Arizona Taking Interesting Approach to Their Running Back Room This Year
There is a lot of anticipation surrounding Arizona's preseason practices as they get ready to take on New Mexico for their 2024-25 season opener that ushers in a new era.
Not only are the Wildcats competing in the Big 12 for the first time, but they also have a new head coach in charge after Brent Brennan took over for the departed Jedd Fisch.
Coming off their 10-win season and victory over Oklahoma in the Valero Alamo Bowl, the hope is this group can have similar success since many of their star players stayed with the program instead of departing in the transfer portal.
Star quarterback Noah Fifita should be able to lead another high-powered offense, especially when their elite wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan returns to the practice field following the injury he suffered in the spring.
Beyond the passing attack, though, there are some questions about how this running game might look following the departures of their three leading rushers.
On paper, it looks like the Wildcats might have actually gotten deeper at this position, bringing in New Mexico transfer Jacory Croskey-Merritt who ran for 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns and San Jose State transfer Quali Conley who had 842 yards and nine scores on the ground.
Conley is familiar with the offense that Brennan wants to run, so that should help this group pick up on the concepts quicker than they otherwise would. It could give the senior an edge when it comes to being named the starter.
But it sounds like Arizona isn't going to go with a traditional approach to their running back room.
Brian J. Pederson of Arizona Desert Swarm reports they are expected to "heavily rotate" different players across the position with the idea of potentially featuring all five of their scholarship backs in games throughout the year.
There will certainly be competition to see if someone can earn the majority of the workload, and holdover Rayshon 'Speedy' Luke will try to have a good showing in camp to build upon his 153 yard and one touchdown output last season in a reserve role.
While Conley might have the edge in terms of knowing the offense and having a familiarity with the coaching staff, that isn't stopping newcomer Croskey-Merritt from trying to win the job and pushing the room to be at their best.
"Every day we're competing to get better. We're competing to be one of the best running back rooms in the nation," he said.
Brennan was able to feature a strong rushing attack during his last year at San Jose State, getting the Spartans to average 184.1 yards per contest that ranked them 31st out of all Division I teams.
Adding an explosive running game to pair with Fifita and McMillan through the air should help Arizona get off to a good start in this new era of their program.
