJ Fleck from the running back room in 2024 now in PJ fleck's time with the Minnesota Golden Gophers he has rarely if ever had a true committee running back approach now by the box score or if you're looking at season stats after the season is done it might not look that way it might look like he has had a committee but there's really never been a true time where he has had a committee by design if you look at 2017 you had Rodney Smith who was the Workhorse back with 20 228 attempts 56% of the running back attempts for Rodney Smith the next man up was Kobe MCC and he had 94 attempts or 23% and then finally the third back Shannon Brooks had 79 attempts or 19% so then you move on you see those similar Trends throughout most of PJ Flex time with Minnesota 2018 Mo Ibraham was the Workhorse with 202 attempts 54% of the running back carries then you had Bryce Williams with 117 or 31% and then Brodney Smith with 25 attempts because of an injury 2019 it goes back to Rodney Smith 228 attempts 50% of the workload Mo Ibraham with 114 attempts 25% and Shannon Brooks with 73 attemps 16% you go to 2020 and mo Ibraham was the man this was his big 10 all running back award year uh 20 22 attempts with 78% of the totes going his way cam Wy had 29 attempts with 11% % and treps had 19 attempts with 7% you go to 2021 this was an interesting year Kai Thomas had 166 attempts with 34% Bucky Irving had 132 attempts with 27% and then Trey Potts had 113 attempts with 23% so that was an outlier year and we'll get to that in just a second but you go to 2022 back to the same old same old Mo Ibraham 320 attempts with 64% of the totes uh Trey Potts with 102 with 20% and then Bryce Williams with 51 attempts for 10% and then finally last year Darius Taylor had 138 attempts with 33% Jordan nubin had 127 attempts with 31% and sha Tyler had 61 attempts for 15% now Zack Evans also had 52 attempts for 133% but that again was another weird strange anomaly year when it came to coach Flex time with a running back room because of injuries so commonalities you see across those seasons is all but two years the lead running back had 50% or greater of the carries and then all but two years the top two running backs have accounted for 75 plus per of the carries that has happened in every year except 4 two now the only two seasons that were exceptions were 2021 and 2023 and those two weren't actually due to a committee but more so due to injury because not one not two but typically three or so running backs were injured in those Seasons causing a next ManUp approach but last season one running back took a vast majority of the carries in in almost every game and the only time it really shifted was for a play or two for a breather or two or if someone got hurt otherwise we saw games where Zack Evans had 25 26 plus carries we had Jordan nubin with a 40 carry game or a 24 carry game we had Darius Taylor with multiple 30 carry games you had sha Tyler in the first game with the most carries by the team by far so overall PJ Fleck was running with a main Workhorse and then he would maybe rotate in one other back for a handful of carries but it was usually one guy's job and that was a lot of 2023 but it doesn't look like that from the final box scor so that's why you can't take that as 100% now 2021 was similar to 2023 where they lost Mo after game one after 30 touches because of an injury then they lost Trey pots a few weeks later after being the guy and taking most of the touches after Mo went down then Bryce Williams takes most of the touches as a lead back gets hurt and he's done and then finally we saw more of a platoon Style with Kai Thomas and Bucky Irving for the rest of the year now weeks eight through the bowl game is the first time we've really seen kind of a committee approach from the running back position where both of those guys were seeing between 16 to 20ish carries sometimes Kai Thomas got to like 24 or so but really in that 15 to 20 per RB was getting looks so it was more of a platoon system with Kai Thomas being the more featured back but Bucky Irving still getting a lot of love but I believe 2024 could legitimately look closer to the late season EXE ution of 2021 that we saw with the running backs and here's why first of all Darius Taylor is a top talented running back Darius Taylor who could be one of the best running backs in the nation but he suffered not one but a few injuries in last year's true freshman season then he missed a little bit of time this spring due to some minor tweaks and then recently he got dinged up in Fall camp with a minor injury now that could all just be unlucky but it also could mean Minnesota needs to monitor the workload for him long term to be able to have a guy who can H be playing his best football down the stretch of the Season down the uh final games of the season when it matters most once you get to a bowl game if you're trying to push for the college football playoff or what have you that's when you need them the most so they're going to want to monitor that in the earlier season games especially the maybe the less competitive games now that could mean a couple different things that means my best guess would be that three