2021 Fall Camp Notes - Running Backs

[Husker in WI]

When they had Held for an interview last week we had a ton of duplicate questions, and no one really asked what I want to know which is what specific roles do we need to fill for RB. We know they want someone to take the job and then sprinkle in other guys. But is there a specific power back role, and how is that shaping up? I assume there is from past offenses, but that could also be the 2/3 back happened to be a big guy. And then if there are carries/packages for a power back, is that competition down to Stepp and Yant or do they feel like Scott is strong enough, or that Ervin and Morrison are big enough now to take those carries if they earn them?

 

I'm sure they wouldn't get too specific and make it easier for Illinois to project the RB usage, but I'm really curious. Seems like if we did have specific roles to fill, everyone would be in play for RB1. Yant (I think Held or someone said they wanted him down to ~235-240 after being ~260 in the spring) and Johnson (I don't really buy that he's 185 and probably needs to be at least 195) probably aren't contenders for RB1 until they address their size. But for power back beyond Stepp/Yant, who else is included in that competition? And would the 'scat back' competition include guys like Nixon/Brown/Belt? I assume Ervin/Morrison can get those reps along with Johnson, but if we're looking for backs who can split out wide as needed for certain packages, that's not a lot of guys fighting for the reps. Scott/Stepp/Yant don't seem like they would fit in that role, but maybe they could. Mills split out wide at times, but I get the sense that was because no one else could and he at least knew what to do. 

[Born N Bled Red]

Man, if there was ever a time we would have the personnel to move back to a I formation option offense, its now. Martinez at qb, Yant at FB, Ervin, Morrison, Steppe at IBack. Two good sized blocking TEs and an OLine that has gotten huge.

[Hilltop]

3 hours ago, Born N Bled Red said:

Man, if there was ever a time we would have the personnel to move back to a I formation option offense, its now. Martinez at qb, Yant at FB, Ervin, Morrison, Steppe at IBack. Two good sized blocking TEs and an OLine that has gotten huge.

We definitely have the personnel to run power.  Hopefully we see that inside the red zone a little more this year.    

[Toe]

23 hours ago, Born N Bled Red said:

Two good sized blocking TEs

 

When they're healthy, you mean?

[hunter49]

i just hope we don't feature a slimmed down, quicker AM carrying the ball too much.  Tempting to Frost?

we need to use our RB's and let AM throw the ball.

[BigRedBuster]

2 minutes ago, hunter49 said:

i just hope we don't feature a slimmed down, quicker AM carrying the ball too much.  Tempting to Frost?

we need to use our RB's and let AM throw the ball.

If our RBs are productive, I don’t see frost doing that. His offense that he’s ran other places didn’t run the QB too much. 

[Mavric]

Lubick says they have a pretty good idea who RB1 is but aren't ready to say it publically.

 

But if I read the tea leaves a bit from how he talked about each guy it seems pretty obvious that it's Ervin -> Morrison/Stepp -> Scott -> Johnson.

 

Yant's name doesn't seem to be coming up very much lately.  Possibly because Stepp is very similar so if Stepp is filling that role Yant isn't in the mix.  Stepp was obviously out this spring when Yant was getting a lot of press.

[Decoy73]

16 minutes ago, Mavric said:

Lubick says they have a pretty good idea who RB1 is but aren't ready to say it publically.

 

But if I read the tea leaves a bit from how he talked about each guy it seems pretty obvious that it's Ervin -> Morrison/Stepp -> Scott -> Johnson.

 

Yant's name doesn't seem to be coming up very much lately.  Possibly because Stepp is very similar so if Stepp is filling that role Yant isn't in the mix.  Stepp was obviously out this spring when Yant was getting a lot of press.

Interesting thoughts about Yant.  It would beg the question as to why he was elevated to scholarship status if he’s no better than the 5th or 6th RB in the room.  If this assessment is true, then dang!  I was hoping to watch him bulldoze some would-be tacklers this fall.  

[Husker in WI]

1 minute ago, Decoy73 said:

Interesting thoughts about Yant.  It would beg the question as to why he was elevated to scholarship status if he’s no better than the 5th or 6th RB in the room.  If this assessment is true, then dang!  I was hoping to watch him bulldoze some would-be tacklers this fall.  

 

Maybe 5th or 6th overall, but it's not crazy to have that many scholarship backs. And it seems like they have a specific role for a bigger back, and he's easily 2nd best on the team there. I bet we'll see him some this year, but also sounded like they want him to slim down more than he has so far. 

[Mavric]

2 minutes ago, Decoy73 said:

Interesting thoughts about Yant.  It would beg the question as to why he was elevated to scholarship status if he’s no better than the 5th or 6th RB in the room.  If this assessment is true, then dang!  I was hoping to watch him bulldoze some would-be tacklers this fall.  

 

Yeah, that's a little surprising to me as well.  He's still a freshman eligibility-wise so guys that young usually have to be right in the mix to get one.

 

I suppose the other option is it was kind of announced and made a big deal of but he might have only been on scholarship for the spring semester.

[Decoy73]

14 minutes ago, Husker in WI said:

Maybe 5th or 6th overall, but it's not crazy to have that many scholarship backs.

I would agree if some were upperclassman, but IIRC all are Fr or So.  

[Hilltop]

34 minutes ago, Decoy73 said:

Interesting thoughts about Yant.  It would beg the question as to why he was elevated to scholarship status if he’s no better than the 5th or 6th RB in the room.  If this assessment is true, then dang!  I was hoping to watch him bulldoze some would-be tacklers this fall.  

It sounded like after the spring he was in the top 3.  My guess is others have surpassed expectations and passed him on the depth chart.  Good problem to have.

[BigRedBuster]

1 hour ago, Decoy73 said:

Interesting thoughts about Yant.  It would beg the question as to why he was elevated to scholarship status if he’s no better than the 5th or 6th RB in the room.  If this assessment is true, then dang!  I was hoping to watch him bulldoze some would-be tacklers this fall.  

I take it as he's sort of a #2 in the same roll as Stepp. Meaning, if Stepp would go down with injury, he would take those snaps in games.

[Wunderkind]

1 hour ago, BigRedBuster said:

I take it as he's sort of a #2 in the same roll as Stepp. Meaning, if Stepp would go down with injury, he would take those snaps in games.

I agree, it's nice to have two backs with that role. 

[whateveritis1224]

The way it appears the lineup might be 1. Morrison 2.Stepp/Ervin. Lot of talk about Morrison the past week.