Natural ability in the world, but you’ve got to have “it.” I agree with that. But that’s kind of a cop out answer, IMO. If that were completely true, we really wouldn’t have RB coaches. If the response is “we haven’t developed RBs because RBs are born, not made,” then you’re either not a good coach or you’re a bad recruiter. Or, at least, you aren’t great at identifying talent.

Looking back at our RBs over the years, we don’t really have an impressive list:

2017 we had Squally Canada (710 yds and 6 TDS) and Ula Tolutau (303 and 2)
2018 we had Squally (~400 yds and 5) and Lopini Katoa (~400 and 8)
2019 we had Sione Finau (~360 yds and 2) and Lopini Katoa (~360 and 4). We also had Ty’Son Williams (transfer) who got hurt.
2020 we had Tyler Allgeier (1,100 and 13) and Lopini Katoa (400 and 5).
2021 we had Tyler Allgeier (~1,600 and 23) and Lopini Katoa (242 and 2).
This year we have Chris Brooks (729 and 5) and Lopini Katoa (333 and 2).

Squally Canada was solid. Ula had potential, but he got kicked out of school (IIRC). Finau was fine. Allgeier was an all-time great. But my issue is with everyone behind Katoa. Katoa has been a really solid second string RB. Again, this isn’t supposed to be a knock on him, as he’s one of my all-time favorite Cougs. But every offseason, it seems that our biggest need is a grad transfer to start or bolster the RB room.

Why the heck don’t we have anyone other than Katoa??? Why has Katoa literally been the second leading rusher for the past FIVE years? Maybe RB is all about having “it.” But if that’s true, a RB coach’s main job should be finding and recruiting guys who might have “it.” And he’s totally failed at that. Aside from Ty’Son, who had issues with injuries, we’ve been stuck with guys who haven’t panned out at other schools. Which means they probably didn’t have “it” to begin with.

With the coaching changes, I wouldn’t have guessed Unga would be one of the guys who left. But looking back, RB hasn’t exactly been a huge success outside of TA. The more I look at it, I can see why.