RB depth has become a concern, but Texas has better options than when it faced 2019’s emergency
With a season-ending injury to CJ Baxter and another injury of unknown seriousness suffered by Christian Clark at Tuesday’s practice, Texas fans might be thinking the Longhorns’ current running back situation is as dire as the one that plagued the team in 2019.
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There are a few distinct differences that have the 2024 Longhorns in a far better position.
Here’s what Texas had at running back heading into week two’s contest versus the eventual national champion LSU Tigers five years ago. The position was already in dire straits before the season, and more injuries suffered in the leadup to the second game of the year turned the entire situation into an emergency:
RB Keaontay Ingram
Converted QB Roschon Johnson
Converted LB David Gbenda
Walk-on Jaren Watkins
Converted WR/sidelined RB Jordan Whittington
Sidelined RB Derrian Brown
Sidelined RB Kirk Johnson
Sidelined RB Daniel Young
Sidelined walk-on RB Jarrett Smith
At this point 18 days before the season, here’s what the Texas running back room looks like without any reported or announced full- or part-time conversions like Johnson’s or Whittington’s.
RB Jaydon Blue
RB Tre Wisner
RB Jerrick Gibson
Sidelined RB CJ Baxter
Sidelined RB Christian Clark
Walk-on Colin Page
Walk-on Reid Watkins
Walk-on Nik Sanders
There was but one scholarship running back available by week two in 2019, though that situation was the one that turned Johnson into a fan-favorite and NFL Draft pick.
Texas has three backs currently whose workload will have to be managed with just over two weeks to the season. That’s a task that falls to Steve Sarkisian and Tashard Choice with the season-opener against Colorado State looming. The best way to improve at football is by playing football. However, the game is not just a contact sport, it’s a collision sport.
Balancing the need for reps with the need for health is one of the biggest challenges of preseason camp for coaches. It is also why those two coaches are paid the big bucks.
In addition to managing workload, the Longhorns could elect to move a player from another position to running back for as long as the team needs it. Inside Texas’ Justin Wells reported on Saturday immediately following the scrimmage that Derion Gullette took snaps at RB. That obviously didn’t end his time at linebacker as Gullette recorded an interception in Monday’s practice per IT’s Eric Nahlin.
Regardless, Gullette taking snaps at tailback is a snippet of info that coincides with what Sarkisian said Monday evening about the possibility of moving a player to a new position room.
“We’re looking at some different options and I think we’re looking at it creatively, whether it’s a couple of guys on the offensive side of the ball or a potential player on the defensive side of the ball. Or two, for that matter,” Sarkisian added. “We’re taking it day by day. Again, we’ve got plenty of time. We’re just trying to get a sense and feel of not only how will they play on offense at runner, but how does that impact other positions if we take a player.”
How does something like that happen? Let’s continue with Gullette as our example (and only as an example).
How taxing is it for a defensive player trying to make headway at linebacker to turn into a running back and still maintain his footing on defense? It’s very hard, but coaches do a great job of making sure the player gets reps needed at the new position while his primary position gets the bulk of his time.
First, the player has to make sure he’s mentally prepared for what he’s about to do and put himself through. Coaches will coordinate and let Gullette go through meetings with Choice to learn plays, then go through individual drills with the running backs to warm up. He’ll still get his reps at practice at linebacker when it’s his turn, and he’ll grab a few further-down-the-depth-chart carries at RB in this hypothetical.
When the Longhorns create their scout team some time after the first scrimmage, Gullette could sneak a few touches with them as well.
Linebackers are like running backs in that they’re in the middle of the contact almost every play. It’s a great stage to show off toughness and athletic ability. Showing coaches you can handle the physical and mental part of defense and some offense is a great way to earn their trust in multiple senses.
There’s always the walk-on ranks. Sarkisian was asked about if anyone from the non-scholarship players could end up being like Michael Taaffe or Bert Auburn and contributing. He wouldn’t go that far, but Sarkisian did point out that Colin Page has performed well in recent practices.
“He’s been impactful on special teams and ran the ball well Saturday as well,” Sarkisian said.
The Longhorns would rather not be in their current predicament. They’d prefer to have players like Baxter and Clark available and avoid stunting development for a player at their regular position.
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But the situation is not one without workable solutions and Sarkisian and Choice will be tasked to unearth them with better options than those possessed by Tom Herman and Stan Drayton five years ago.
Joe Cook co-authored this article
The post RB depth has become a concern, but Texas has better options than when it faced 2019’s emergency appeared first on On3.
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