BYU football may still be months away, but it’s never too early to start looking at different position groups. One position group that is not being talked about much but is still very important to look at is the running backs. The Cougars will be without Deion Smith and Aidan Robbins from last year, but they will still bring back quite a bit of talent who has been productive in the past.
LJ Martin will lead the Cougars; however, Miles Davis and Hinkley Ropati are other running backs who will get plenty of playing time as long as they can stay healthy. Nationally, BYU will probably be looking in the transfer portal to add another body or two players who at least have some experience, whether at the P5 or G5 level.
BYU’s Running Game Struggled in 2024
Last year, BYU football had one of college football’s worst running attacks in the nation. Fans and media don’t seem particularly concerned about the players the Cougars currently have on the team. All three players on the current depth chart have shown that they can be effective running backs and be very good in the running game. Instead, the focus seems to be on the office of line, who struggled to open up running lanes for the running backs, including Aidan Robbins last season, who, when given even a small space to run in, seems to be able to find quite a bit of room and be effective.
However, the Cougars lost their best and third-best running backs from last season. Aaron Roderick and Kalani Sitake have both emphasized that they really want to get back to the running game this season, especially without having a very proven quarterback at the P5 level.
Last season, Jake Retzlaff went 0-4 in his starts, and Gerrry Bohannon hasn’t been a P5 QB for nearly 3 years. That’s not to say they can’t take a huge step forward, but the optimism is certainly limited at this point. Affecting the running game would help the office move down the field and give the starting quarterback more options and more open receivers, as defenders will be forced to look at covering the running backs.
BYU Is Not Looking For a Running Back By Committee
For the past few years, BYU football has used the phrase ‘running back by committee’ quite often, not only when playing games but also when describing its offense. After a tough season, running backs coach Harvey Unga is taking a new approach.
“I don’t care what the package looks like, I want them to be able to be in there and play. I don’t want a player for this package and a player for that package — that just signals to the defense what’s coming. If all of our backs can play every down in every formation, it gives us an edge, everything will look the same personnel wise.”
Last year, at times, the offense seemed a bit obvious, depending on which running back was in the game. This allowed defenses to adjust their own formations and be pretty confident in their coverage. If the Cougars can pull off having every running back be a 1st-4th down back, defenses will have to respect the entire field, opening up more opportunities in the run-and-pass game.