running backs for the Gophers this season see carries per game but how would that shake out because we just said really only two at Max even in that 2021 late season saw the most reps I think my best guess at a three- running back scenario would be the running back one se's between 20 to 25 carries or that Kai Thomas is roll then the running back two se's between 15 to 18 carries in that Bucky Irving type role and then the running back three would see about see about five to eight carries maybe in the Red Zone maybe in short third and short situations but I think that's what you're going to see in this year's 2020 4 Gophers running back room because of the depth that they have because of the talent they brought in because they have a lot of trust in these guys moving forward I think and believe we could see a big difference in how the running back room is approached especially due to the health of Darius Taylor and wanting him to be at his best throughout the entire season you don't want to run him into the ground lose him early like you did in his freshman year but I believe we could see a difference in who plays that running back two and running back three from week to week since Minnesota has the depth and the versatility in the skill sets these running backs bring so that running back tote share could be a game plan dependent type thing or honestly maybe even you see Darius Taylor play the running back two or running back three in games like Rhode Island or Nevada where you maybe don't need him as much and you want to keep him healthy maybe he's only seeing 10 to 15 carries in those type of games and you let a CA bangura or a mar uh Marcus major or a Jordan nuben start to take the load on in those type of games to keep him fresh and healthy for future games the more important games your Iowa game your UNCC game your your Wisconsin game and what have you where you're really going to need your star player and the horsepower in that running back room and plus it can help these other runningbacks start to get a feel start to get a hot hand and be more valuable throughout the season if they're still getting some reps throughout the year so I think we could see some shifting of who plays rb2 who plays rb3 who plays rb1 depending on the game plan depending on if you need to keep someone fresh or they need a lighter workload after a heavy week the week before if Darius Taylor goes for a 35 carry game maybe the next game he's only getting 15 carries and you're seeing a lot more work for a CA or for a Marcus major I think this running back room is going to be far different than what we have seen with Coach Fleck in his time year now most of the time I'm like I got to see it before I believe it but I think we've been seeing enough in the spring and in the fall and have seen the health question marks with goers running backs in multiple years now that coach PJ Fleck and crew are going to keep it a little bit safer on this season now that being said I'm not sure we are going to see that typical running back room where we see a running back with 50 plus percent of the totes and the top two with 75 plus perc of the totes this running back room is too talented and health is too pertinent for the golfers long-term success to be able to do that this season but let's break down the potential depth chart for the running back room this next year and how it could look who could play those rb2 RB three rolls more often than not we're going to dive into that coming up eBay Motors next first I want to talk to you about our friends over at eBay Motors because passion drive and patience is what brings home the championship it is the winning formula and it's also what keeps your ride or die alive so you're definitely going to want to go over to eBay Motors when you're looking for anything for your vehicles because they have 122 plus million parts for you to look at and the best part about eBay Motors the reason they've got your back and got got you covered is because they have the eBay guaranteed fit which means your part is guaranteed to fit your vehicle every single time or your money back because with eBay Motors you are burning rubber not cash so definitely head on over to eBay Motors when you're looking to get your car to Peak Performance or if you're into speed power or style they've got you covered so go on over to ebaymotors.com and take advantage of the different opportunities and offerings that they have for all the parts you need at the prices you want head to eBay motor eBay Motors is uh the guaranteed fit is for us customers only exclusion apply and see terms and Running Backs details all right go fans so we're going to break down the running back depth chart for the Minnesota Golden Gophers moving forward now we are doing this series for the rest of uh preparation up until that first week against North Carolina so we're going to break down all of the Gopher position groups what the depth chart could look like some guys waiting in the wings as youngsters and what have you so to kick off the running back room you've of course got Darius Taylor the lead running back the All-Star freshman last year who was hampered by injury and only able