The Ole Miss running back room has been a roller coaster over the past few months. Just before the end of the season, the Rebels were expected to have Quinshon Judkins and Ulysses Bentley IV returning. They also had Kedrick Reescano, who hadn’t yet played a snap in Oxford.
Needless to say, the position group has seen major changes since then, largely due to the transfer portal. Lane Kiffin seems to have heard some of the questions and decided to remedy them. However, one of the incoming transfers has since left.
It started when Judkins announced he was hitting the portal. He has since landed at Ohio State. Reescano has also transferred, ending up in Arizona. With those departures, there was no question Kiffin would need another back, or two. Not many expected for him to go after, and land, what seems like every running back that ended up in the portal.
Through the portal, the Rebels have added four backs, though there’s uncertainty about whether LSU transfer Logan Diggs will be healthy enough to play at any point this season. Even with questions about Diggs, Kiffin also added Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rashad Amos to help fill out the room. He also brought in Miami transfer, and former Rebel, Henry Parrish Jr., to add to the mix.
Croskey-Merritt, a transfer from New Mexico, has since transferred out, also ending up in Arizona. Which leaves Rashad Amos and Parrish Jr. as the key additions. Amos has had a wild recruitment himself, ending up at Ole Miss after transferring from Miami (OH). But before landing in Oxford, he also spent time committed to Mississippi State and Colorado.
Who Will We See the Most of?
The obvious answer to this question seems to be Bentley. He’s been in the system and has already seen plenty of snaps behind Judkins. In two seasons at Ole Miss, he’s rushed for 613 yards on 111 carries, to go along with eight touchdowns.
But it’s worth pointing out that it’s been three full years since he’s been the main back in a backfield. Keeping that in mind, it’ll be interesting to see how he handles being the number one option in an offense that loves to get the ball to its backs, both on the ground and through the air.
Averaging 5.5 yards per carry at Ole Miss, he’s shown plenty of potential. If he can keep that up with a heavier workload, expect him to be the main option in the backfield for the Rebels.
How Much Playing Time to Expect From the New Transfers
While the expectation can be that Bentley is going to get the majority of the carries, he obviously won’t take every carry. So what can we expect from the new transfers?
For Parrish, he’s had at least 100 rushes in three of his four years at the college level. He’s also averaging over five yards per carry in his career. Based on those numbers, and Kiffin’s offensive scheme, expect him to hit 70+ rushes this year. With a crowded position group, don’t expect him to get the carries he’s used to, but he’s still certain to be utilized.
As for Amos, assuming he stays with the Rebels (it has been a hectic recruitment, after all) don’t expect to see him utilized the way he was last year as a Redhawk. During the 2023 season, he carried the ball 210 times for 1,075 yards. There’s no chance he will reach those numbers this year. For reference, he only had 20 career carries before last season. While he likely ends with more than 20 carries, expect that number to land between 30 and 40, far less than 200.
A Few Other Options
While Parrish and Amos are the key transfers expected to see carries, there are a few other options that could get a bit of playing time, as well.
If Diggs is healthy enough to go, he’ll certainly get a decent number of carries. However, if he does see the field in 2024, it’s expected to be later into the year. This would limit the number of snaps he sees if he sees the field at all.
Jason Albritton is another interesting option. He’s a South Florida transfer who is entering his second year in Oxford. While he didn’t receive any carries in 2023, he did get limited action as a Bull in 2022. In six games, he had 12 rushes for 72 yards, averaging six yards per carry. This year could easily look similar to that 2022 season for Albritton. Don’t expect him to be a key factor, but averaging six yards per rush isn’t easy. Based on that number alone, he could certainly see a few snaps throughout the year. If he does, expect him to make the most of them.
One another wild card in the Rebel running back room is Ali Scott. Scott is entering his second year in Oxford, after transferring in from NAIA Grandview. He didn’t see any action last year but rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2022 with the Vikings. Listed at 6’0″, 215 pounds, he has decent size at the running back position. While he won’t get many snaps, it would be interesting to see him in short-yardage situations where he can use his size to his advantage. If we see Scott at all, expect it to be in this scenario.
The Bottom Line
There’s a lot of unknowns surrounding the Ole Miss running backs room right now. However, regardless of how the upcoming season goes at the running back spot, they’re certainly deeper at the position than they were three months ago. And behind a much improved offensive line, this should be great news.
The only thing to surely expect is that Bentley will get the majority of the carries. Everything else is up in the air. So Rebel fans, sit back and enjoy the ride. After all, it should be a fun one.
The post Who Gets Touches In a Crowded Ole Miss Running Back Room? appeared first on Last Word on College Football.