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Preseason camp has started, which means we should be drawing closer to the day when Auburn coaches decide whom will be the No. 1 running back. However, as of yet, no decision has been made and the competition continues amongst the four candidates.
Gus Malzahn has made sure all the potential running backs have gotten reps during camp so far. He also has admitted that he would be open to rotate running backs throughout the first weeks of the season to give him an opportunity to see who is most productive during actual game play.
Freshman Kerryon Johnson is the most inexperienced of the four, and played at the tailback position during Monday’s scrimmage. Many expected Johnson to play a role on offense this year, but not out of the backfield. Malzahn said Auburn is “just trying to give him a good foundation” at running back and “we’ll see where that goes in time.” Clearly, Malzahn wants to explore what Johnson can do, but also is leaving Johnson’s future open, including trying him out as a punt returner.
The bulk of the competition is between Peyton Barber, Jovon Robinson, and Roc Thomas. From the first day of camp, Robinson and Thomas split reps with the first-team offense while Barber spent time with the second team and the backup quarterback. However, Day Two saw all three of them taking equal reps between first-team and second-team offenses.
Based on what the media has gotten to see of camp, Robinson and Thomas seem like the slight favorites. Back on A-Day, Robinson got the least amount of carries, which to some meant that Malzahn already knew the extent of Robinson’s talent and was saving him. Also back in April, running backs coach Tim Horton expressed uncertainty that Thomas could be an every-down back.
So far the media has mostly seen Thomas and Robinson during camp. Thomas has concrete areas where coaches are looking for growth from last season. Ball security in particular was an issue for which Thomas was benched. Thomas’s tendency to spin and juke away from defenders also opens him up to bigger hits which, as the smallest running back out of the group, he may not be able to sustain throughout a season.
Thomas spoke only in terms of confidence, however, when he appeared before media early on in preseason camp.
“Now that I’ve got here, we put so much emphasis on ball security that it just comes natural,” Thomas said, according to AL.com. “I feel a lot different. Last year I felt pretty uptight, but now I feel like it’s fun every practice.” He also mentioned getting in extra practices with Jeremy Johnson, just to make sure their chemistry and timing becomes flawless.
Concerns about Robinson involve how much his experience will translate over to Division I play. However, nothing has suggested that the quality of his play has been diminished. In particular, his ability to convert on third-and-short situations was noted by the coaches during A-Day. He also is seen as having the best pass protection among the group.
As camp continues, it’s very likely Malzahn will continue to have Thomas and Robinson split reps at tailback primarily with the first-team offense. However, Malzahn made clear that he is willing to take his time in making this decision. Don’t be surprised if the entire running back squad sees the field up to three weeks into the season.
Christine Wang is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. She covers Auburn, Arkansas and Ole Miss.