to play six games really five in my opinion to be honest but he had 800 yards and five touchdowns now he will be a feature once again barnun he's gonna be a stud for Minnesota as long as Minnesota can keep him healthy but uh once again Minnesota is likely gonna do everything that they can to get him featured because they did everything they could to get him retained and staying in Minnesota as opposed to testing out the transfer portal where he would have been a hot commodity Michigan would have wanted him Michigan state would have wanted him some big dogs would have spent a lot of money to have Darius Taylor come to their University but Minnesota shell out some money of course and at the same time they really want to feature him and give him the best opportunities for his future and his dreams moving forward so I think that means we see a healthy amount of Darius Taylor that being said we heard dar Taylor in some of his early press conferences so far in this fall and spring talk about how it's going to be a committee it's going to be others in the running back room getting totes and he has great relationships with his other running backs and he's excited for what they can do so if Darius Taylor is healthy he could absolutely go go nuclear plain and simple and Minnesota wants to use the running backs in the pass game more often at least and so with a former slot wide receiver and Darius Taylor who can catch the ball he can shine in that role he could play uh Dylan lby from New Hampshire who just got drafted by the Raiders because of his receiving prowess Darius Taylor could do that and then be that High Caliber running back on the ground as well could be the Best of Both Worlds and be a day two type player I don't know if he can get into the day one conversation but he could absolutely be a second round guy if he continues at the clip we saw as his freshman year and keeps himself healthy but Minnesota overall I think Darius Taylor is the type of running back that can give Big 10 D coordinators nightmares and he can be someone you cannot stop you can only hope to contain him so that's M Minnesota and Darius Taylor we know that plain and simple we knew he was gonna be that dude but the next running back spot on the depth chart is the biggest question in my eyes and I think there's a lot of talent and there's really many faces that could hold down the role but who is going to get the first shot and who's going to maybe run away with it now I think the first two names you got to bring up is CA bengur and Marcus major now if you went into the spring sessions and we just watched those and you were heading the summer I think CA bengero would have been the first guy to get the chance bar nun I think he was going to be the guy he was the guy getting the most praise from the coaches he was the guy who you saw the most flashes from in The Limited practices we could see he's a guy who is an all Mac freshman level uh running back in all conference running back in his freshman season you saw the the shiftiness that he can have he's got decent Vision he's got good size to him like he looked like a guy who could be a lead back but could be an amazing running back to so he looked like the guy to be the favor for the job in my eyes and you didn't really get to see Marcus major because he was still coming back from injury and what have you but now that Oklahoma transfer Marcus major is healthy and we're seeing him in the fall camp and whatnot and hearing the Praises from the coaches I think that battle could still be up for grabs as we're heading towards that North Carolina week I think we could see all three of these running backs in that first game but Marcus major has something about him he's just got that that that it Factor around him he looks like coach Flex said an oppressor the other day it's good to see 24 back in the running back room and he just looks like a bigger version of him now that is High Praise because we know 24 Mo Ibraham was one of the goats of all time in Minnesota running back history so for Coach Fleck to say he looked like Mo Ibraham just a little bit bigger like that's High Praise High compliments and that gives you a lot of curiosity on what could be with Marcus major and I think he is a really big running back that can take a bruising take a pounding take the short yardage uh off of Darius Taylor's plate so you don't have to worry about the grounding ground and pound the grinding of those short yardage collisions and let Darius be his contact balance Shifty Vision self and create the big play opportunities but then you can also let Marcus major do some of the dirty work I think CA bangura is more Darius Taylor style than he is Marcus major so if you maybe need something different you add Marcus major to your running back to and you have a fire and ice type combo but if you need some of the same type of qualities as Darius Taylor but you need to limit his touches or you need to give him a breather then caura is a really good option because he can be a receiving back he can be a threat uh and bring that same type of dynamic that you see from Darius Taylor so I think that's where the difference Li if you need