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University of Minnesota Athletics
2015 Position Preview: Running Backs
8/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
David Cobb, Minnesota's record-setting back from last year, is now with the Tennessee Titans, which means that there are 300-plus carries up for grabs this season. That may scare some teams and fan bases, but Coach Kill thinks his stable of backs is as deep as it has ever been and ready to carry the load this season.
The lone senior in the seven-man group is Rodrick Williams. The Lewisville, Texas, native saw significant playing time as a true freshman during the 2012 season. That year, he played in the final eight games of the season, which included a start against Purdue, and rushed 57 times for 261 yards and two touchdowns.
His production was limited in 2013 and 2014 because of the emergence of Cobb, who rushed for 2,828 yards and 20 touchdowns on 551 carries during those two seasons. Still, Williams carried the ball 60 times in 10 games in 2013 and ended the year with 332 yards and three touchdowns. Impressively, he did not have a negative rush on the season. Last season, as Cobb was setting program records, Williams rushed 23 times for 114 yards and three touchdowns. His final two carries of 2014 were both touchdowns, as he scored from 19 yards at Nebraska and from 20 yards against Missouri in the Citrus Bowl.
With Cobb in the NFL, the 2015 season is a time for Williams to shine. The 5-11, 234-pound back has carried the ball 140 times for 707 yards, which translates to a 5.1 average (same career average-per-carry as Cobb). Williams also has eight career touchdowns. Williams, who has also played special teams, has caught seven career passes for 55 yards.
Williams should be complemented by a trio of young backs, as redshirt sophomore Berkley Edwards, redshirt freshman Rodney Smith and true freshman Shannon Brooks (Kill has said that Brooks could see action) are expected to play.
Edwards carried the ball 30 times last season for 140 yards and scored two touchdowns. Smith rushed 261 times for 2,201 yards and 26 touchdowns as a high school senior in 2013 at Mundy's Mill High School in Georgia, while Brooks rushed 225 times for 2,223 yards (third most in the state) and scored 32 touchdowns as a senior at Pickens High School in Georgia in 2014.
Minnesota also brought in true freshmen Jonathan Femi-Cole from Canada and James Johannesson from North Dakota this summer. It is not clear yet if they will see action this year or redshirt.
Femi-Cole attended St. Andrew's College in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada and played in eight games as a senior and rushed for 1,648 yards (137.3 yards-per-game) and 12 touchdowns. He also rushed 23 times for 137 yards and was named MVP in the 2014 National Underclassmen Combine All-American game in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Johannesson attended Fargo South High School and set career school records with 6,158 rushing yards and 81 total touchdowns as he became the first ever two-time Gatorade North Dakota Player of the Year. As a senior he piled up 2,072 rushing yards on 216 carries and scored a school-record 34 touchdowns (32 rushing) in 2014.
The Gophers also have Jacob Kirsch on the roster. The Rochester, Minn., native is a redshirt junior, who transferred to Minnesota from Rochester Community and Technical College. In his two years at Rochester CTC he was named First Team All-Division in 2012 (team was 10-1) and 2013 (team was 10-2), and he played quarterback, running back and receiver at RCTC.
