The Indiana Hoosiers have a rebuilt running back room heading into the 2025 season. IU lost their top two running backs in Justice Ellison (GA now) and Ty Son Lawton (Graduation), but that did not stop returning running back Kaelon Black from setting the bar high after IU scored 37 rushing touchdowns last year.
"Honestly, there is not going to be any drop off. The guys that we brought in, they are some heavy hitters. Those guys work hard every single day. We all get in work after practice and, honestly man, it is just going to be a tough group for sure. We are just going to have to wake the world up and show them what we've got." Black said after practice on Tuesday.
The Hoosiers ground game set the bar very high last year with a program record 37 rushing touchdowns as they ran for 2,146 yards at a 4.37 yard per carry clip.
The Hoosiers brought in former Maryland running back Roman Hemby and former UAB back Lee Beebe Jr. to make up for the loss of Ellison and Lawton. Hemby has started 38 games in the Big Ten and Beebe was very production at UAB after working his way up from being a walk-on.
Black has taken what he learned from last year and will try and be the veteran in the room to lead the way.
"With guys like Justice [Ellison] and Lawty [Ty Son Lawton], just learning from them every day, seeing how they cut and move. Everything was just pretty natural to them, so seeing their daily habits and what they do in the training room and off the field, just allowed me to be able to grow over the short offseason." Black said of what he learned last year.
Last season no Hoosier running back went over 160 attempts on the ground as the coaching staff opted for a running back by committee approach that should provide a blue print of how touches will be distributed this season. That means the competition inside the running backs room is high.
"With the daily competition, guys are just pushing me to be better each and every day ... Also, just learning from last year with learning from different techniques and things like that, you just apply that to your game. It is honestly going to make you a better player. This year, the guys that we brought in, they are going to push you every single day. They are great backs with a lot of experience. It is going to be a competition for sure." Black explained.
The goal of having no drop off in the running game starts up front and Black is confident his offensive line can pave the way to the end zone again.
"(We have) some mean guys up front. Man, they're gonna put their hands in the dirt. They're gonna move some people on defense and that's honestly important." Black said. "With the guys that we've lost from from last year, some great guys, but those guys, they're tough and they're mean, and they're going to make sure we rush for a lot of lot of yards this year."
Hoosier fans will have their chance to see Kaelon Black and the rest of the running backs when IU hosts their annual spring game on Thursday, April 17th at 8pm in Memorial Stadium.
