Former IU running back Tevin Coleman is one of them.
Coleman’s departure to the NFL leaves a vacant spot at the top of the depth chart, a spot in which he produced 2,036 yards, 15 touchdowns and 7.5 yards per carry last season.
Not only did Coleman move to the pros, but DeAngelo Roberts, who rushed for 493 yards as the backup in 2014, has graduated from the program.
The running back position would normally appear to be depleted after losing NFL-caliber talent, but running backs coach Deland McCullough sees things differently.
“Strongest overall running back group I have been around,” McCullough tweeted July 23. “Hungry and confident. Ready to show it on the field.”
McCullough was referring to the six running backs on the Hoosiers’ roster coming into summer camp: juniors Jordan Howard and Andrew Wilson, sophomore Devine Redding, and freshmen Tommy Mister, Rickey Brookins and Alex Rodriguez.
“I just look at my guys top to bottom,” McCullough said. “Any one of those guys, I would have no problem putting in the game. You could make a strong case for all of them to play.”
The attribute McCullough continues to search for, though, is consistency.
He instills a high standard in the running backs room in order to find that consistency.
“The standard remains that we strive for perfection every day,” McCullough said. “Guys are pretty tough judges of themselves. All I do is kind of steer everything and get these guys to the point that they want to be.”
Coming into camp in the summer, it seemed Jordan Howard, an offseason transfer from UAB, would run away with the starting responsibilities, but McCullough has expressed confidence in all six backs.
Howard rushed for 1,587 yards, 13 touchdowns and averaged 5.2 yards per carry in 2014 for UAB, including a 183-yard performance versus Western Kentucky, whom the Hoosiers play in week three.
He also received a preseason nomination for the Doak Walker award, which is given annually to the nation’s top running back.
“He’s doing good,” McCullough said. “We’re getting him more comfortable with more of our outside running schemes. He’s strong in pass protection. His conditioning is actually better than decent.”
At 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, Howard is a power back who likes to run between the tackles. His longest rush is 55 yards, as compared to Coleman’s career-high 90-yard run.
“We don’t have a guy that has that top-end, elite speed like that,” McCullough said. “We do have some chain-movers and maybe have some strength that Tevin doesn’t. Jordan Howard will bang it up in there and get four yards when you thought it was nothing.”
Howard missed the majority of spring ball due to a hyperextended elbow, but McCullough is content with his recovery and is ready to see him make strides in live action.
One running back closing in on competition with Howard is Redding, who ran for 118 yards on just 29 carries last season.
As the only running back with IU carries, the sophomore has taken a premature leadership role in the locker room.
He sees his duties as keeping the other backs focused and prepared during practice, smart on and off the field, and enthusiastic in the locker room.
“No, I didn’t expect it,” said Redding about his leadership role. “But like Coach (McCullough) says, the next guy up just has to roll with it.”
While he was instrumental in the Missouri upset in 2014, Redding fumbled against North Texas and has continued to struggle with protecting the football during the offseason.
“The only thing that can beat him is himself,” McCullough said. “He’s got to respect the football.”
With Brookins and Mister also developing in the backfield, McCullough said he hoped that the running backs can keep their emotions in check while staying competitive and finding consistency.
“Coach says, ‘Don’t make bad habits because bad habits will form you,’” Redding said. “That’s the main motto for me.”
