Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 49 RUNNING BACKS Denson explained. "I spend so much time with him. By the time we got two or three practices in at Culver, you knew you had something from a maturity standpoint. That's just who he is. He didn't surprise me because I get to work with him several times throughout the day. He did very well." Denson hopes the cadre of running backs means there will be mul- tiple voices in the running backs' room, whereas one year ago it was Folston, freshmen and a player switching positions in Prosise. "You now have multiple guys, Josh can contribute a lot, you have Tarean, so what it allows you to do is have more people and resources that they can go to," Denson said. "Let's say Tarean's not available. You can get just as much from Josh. If Josh is not available, you have Dexter as well. "It's the law of numbers. We have more opportunities to get it right for the younger guys because they have more guys they can go to." It hasn't clicked for Justin Brent as quickly as many expected when the Speedway, Ind., native came to the Irish as a four-star wide receiver in 2014. A freshman season spent on the scout team and on Notre Dame's special teams units was followed by a redshirt campaign in 2015 while he transitioned to running back. It's difficult to doubt Brent's raw talent — just look at some of the practice cut-ups that the junior sometimes posts on social media — but a Lisfranc injury might hinder his progress once August camp begins. Prior to that was the first time he began making inroads toward seeing game action. "[He's doing] really good and for JB his next step is actually get- ting reps," Denson said this spring. "You can learn only so much by being in the classroom. Now he's able to go out and make some mistakes and learn and actually go through the mechanics of what he's being asked to do. For him, it's just getting reps — as many as BY THE NUMBERS 0 How many times an Irish running back has started all 13 games in a season dur- ing the Brian Kelly era. The players with the most amount of starts each season were C.J. Prosise (nine starts in 2015), Tarean Folston (10 in 2014), George Atkinson (four in 2013), Theo Riddick (eight in 2012), Cierre Wood (nine in 2011) and Armando Allen (seven in 2010). 16 Number of returning starts from Notre Dame's running backs; senior Tar- ean Folston leads the way with 13, while sophomore Josh Adams is next with three. 98 The number of yards Josh Adams gained on a carry against Wake Forest Nov. 4, which went into the Irish record books as the longest play from scrim- mage in Notre Dame Stadium history. Adams showed off his playmaking ability as a rookie in 2015, ripping off a school-record 98-yard touchdown run and finishing with a freshman-record 835 rushing yards. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA QUICK FACTS Position Coach: Autry Denson (2nd year at Notre Dame) Returning Starters: Tarean Folston (13 career starts) and Josh Adams (3) Departing Starters: C.J. Prosise (9 at RB) Projected New Starters: None Top Reserve: Dexter Williams Waiting His Turn: Justin Brent Newcomers: Tony Jones Jr. and Deon McIntosh Moved In: None Moved Out: None Other Departures: None FYI: Last year, departed senior C.J. Prosise became the 11th Irish ball carrier to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark (1,032) … Notre Dame rushed for more than 100 yards in all 13 games and reached the 200-yard mark six times in 2015 … The Irish ran for a season-high 457 yards versus UMass — the best rushing total by Notre Dame in 23 years … Notre Dame registered 299 ground yards on 35 carries (8.5-yard average) against Stanford — the most by an opponent in head coach David Shaw's five seasons … The Irish averaged 5.63 yards per carry in 2015 (eighth in the Football Bowl Subdivi - sion) … Returning players (including QBs) accounted for 60.9 percent of Notre Dame's rushing yards a season ago … Phil Steele's 2016 College Football Preview ranks Notre Dame's running backs as the 14th-best group nationally, while Folston was listed as the country's No. 19 draft-eligible ball carrier. PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★ National Title Caliber; ★★★ Playoff Contention; ★★ Top 25 Potential; ★ Too Unproven Starters ★★★ Unlike the quarterback position, where typically only one player sees the bulk of the playing time, it's less relevant who is listed as the starter at running back. The positive for Notre Dame is there are plenty of options at the position with the different styles of senior Tarean Folston and sophomore Josh Adams. While those two should command most of the reps, sophomore Dexter Williams had a breakout spring and should get plenty of opportunities in 2016 as well. Experience ★★★ Notre Dame enjoyed one of its best rushing efforts in recent history last season despite carrying little experience on the 85-man roster due to a number of factors. Folston played only a handful of snaps against Texas in the season opener before suffering a season-ending injury. Greg Bryant transferred during fall camp after being ruled ineligible for the season. Those two losses, plus the graduation of Cam McDaniel, opened the door for fresh- men Adams and Williams, plus receiver-turned- running back C.J. Prosise. Experience can be overrated at this position, but the return of Folston, Adams and Williams should foreshadow another productive season. Depth ★★★★ The perception of depth can quickly change from year to year. Many had cause for worry after what was expected to be a Folston-Bryant backfield duo quickly turned into a Prosise-Adams combination for most of 2015. Last year's freshmen — Adams and Williams — gave reasons for optimism moving for- ward and this year's — Tony Jones Jr. and Deon McIntosh — could help if needed. It says something when the fourth option, junior Justin Brent, is a former Rivals top-100 recruit. Overall Grade ★★★½ Notre Dame's running backs can match up with just about any other team's in the country. Much of the preseason spotlight will be on the quarterbacks, but the ball carriers will also play a major role in what should be another productive campaign from this position. Folston will help upgrade the short-yardage game, while Adams displayed his big-play ability as a freshman in 2015. Even if Notre Dame's statistics at running back are not quite as superb as they were last fall, it could still be a better all-around effort in 2016.