BORDEN, Ind. -- The IU running back room this fall will have the most talent it's seen in quite some time.
So how does Hoosiers head coach Tom Allen ensure the satisfaction of each player in the group?
Well, that's not exactly the point. Allen has long believed competition fosters the best results, regardless of position, and that will be no different for IU's running backs.
"Keeping everybody happy is not the objective," Allen said at last month's On the Road with the Hoosiers event at Huber's Orchard and Winery. "The objective is the success of the team. When you establish a culture of L.E.O. (Love Each Other), it's not about me. That's what I want. Selfishness can kill your team."
Allen and running backs coach Mike Hart will have a wide range of skillsets available at their disposal in 2019.
Sophomore Stevie Scott set true freshman program records last fall after amassing 228 carries for 1,137 yards and 10 touchdowns with six 100-yard games, displaying a powerful, punishing running style and durability that allowed him to be someone the Hoosiers could count on as a 3-down back.
After redshirt junior Cole Gest - IU's second-leading rusher from 2017 - went down with a season-ending ACL injury in the 2018 opener, sophomore Ronnie Walker stepped in and carved out a change of pace role behind Scott, averaging 4.4 yards per carry and scoring two touchdowns in nine games. Gest, meanwhile, is expected to be at full strength once fall camp arrives.
Then there's the decorated incoming freshmen in Sampson James and Ivory Winters. James tallied 3,451 yards on 573 attempts with 38 rushing touchdowns and 41 total scores in four years at Avon (Ind.) High, averaging 98.6 rushing yards per game and reached the century mark 14 times in 35 games. Winters posted 59 touchdowns and 2,700 yards in his senior season at Hayti (Mo.) High alone and finished as the program’s career and single-game leader in rushing yardage, touchdowns and total points.
“That’s the challenge of our coaching staff, to lead and motivate,” Allen said. “As we develop depth on our team and we develop more position competition, which we’re seeing more and more all the time, that’s going to be a rising issue. But at the same time, that’s what we have to have. That’s what we need to be able to do. That excites me.
“It’s definitely a challenge. Coach Hart has to be able to do a great job of helping the guys understand that if you want to have opportunities to touch the football, you better do all the little things right. And if you don’t? Somebody’s going to take your place.”
Traditionally, Hart has never relied on one running back. When he's previously spoken with reporters, he said he likes playing as many as possible in order to keep players fresh over the course of a grueling 12-week season.
And if Hart and Allen needed further justification of their approach, the committee model is one being used by college programs across the country.
According to research conducted by WatchStadium's Andy Wittry, only 35.43 percent of 25 FBS teams' rushing attempts in 2018 came from their leading rusher. Wittry also found the leading rusher accounted a smaller percentage of the teams' carries in four of the last six years compared to the previous seasons.
While there are rare occasions where elite talent capable of handling upwards of 250 carries comes along, it doesn't happen often, as Wittry points out, and the big picture shows individual sacrifice pays immediate dividends for the team and long-term dividends for the players.
Allen touched on that message at Huber's, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him do it again come early August.
"The days of the guy carrying the ball 30 times a game, it really doesn’t happen,” Allen said. "I think even programs are understanding that to help guys for their future, to be able to finish their college career and have good mileage left on them when they go pro. At the same time, we want to make sure we create an unselfish football team that wants to do what’s best for the team and helps this team be successful."
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