Plenty Of Talent, Depth In Buffs RBs Room
April 28, 2021 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — There may be no more stacked position in terms of depth and talent on the Colorado football roster than the running backs room.
Start with sophomore Jarek Broussard, last year's Pac-12 Offensive Player of the year. Continue with junior Alex Fontenot, Colorado's leading rusher from 2019. Then throw in freshman Ashaad Clayton, a four-star recruit from the 2020 recruiting class.
But that's not all. Itching to get their opportunities and taking advantage of their spring ball reps have been sophomore Joe Davis and freshman Jayle Stacks, both of whom are versatile, talented backs who bring ability to the table.
They all add up to a lot of yards ready to be churned out by the Buffaloes next fall — and a running backs coach who is doing his best to coax the best out of every one of his players.
"All of them are eager to prove what they can do," Darian Hagan told the media after Wednesday's practice, the 14th of the spring. "I tell the guys all the time, what you put in is what you get. These guys are putting in phenomenal effort, their study habits have gotten way better. You walk in my room and say whoever plays the best is going to be out there and get the most reps. All those guys are excited, I'm excited, our offensive line loves blocking for those guys."
While Broussard has been nicked recently with an ankle injury, the rest of the group is healthy and ready to roll. They'll get one more chance to show their stuff this spring, when they participate in Friday's Spring Showcase at Folsom Field, to be televised by the Pac-12 Network and broadcast by KOA (9 a.m.).
What that depth means is the Buffs likely won't be leaning on one back to carry the vast bulk of the load next fall, when Broussard averaged more than 27 touches per game over Colorado's six-game season.
That, Hagan said, took its toll, as he said Broussard was down to 178 pounds.
But next fall, no matter who earns the starting job, the Buffs will likely have more of a running back rotation.
"Now, Ashaad knows what he's doing," Hagan said. "Alex is a returning starter, he knows what he's doing. We have the luxury of rolling guys out and when guys get tired, tap him on the shoulder and come on out."
While Broussard is the incumbent starter, there's no guarantee he'll be in that spot next fall. While he had a solid camp before his injury, the other backs have also had excellent showings.
Fontenot, who had only a few days of practice last fall before suffering an injury that sidelined him for the season, has come back at full force this spring.
"He has a fire in his belly," Hagan said. "He's doing a lot of really really good things. His speed is back. He looks really, really fast. He's always been good in protections and he's excelled at that this spring. I'm really excited for him. Coach Dorrell hadn't seen him but a couple days before he got hurt. What Alex is doing, the stuff he's putting on film, has opened up Coach's eyes."
Clayton, meanwhile, is also far more comfortable in CU's offense this spring and has found a comfort level in Boulder as well.
"He's showed up this spring," Hagan said. "He's going to show up and show out. I'm looking forward to it."
As for Stacks, the 5-foot-11, 230-pounder brings a different element to the backfield. He's shown a knack this spring for making would-be tacklers pay the price, he's a capable receiver and can fill different roles in the backfield.
"Jayle is a guy that will punch you in the mouth and fight you to the end of the whistle," Hagain said. "He's everything you want. He's blue collar, he's going to strap it on and do what he's asked to do. He's a guy I'm excited for. He won't get a lot, but he'll get some carries. When he's running behind his pads and has his pads down, he's a bruiser and nobody wants to get in his way."
The position is no doubt one that will be hotly contested right up through fall camp.
NOYER PROGRESSING: Senior quarterback Sam Noyer, who hasn't been able to take part in spring ball after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, said he's healing quickly and anticipates being ready for full workouts by the summer.
"Rehab has gone really well," Noyer said. "I got to start throwing a couple weeks ago, so that's exciting. Arm feels good, body feels good, I'm just itching to get back there."
Noyer said watching from the sidelines this spring has been difficult at times. With Noyer out, the majority of the reps have gone to freshman Brendon Lewis and sophomore J.T. Shrout, and both have played well.
Noyer plans on making sure it's a three-way competition when fall camp arrives.
"As a competitor it's never easy watching guys compete for a job when you don't really have the opportunity to do that," he said. "I'll be full go here soon and start going with the guys and we'll go from there."
Noyer has had the opportunity to watch and learn the changes to the offense, and he said he likes what he's seen.
"I love it," he said. "I think Coach Dorrell has done a good job of bringing some of the stuff he's had in the NFL. All the offensive coaches have done a great job of doing that. It's going to be a lot cleaner than it was in the fall. We only had a certain amount of time to prepare for the season and were kind of scrambling. I think the new things that we've implemented look good so far. I'm excited to be a part of it."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
