5’10” – 194 lbs. – 4.54
Redshirted, then played sparingly over eight games the following season. Rotated into the offense (three starts in nine games, 89 touches) as a redshirt sophomore, then led the team in rushing in each of the two subsequent seasons despite not being a full-time starter. A little bit thinner than you’d like in a pro running back, but comes from a pro-style offense which featured a lot of running between the tackles; even handled a lot of goal-line responsibilities. More of a consistent gainer who can break off chunks of yardage than a true home-run hitter; longest run this past season was thirty-five yards. Overall vision and judgment are sound; decisive runner who takes what the defense gives him. Patient; lets his blocks develop and knows when to gear down and allow things to unfold. Has good balance to stay upright when making his way through congestion, and can fit through small creases in the line. Very elusive player who can make defenders miss in the hole in one-on-one situations, creating short gains where the possibility of being stuffed looked likely. Very good spin move. Runs hard for a smaller back, with good competitiveness and leg drive; able to lower his shoulder and fight for extra yards after contact to finish his carries. Uses head fakes, jump cuts, and stutter-steps effectively and can be difficult to tackle in the open field. Minor ball security issues relative to some of the other backs in the class, with eight career fumbles on 607 touches. Often remained on the field in passing situations, whether in blitz pickup or as a receiving option; caught sixty-four passes over the past two seasons. On some occasions, lined up in the slot to present defenses with a different look, but primarily served as more of a safety valve running shorter patterns into the flats or near the line of scrimmage. In pass protection, is willing to stick his nose in and engage defenders, although his size limitations cause him to go low at times and he could be more consistent about using his arms when engaging instead of throwing a shoulder. A relatively known quantity who lacks some of the physical attributes teams look for but comes from a pro-style offense and does just about everything well. Might be considered more of a change-of-pace back by some, but recently backs such as Dion Lewis have shown that smaller runners can be primary options.
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