Spring football preview: Running backs
Missouri will open its third spring under Barry Odom next month. Over the next two weeks, we preview spring ball position by position. Today, it's the running backs.
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SPRING FOOTBALL 2018: RUNNING BACK
The Starter: Entering last season, the starting running back job seemed secure in the hands of Damarea Crockett. This year, Crockett is back, but he may have some work to do to cement himself atop the depth chart. Crockett, who broke Missouri’s single-season freshman rushing record in 2016, missed the final seven games of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery. In Crockett’s absence, freshman Larry Rountree III emerged as a reliable option, rushing for 703 yards and six touchdowns on 126 carries. Crockett still figures to get the first crack at the starting job — he averaged 6.0 yards per carry last season to Rountree’s 5.6, and the coaches won’t have forgotten the ability he showed in 2016 — but if he struggles, Rountree could certainly swoop in and take over the lead role.
The Backups: Behind Crockett and Rountree, the Tiger backfield is wide open. Walk-on freshman Dawson Downing received 20 carries when the Tigers were short-handed last season, but it’s hard to imagine Downing taking over a heavy workload if either Crockett or Rountree gets injured. Freshman Isaiah Miller was a more heralded recruit than Rountree entering last spring but ended up redshirting; he seems to be the most likely candidate to work his way into a complimentary role with a solid spring.
Potential Storylines: The biggest storyline will be how Crockett looks coming off shoulder surgery and with a new offensive coordinator. With four 150-plus yard rushing performances in his career, Crockett certainly seems to have a higher ceiling than any other back on Missouri’s roster. If he is able to recapture the explosiveness he displayed late in his freshman season, he should enter next season the unquestioned starter, forming a strong 1-2 punch with Rountree.
Spring Prediction: A fresh Crockett will quickly seize the starting job and will be complimented by Rountree and Miller in the Tigers’ regular rotation.
Help on the Way: Missouri signed two running backs in its 2018 class in Simi Bakare and Tyler Badie. Neither will arrive on campus until after spring ball, but both could have a chance to work their way into some playing time next season. Bakare is a fast, physical downhill runner. Badie, who scouts have described as a change-of-pace back and solid receiver out of the backfield, could see time as a third-down option.