something completely different in contrasting you go with Marcus major if you need similarity you need to have that speed and the vision and the contact balance and what have you you go with a CA bangura I think it's the best of both worlds for the Gophers because Other Running Backs they have options but I think overall these two will ultimately hold down the running back two and three positions and could be interchangeable between them that said if one more if one of them had more of a lead than the other maybe it is CA bengero because he has multiple years of Eligibility whereas Marcus major this will be his final year of college football now Beyond those top three running backs you've got Jordan nuban who really could be in the conversation with those two guys as the running back too at times but I think ultimately Jordan nuban is such a team guy that he will contribute in whatever manner has asked for him whatever manner is going to get this team victories that is what Jordan nubin is going to do and no one will ever forget Jordan nubin in the Michigan State game last season aka the Jordan nuben game where he ran for 204 yards two touchdowns on 40 carries now three of his next four games after that he was serviceable it might not have been the most efficient clip in yards per carry but he had a 75 yard game a 89 yard game a 93 yard game with a touchdown so he has shown that he can be serviceable especially in when one of those three games games is where he he only saw more than 20 touches in one of those three games I just mentioned so he was doing it on Lower attempt numbers meaning you can still split the back field with him and he can give you good clips and good pass protection so nuben is trusted and respected those top four running back should make you feel absolutely comfortable with this running back move room moving forward it gives you a lot of depth a lot of Versatility a lot of trusted experience and then you've got some guys that maybe can step up if needed now last year we went all the way to running back five so we know what that feels like but jiren mangham is our running back number five right now probably more of a depth piece and a special teams guy for the Gophers in the long term but this dude is the biggest running back in the room the tallest running back in the room and he looks the part for sure now I'm not confident that he will be much used that much in the running back capacity this season but it's good to have the depth and the bodies now Beyond him that's five running backs you've got two true freshmen they're likely both probably going to red shirt and be guys of the future but you've got F EEG boy uh he's a pure athlete he's a speed guy he has burst he has explosiveness and he stood out in the brief moments that we were able to see him this fall but both him and the other freshman in Jaden Wright were injured in the spring so even though they early enrolled they weren't on the field as much to learn on the Fly and learn from experience which they've been now doing in the fall so Jaden Wright is more of a Bruiser type running back from Illinois that could be a red zone machine in future years but both of those guys could be featured backs in the future but I don't see it for 2024 so that's seven running backs you've got a super deep running back room with Talent up and down across the board and then you've got some some Walk-Ons you gotta shout out Cortez Grant Jr you gotta shout out Kaden Johnson you gotta shout out Xander rockout I've got love for rockout coming from oair Wisconsin as a do-it-all state champion in the class of 2023 he converted from a linebacker to a running back for Minnesota last year in his red shirt freshman season so overall you've got a lot of talent in the room you've got a lot of bi you've got dudes who have proven experience and have some upside I think this running back room could be the deepest and hopefully we don't have to see it be the deepest because of injuries but this room looks much deeper than it has been in year prior but that was a necessity after last year because we got all the way down to running back five so hopefully we can avoid the injuries moving forward but the final thing I want to do on today's show is rank the running back rooms from 1 to 18 in the Big 10 and we're going to do that coming up next FanDuel first I want to talk to you about our fan friends over at fanduel.com because FanDuel is the place to be when it comes to Dreaming up bets anything you can think of you can probably find it over on fanduel.com and anything from coach firings and who could be on hot seat to the upcoming college football week one week zero Games Week zero happens this weekend folks college football and real football will be on your television screen starting this Saturday now the Gophers are 10 days away from playing so we're going to be in in in hington Bank Stadium and before you know it in the blink of an eye we will be back there so overall if you want to take a shot on the North Carolina game I would take the points and the under of the points uh before I would touch the line myself I think it's going to be a very competitive game but I think overall if