Indiana football's season opener against Florida International has continued to creep closer and closer as each day comes and goes. With the season less than two months away, TheHoosier.com's staff predicts who will be Indiana's leading rusher for the 2024 season.
JIM COYLE
A long list of transfer running backs has given Indiana one of it's deepest position rooms. With that apparent depth, and the fact that Curt Cignetti's offense passed for over 3700 yards last season, I'm guessing Indiana's "leading rusher" will be along the lines of what JMU transfer Kaelon Black did last season when he ran for 637 yards while sharing the the back field with Ty Son Lawton who went for 568 yds & 5 TD's. Justice Ellison, from Wake Forest, and Elijah Greenwill from North Carolina will compete and compliment that duo. Solomon Vanhorse, Daniel Weems, and freshman Khobie Martin will likely see the field as well. This stable of running backs could be a dangerous weapon against opponents who get focused on stopping the Hoosiers passing game.
ZACH BROWNING
Indiana's running back room is filled with experience entering the 2024 season.
A pair of JMU transfers, Kaelon Black and Ty Son Lawton, are both familiar with Curt Cignetti's offense and will likely see their fair share of touches this season in the backfield. However, I don't think either of them will lead the team in rushing this upcoming season.
For starters, Black's threat as a receiver will most likely see him used more often as a pass-catcher out of the field this season. Additionally, Lawton, who backed up Black a season ago in Harrisonburg, is likely to play a similar backup role this season in Bloomington.
Because of that, I believe Justice Ellison -- who ran with the first team throughout Indiana's spring game -- will be the Hoosiers' starting tail back this year and subsequently the team's leading rusher.
Ellison will get plenty of carries this season, and he should remain productive enough to hold onto that starting spot and pace Indiana in rushing this season.
JOSH POS
The running back room for Indiana this season is quite the talented group, filled with plenty of experience as well.
However, with that being said, I believe that Justice Ellison will be the leading rusher for Indiana this season.
The Wake Forest transfer has shown that he is more than capable to compete at the highest level of competition after he did so throughout his career with the Demon Deacons in the ACC.
His bulldog-like appearance will most certainly help in the trenches, as Ellison fights for extra yards on each carry he gets.
This season, it will be up to the offensive line to create holes for Ellison to navigate his way through. If they give him quality blocking, Ellison will do the rest on his way to leading the Hoosiers in rushing.
COLIN MCMAHON
While deciding who the Hoosiers’ leading passer will be was fairly straightforward, answering who the leading rusher will be is not so simple.
Last season IU had five players with over 200 yards with none surpassing 360 yards, showing just how mixed the backfield was. This season may be more of the same with several talented backs filling up the RB room.
With the two leading rushers and carriers from last season, Trent Howland and Josh Henderson leaving the program, (Howland to Oklahoma State and Henderson to graduation,) Justice Ellison has a chance to step in and be the leading rusher.
Ellison tallied 1,796 yards in his four seasons at Wake Forest, with the Hoosiers hoping he can do more of the same in his Senior season at Indiana. Back in 2022, Ellison has a career season, with 707 yards, a number an IU back has not ran for since Stevie Scott had over 800 in 2019.
All this means that Ellison has an opportunity to be one of the best Hoosier running backs in a long time, contributing to an offense that has shown a lot of promise early. While other transfer running backs Kaelon Black and Ty Son Lawton should provide depth at the position, Justice Ellison is my pick for who will be the Hoosiers’ leading rusher in 2024.
BRYAN AULT
With nearly 1,800 yards rushing over his four-year career at Wake Forest, grad transfer Justice Ellison is likely the Hoosiers' starting running back and leading rusher in 2024. The 5-foot-9, 211-pound tailback earned third-team All ACC honors as a junior and I expect him to flourish in the Big Ten, along with a plethora of other transfer portal acquisitions the Hoosiers have made at the running backs position. Although it's doubtful he starts, keep an eye on incoming freshman Khobie Martin out of in-state Fishers High School. The 6-foot tall Martin is a bruising running back who could get some early snaps and might surprise fans and media with his no-nonsense running style.
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