Spring Camp for Auburn Football is on the horizon. We will start our position group preview with the running backs.
The Running Back room is always a strength for Auburn Football. This season will be no different. Coming into the Spring, all 5 of the top contributors are returning: Jarquez Hunter, Damari Alston, Brian Battie, Jeremiah Cobb, and Sean Jackson. The results for this talented group were mixed last season, however.
Though Jarquez Hunter lead the team in rushing yards, he got off to a slow start last season due to a off-season suspension and a few nagging injuries. He is looking to bounce back and become the NFL Caliber RB1 that Auburn fans are hoping for.
Damari Alston comes into the season looking to be the solid RB2. Injuries during the season saw his minutes and contribution go up and down during the year. He is the most complete back on this roster but needs to get more opportunities to showcase his skillset.
Brian Battie was mostly used as a kick returner last season. He saw his minutes steadily decline as the season progressed, despite having some impressive showings early in the year on the road against Cal and on the road against Texas A&M. Having flirted with the transfer portal once, already, one might wonder, if the Spring does not give him hope that his role will increase, if he may decide to try his hand in the portal again. His eligibility is running out.
Jeremiah Cobb had a solid showing in his freshman season. Coming into his sophomore campaign and having a full spring to get up to speed, Cobb will push the others for more minute and more usage. He proved to be an adept pass catcher and a threat with his speed in the open field. It will be interesting to see how the reps and carries get distributed now that Cobb will be around for the full fall program.
Sean Jackson worked his way from being a Walk-on to be scholarship athlete. He mostly saw duty on special teams. Jackson can be a short yardage back and has the talent to carry the load but he has a long road ahead to fight for playing time. However, the guys in front of him come in with a lot of reps and a ton of talent.
I want to see more imagination in the play calling this season.
– Ike Jones on The Morning Drop
New Offensive Coordinator and Running Backs Coach, Derrick Nix, has his work cut out for him. How do he and Coach Hugh Freeze design and offense that utilizes all of the talent in this room? Will it be possible to keep all of these guys engaged and happy? How will he distribute the reps amongst them all? There are plenty of chance to get these guys involved and be more imaginative with the offense. We will soon see what Coach Freeze and Nix have in mind.
You can watch The Morning Drop on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings on The War Rapport’s YouTube channel.
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