you want a line to look at you take the under on 50 and a half for the points in the North Carolina Minesota game but if you're ready to dream up bets if you're ready to take a shot on the Heisman votes and everything like that you can do it over at fanduel.com where you can get a boost or a bonus on The Daily All Summer Long now Summer's going to be over before you know it so take advantage while you still can over at fanduel.com FanDuel official Sportsbook partner of locked Big Ten RB Rankings on all right Gophers fans maybe other big 10 fans that have found your way to this channel especially for the running back room rankings we're diving into that now now I'm going to try to fly through these things so the show isn't too long but we're going to kick it off with number one I've got Ohio State it's not possible for me to honestly rank room higher than Ohio States who could have two of the top four running backs in the next NFL draft on their team currently quinon Judkins trayon Henderson they could be a little redundant for Ohio State with their skill sets but also they might cap the ceiling of them of each other when it comes to production on the field for Ohio State but these are both guys that can get you a championship and they could be in the hunt this season and in the end you don't pass up on Talent especially top talent at that so Ohio state is my number one running back room you go to number two I've got Penn State this is my favorite running back room personally with two Fire and Ice complimentary Styles and running back Nick Singleton and KRON Allen they are so good at complimenting each other they're both weapons in the past game they're both different in skill sets but huge for this Penn State team and now they have a new explosive offensive coordinator who could use them even more so and they have also uh have a new stud freshman coming in I believe his name is like Quinton Martin or something like that he is is an Elite Talent I believe he's a four-star verge of fstar guy as an athlete so from top to bottom they've got a number of quality guys so Penn State comes in at two you go to number three I've got Michigan now it seems like I'm just going with all the helmet schools but look Donovan Edwards has next world upside that we have seen but he has never been the feature guy before Blake km has been that dude so now all of that changes this year I believe he will bring his best and with the newer opportunity he could get his NFL stock back up behind him they have Ben Hall who looked like a stud in Spring games who has looked like he can be a very good contributor plus they have a highly rated running back room from the 23 class in Cole Cabana and 24 class in Jordan Marshall both fourstar guys so they have a ton of talent in that room number four I've got Minnesota now some people might call me a homer but I don't think so I think the reason that I put Minnesota up into this category is because of Darius Taylor and his ceiling that's the reason I feel good about placing Minnesota in the top five at number four on this list now it could seem light slightly aggressive but this is a running back that led the entire country last season as a true freshman in rushing yards per game with 133 yards per game and you add in The Talented OU transfer in Marcus major you add in a former all running back in CA benera you add in Jordan nubin who had a 200y yard game to his name and you get a top five level running back room in the conference barnun now you go to top five for me I was surprised I put him at five but I got Washington coming in at number five Jonah Coleman was a stud running back at Arizona he pairs back with his head coach who is very familiar with him and will get him the touches and opportunity so he should be in line for a lot of carries behind him this team has Cam Davis who has experienced but he's coming back from an injury last year and then let me tell you right now learn the name Adam Muhammad because he is a future stud running back in the Big 10 I have zero doubts uh mark my words that staff was happy that his recruitment was somewhat quieter than expected because this dude is going to be a beast down the road he could even maybe find some work this year but in the future this could be his room for sure now going to number six I've got Wisconsin chz maloi who got off to a heart hot start last year is back after a shortened season due to injury then you add in a talented running back who was efficient as all get out in a split Back Field at Oklahoma last year and towi Walker that's a good one-w punch plus not one not two but three running backs in their true freshman class and one of those being a top 10 rated running back in the class in Dylan Jones it was hard to put Wisconsin outside the top five just barely for me but they have a very very talented running back room coming in at number seven I've got Ruckers now this honestly feels a little bit disrespectful having the big 10's returning rushing leader at seven but it's not because of Kyle manang guy it is more so because I don't know enough of who is behind him to give them the benefit of the doubt and get them into that top six above those