There aren’t going to be enough carries to go around for everyone in Ohio State’s running back room this season. That much is undeniable.
With six scholarship running backs all participating in spring practice, Tony Alford is tasked with splitting up reps between a group of players at his position who could all be legitimate candidates for playing time in 2021: fourth-year Master Teague, third-years Marcus Crowley and Steele Chambers, second-year Miyan Williams and freshmen TreVeyon Henderson and Evan Pryor.
Realistically, some or even most of them are going to spend the 2021 season on the sidelines or playing only occasional snaps. Alford knows he will have to have some “honest conversations” with some of his running backs at the end of spring about where they might stack up on the depth chart, and there’s no guarantee that all six will still be on the roster come fall, given that players will now be able to transfer without sitting out a season.
For now, though, Alford isn’t worrying about that. For this spring, Alford is trying to balance reps between all of those running backs to give all of them the opportunity to show what they can do and him the opportunity to evaluate which running backs should see the most playing time in 2021.
“There’ll be some days where some guys are gonna get more reps than others. And they need to understand that,” Alford said Tuesday. “But I think if you’re up front, again we’ve talked about open, transparent conversations and honest conversations, I think as we go through the spring and these guys will tell you, there are times where I’m gonna say, ‘Listen, today, this guy’s gonna get more reps here.’ Or tomorrow it’s gonna be this guy. Or today it may be you. Because there’s certain things I have to design to see. And it’s all about putting people in competitive situations.”
Ultimately, some of those running backs might have to decide whether they’re willing to wait their turn for more playing time at Ohio State this season. Right now, however, Alford doesn’t want that to be anyone’s mentality. Because any running back in the room has a chance to earn a big role this season if he proves he deserves it.
“I don’t want them to be patient,” Alford said. “Show me, show the staff that we have to play you. That I don’t have a choice but to play you because you are by far the best guy we’ve got. Show me. Don’t tell me, show me.
“Now with that same understanding, if you’re not playing, I don’t want you to go off the rails either and throw some tantrums and go off the rails that way either. And just continue to work and get better. But yeah, again, those are highly competitive guys. So when you recruit them, you know that going in.”
If the season started today, Teague would be Ohio State’s starting running back, Alford confirmed Tuesday. Teague has been the Buckeyes’ second-leading rusher for the past two seasons, and has far more playing experience at Ohio State than anyone else in the room, so he is regarded as the “incumbent starter.”
But that doesn’t necessarily mean Teague will end up being the Buckeyes’ top running back this fall. Williams, Crowley and Chambers have shown flashes in limited action – particularly Williams last season – and Henderson and Pryor are both top-100 recruits who are too talented not to get a shot at competing for immediate playing time.
Alford is excited to watch all of them compete as spring progresses.
“(Teague)’s played the most and had the most reps of anybody in the room. But there’s other really good players here too,” Alford said. “And I’m really anxious to watch Miyan Williams. Here’s a guy that he had a smattering of carries, a very small sample size, but what he did, he was very successful in those opportunities. So he’s continuing to grow into the program and in this offense. Marcus Crowley’s coming back. Steele’s had his moments. Now you’ve got two young guys. So guys are going to get their opportunities … You get what you earn. And if those opportunities are deserved and earned, then they’ll be there for them.”
Master Teague is the “incumbent starter” at running back, but he still has to fend off competition to lead the depth chart in 2021. (Photo: Ohio State Dept. of Athletics)
Asked whether he expects one running back to take the majority of carries or for multiple running backs to split carries more evenly this fall, Alford said the Buckeyes are “going to do whatever we need to do to win games.”
“If it’s one guy and the bellcow as we like to say, then it shall be. If it’s not, then it’s not,” Alford said. “If one of them or two of them emerge to kind of separate themselves from the pack, then that shall happen. And in some regards, that may happen. But time will tell. Right now, we’re just trying to get better every day and go from there.”
What will the coaches be looking for to determine which running backs should be in the rotation this fall? Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson both cite ball security and pass protection as primary considerations, as they need to be able to trust their running backs to avoid turnovers and giving up big hits to the quarterback.
“The key at running back is you’re giving that guy the game,” Wilson said last week. “We put the game in your hand. So it’s one thing to make plays, but you’re really looking for a guy that you can trust. Takes care of the ball, understands protection.”
“Show me, show the staff that we have to play you. That I don’t have a choice but to play you because you are by far the best guy we’ve got.”– Tony Alford on what he wants from his running backs
Of course, Ohio State wants its running back to make big plays as runners and receivers like Trey Sermon did down the stretch of last season and J.K. Dobbins, Ezekiel Elliott and so many other Ohio State running backs have before. Alford said the big thing he wants to see as he evaluates the running backs, though, is that they make plays and execute their assignments correctly on a consistent basis in practice.
“The guys that prove that they can play winning football on a consistent basis, and be at their best on a consistent basis, are going to be the guys that are gonna play,” Alford said. “And one of the things I said to them is every single detail matters. When we’re sitting in a meeting and I ask a question … how do you answer the question? Do you answer definitively? Are you right or are you wrong? That’s a rep. When we go out on the practice field and we run a drill, did you do it right? Did you do it as hard as we wanted you to do it?
“When the talent’s equated, and there’s a lot of talent in our room, the small things are gonna tip the scales. And when opportunities exist where you’ve gotta make a play, maybe it’s a simple swing route, did you catch it? Or did you not? Were you able to sustain a block on blitz pickup, or were you not? So all these little things are gonna matter. Because the talent is equated in a lot of ways, and the guys that are consistently great over the course of time, that’s how they’re gonna separate themselves.”
