A lot has been said about the passing side of a Zach Kittley led offense, however just as equally important for FAU football will be the running backs. RB was the most important position a year ago for the FAU offense, with CJ Campbell and Zuberi Mobley both combining for over 1400 yards and 15 touchdowns, however with both gone through the portal there will be opportunity for new lead backs this season.
At Texas Tech last season, Kittley led an offense that rushed for 2159 yards on the ground with 17 scores and although there was a big loss of production for the Owls, Kittley won’t let that stop him from executing his offense. Expect to see FAU get their backs involved both through the air and on the ground, while also chipping in on blocks, meaning whoever gets snaps at RB will have to be versatile.
The production loss in the room will hurt, however there were also numerous returners, including RB Coach Chris Perkins who will lead a room featuring mainly players he coached last season. Being one of the most returner-led rooms on the offense could set the RB room up for a big role this season in a Kittley led offense and they will be a position to watch heading into next season.
Below will be a look at returners and newcomers as well as quotes from RB Coach Chris Perkins.
Returners
Redshirt Sophomore- Joshua Harriott, 5’10 185 pounds
Redshirt Sophomore- Gemari Sands, 6’0 195 pounds
Redshirt Sophomore- Xavier Terrell, 5’8 175 pounds
Sophomore- Kaden Shields-Dutton, 5’11 215 pounds
Sophomore- Tremonte Underwood Jr, 5’11 200 pounds
Outlook-
As it stands in the spring, the majority of the production out of the RB room is going to come from returners, with Gemari Sands and Xavier Terrell potentially seeing feature roles in the offense.
Sands and Terrell are the only 2 backs with any serious playing time, as they both saw time last season with Sands recording 31 touches for 117 yards and 2 scores, while Terrell had 14 carries for 261 yards and 3 scores. Kaden Shields-Dutton and Tremonte Underwood also saw time last year, with Shields-Dutton recording 12 rushes for 56 yards and Underwood playing mostly special teams, however he did have 2 rushes for 16 yards against Tulsa.
Those 4 backs have the easiest path to playing time and also have the talent and size to make an impact in a variety of situations for the FAU offense, however Josh Harriott has been seeing time as well during Spring camp and with how fast the offense will operate under Zach Kittley, there is a path for all 5 to receive snaps at points this season. As it stands now, Sands and Terrell are expected to have a clearer path to a starting role, but with a fresh staff comes a clean slate of opportunities and we shall see who capitalizes on that during the offseason.
New additions
Freshman- Ethan Ervin, 6’1 185 pounds, Buford, GA
Outlook
Only one new addition in any room on a college football team is surprising, however the Owls have that in Freshman commit under Tom Herman, Ethan Ervin. Ervin is a bigger back with solid speed that has the size to make an impact as a freshman, but with the boatload of tenured backs in front of him it is yet to be seen if he will have a role.
Nevertheless, it was big for Kittley and Co to keep Ervin’s commitment and they will have a chance to develop him this season and potentially beyond as retention seems to be a theme in the RB room.
Look for FAU to potentially add another running back following the spring game, but even if they don’t there is a solid amount of depth already in the room.
Quotes from RB Coach Chris Perkins
On returners in the room:
“I got three guys in the room that got some playing time toward the end of the year, you got Xavier Terrell I mean he’s actually been playing for the last two years in spots right so you can’t ever cheat experience, he’s a guy that can do well in the game, I trust him. I trust another guy Gemari Sands, these guys played well last year, actually, they got into the end zone so that’s a boat of confidence for them that’s a boat of confidence for us as a whole in the room and then you got Kaden Shields-Dutton who’s coming back, he’s a true sophomore uh he played last year special teams, he got behind the quarterback a little bit last year as well, so those three guys are comfortable. We have a young freshman that came in from Buford High School, Ethan Ervin he’s a true freshman I’m excited to see what he can do, little bit of a learning curve right now, the kid is supposed to be in high school, but all together I mean this spring is important for us to gain some experience,” Perkins said.
On having different styles of running backs
“All of them bring a different type of skill set, a non-negotiable in my room is physicality, so no matter what your strengths are, what your running style is, we are going to be physical, I mean that’s just a non-negotiable. Shields-Dutton is probably the bigger back out of the other two, he has a physical mind, but like I say in that room, number one is toughness, physicality and ball security,” Perkins said.
On having Sands and Terrell compliment each other
“Xavier Terrell is very strong, if you go look at his numbers I mean he’s right there with all the rest of the guys, Gemari Sands weighs a little bit more, and is taller but Gemari, he’s stronger than he looks, both of those guys are stronger than the way they look, both of those guys can catch the ball out the back field and I’m excited for what they bring to this football team,” Perkins said.