other schools but Ruckers has a talented guy in Kyle manangi then you've got number eight at me for me and that is the Oregon Ducks they have lost Bucky Irving who was their number one running back last year but they still have their rb2 and rb3 back in Jordan James and Noah Whittington both are Juniors both have shown ability on the field and honestly Jordan James could be in for a big season if given more work I'm also intrigued by the incoming freshman from the DC area and D dejon rigs as a long-term option Oregon's offense is super high powerered though I think they're going to pass the ball a lot also I think Dylan Gabriel could run a bit more than what we saw from both Knicks potentially capping the upside of some of these running backs you go to number nine I've got UCLA their head coach is a former running back coach their OC is a very experienced guy and their running back could T potentially be the best skills skill position guy on their entire team TJ Harden was in a split backfield last year with Carson steel who is balling out with the Chiefs right now as an undrafted guy but this year I think TJ Harden could take over the Workhorse roll type role now on top of that Beyond him they have a couple interesting names but the upside is lacking from what I can see so I couldn't put them any on this list top 10 number 10 I've got USC Woody marks is intriguing but he also feels like a diet version of Marshon Lloyd who they had last year and now is with the Packers If he if the pass game is a little bit lesser this year than it was with Caleb Williams and the Run game is a little bit lesser with not as big of a running back I think they could be more in the middle of the pack in this category so they come in at 10 11 I've got Michigan State Nathan Carter is back and that is a welcome site for Michigan State State because he was the only running back who could effectively Run for the Spartans last year if it wasn't for him this team could have been near the bottom in the entire conference so I'm intrigued by the transfer that they got from UMass KRON Lynch Adams uh he had over a thousand yards last year so you got him and then maybe one of the three freshman that they have on the roster this upcoming year could explode and be a long-term guy down the line but this coach made really good usage of his running back in Oregon State and Damen Martinez I think he'll find his guy here in Michigan State and really ride it so I got to give them a little bit of a benefit of a doubt in Michigan State number 12 I've got Purdue I had this room way higher last year because of Tyrone Tracy Jr and Devin makabe but Tracy is off to the NFL and makabe had fumble itis last year so they took a big tumble in my rankings I've got them at 12 Maryland comes in at 13 I really like Roman henby but I don't know too much about the guys Beyond him and I'm not sure Maryland is going to be as good as what people want to give them credit for in this upcoming season number 14 I've got Nebraska now they want to run the ball they got a transfer coming in from Oregon and Dante Dao who could be the guy uh gabin Jr continues to get love from the Nebraska coaches and what have you so they've got two guys that you can feel a little bit of confidence in but I think they're really going to test out this Young quarterback I think they're going to let him throw the ball all over the yard they've got some speedsters on the outside so I think Nebraska is going to be more of a passing offense than what we're used to and I have them at 14 in the running back's room you go to 15 I've got Illinois Kaden Fegan show showed some flashes last year uh khil Valentine is a uh true freshman coming in that I have interest in uh I believe they still have uh can't think of his name oh Josh McCrae right now but I just I don't see high upside from any of those guys so I am going to put them at 15 16 is Iowa IA was a big Caleb Johnson fan but he got injured and dinged up last year he didn't have that upside lesan Williams is also back so they've got two guys that have given you decent yardage but I just don't see the high level of impact in High upside so I got to rank them lower then you got 17 Indiana hasn't even really named a starting running back yet they've got a ton of transfers Justice Ellison Solomon vanhorse Elijah green but overall I don't think it's easy to rate them above some of the lowest teams in the conference because we don't even know what they're going to do they're probably going to be more of a passing offense so I just can't do it then finally I've got 18 at Northwestern cam Outro Porter is the guy out there but I don't know any names beyond that that give me any interest and that's going to do it for us on today's show let me know what your thoughts are on these rankings down below I truly appreciate you for tapping in and hopefully you will tap in tomorrow where we talk about the receivers in the top room uh ranks for the Big 10 in the receiver room as well that's going to be one of the most interesting positions for Minnesota and we'll dive in tomorrow I'll see you then Ro the boat Sky Michael Gophers as always and please don't forget to hit subscribe [Music]