Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Report: Hagan Has Plenty Of Talent In Untested Backfield
April 07, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — When Darian Hagan took over the job of coaching Colorado's running backs in 2016, he inherited a backfield that included then-junior Phillip Lindsay.
Lindsay rewarded Hagan with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, the first back in CU history to accomplish the feat.
When Lindsay left, graduate transfer Travon McMillian arrived in Boulder and put up another 1,000-yard season, making it only the second time in CU history that the Buffs have produced three consecutive 1,000-yard rushers.
But now that wealth of experience is gone. With the move of senior Beau Bisharat to tight end, the CU backfield in spring ball has just one scholarship player — sophomore Alex Fontenot — who has ever carried the ball in a college game. The rest of the group includes two redshirt freshmen and two incoming freshmen who just last fall were finishing their high school careers.
"You see a lot of potential — and a lot of inconsistency," Hagan said Friday, after the Buffs wrapped up their sixth of 15 spring practices. "Guys are trying hard, they're playing fast, they're doing everything I'm asking them to do, but they have to be more consistent."
The key, Hagan said, is getting every player as many reps as possible in the spring, then repeating the process next fall.
"You can't look at experience," Hagan said. "You have talent in the (running back) room so you'd better play it. At times, talent will trump experience. Some days are going to be good, some days not so good, but as a coach, you keep your foot on the pedal and moving forward."
There is no doubt talent available. Fontenot — whose experience includes a grand total of 11 carries for 43 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown run last season — brings breakaway potential to the table. The rest of the group includes redshirt freshmen Deion Smith and Jarek Broussard and true freshmen Jaren Mangham and Joe Davis.
Out of that bunch, Hagan and offensive coordinator Jay Johnson hope to find at least two regulars who will play on a consistent basis. The Buffs want more balance from their new, pro-style offense this year, and new head coach Mel Tucker has made it clear he wants to establish a dependable running game that can eat up the clock and yardage on a consistent basis.
"How many big backs can we get?" Tucker asked in December. "How many big backs can we put on the field, can we rotate in, can we be fresh and come at them in waves in the backfield? That's what we're looking for. We want guys that can run, yards after contact, yards after catch, dependable in pass (protection)."
Each of the Buffs' backs brings a particular skill set to the attack, and each could fit into certain down-and-distance situations.
Fontenot, a 6-foot, 195-pounder, is a potential home run hitter with the ability to go the distance from anywhere on the field. He has shown flashes of that ability in spring ball thus far.
"If he can stick his foot in the ground, he's gone," Hagan said.
Broussard, the smallest of the group at 5-9, 180, "has some wiggle," Hagan said, with the ability to make people miss inside and out.
The 6-0, 185-pound Smith, has excellent speed, but Hagan said, "we have to get him to quit bouncing everything outside and get it in between tackles. But he is a guy who is smooth."
As for the newcomers, Mangham has already been impressive this spring, and has been getting reps with the No. 1 offense. At 6-2, 215, he might be the most powerful of the bunch already, and Hagan has been working with him to help run "behind" his pads instead of upright.
"Now he's running through people," Hagan said. "He's a powerful guy and has some speed as well. He looks for contact. Third and 3, third and 2, he should be able to get 5."
The 5-11, 210-pound Davis also has some good power and is proving to be an instinctive runner, finding seams in between the tackles.
"He might not be the fastest of them, but he's really, really smart," Hagan said. "He's a crafty runner. He knows how to find holes and be productive. He's really, really patient."
Now, Hagan's job is to turn all that talent and potential into production. The lack of experience means he has had to adapt his coaching style to a degree, making sure every one of his backs is well-versed in the fundamentals of their position and the new offense.
"I have to be more demanding, but you can't get down on them, either," Hagan said. "You have to teach the little things and show them that the little things matter when it comes to the big picture. They haven't played a lot of football so you have to just continue coaching them up."
Hagain said the experience has brought back memories of his playing days at Colorado, when he was under the tutelage of then-quarterbacks coach Gary Barnett.
"It's absolutely the biggest challenge I've had as a coach," Hagan said. "It reminds me of Coach Barnett coaching me my sophomore year. You just have to stay with it."
Last week, Hagan told his players, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."
The players, he said, didn't understand.
"It's what Coach Barnett told me when I was a sophomore," Hagan said with a laugh. "I'll never forget it because it's true. When you are ready, everything your coach has been teaching you will be displayed out on the field. That's the way it was with me — when I was ready, everything he was teaching me showed up out on the field.
"That's the way it will be with these guys. When they're ready, it will show up. I just have to keep teaching and coaching them."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
