What to Watch For From Georgia Tech's Running Backs In Saturday's Spring Game

Jackson Caudell | Apr 8, 2024

Nov 25, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Jamal Haynes (11) runs / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Tech is going to hold its annual White and Gold Spring Game this week and there are plenty of storylines to be watching as spring practice comes to a conclusion. After taking a look at the storylines to watch with the quarterbacks, let's continue looking at the offense and taking a look at what the storylines will be for the running backs on Saturday. 

Like the quarterback position, Georgia Tech goes into the 2024 season with zero doubt about who their top running back is. 

Jamal Haynes converted from the wide receiver position and would gain over 1,000 yards and be one of the most productive running backs in the ACC. 

He led Georgia Tech with 1,059 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, and six yards per carry ranked second on the team. Those numbers ranked fifth in the ACC in rushing yards and he was tied for sixth in the conference with seven rushing touchdowns and his 6.0 yards per carry ranked third in the league.

Haynes had a strong bowl performance against UCF rushing for a game-high 128 yards on 18 carries. He also had a good outing against the Georgia Bulldogs rushing for 81 yards. Haynes was the second highest-rated player on the Yellow Jackets per Pro Football Focus with a 76.9 score and looks primed for another big season in 2024.

Haynes could be even better next year as well. As far as the spring game goes, I don't know how many carries Haynes will get because Georgia Tech knows what they have in him. One of the biggest questions that Georgia Tech has this spring is about who will step up as the No. 2 back this spring and how the depth will work out. Georgia Tech is losing Dontae Smith and will need someone to fill that No. 2 back spot. 

That might be true freshman Anthony Carrie. Carrie was a four-star prospect that Georgia Tech was able to snag on signing day and the coaches have been praising him this spring, including running backs coach Norval McKenzie:

"I think Anthony's having a good spring ball. You always worry about as a freshman like how would he grasp the offense, kind of where would he be in pass protection. Is he a physical kid or is he gonna get bullied or whatever? And right now doing really good with the playbook and also doing fine and pass protection as well. So there's still some things he has to learn in terms of where he fit in protection, but when it comes to actually fitting up a guy and protecting, he's actually showed that he can and he's more than willing to. So that's the biggest thing too. Is he a willing blocker, which he is. So like I mentioned, man, I'm excited about where he is right now and the progression that he's taken from practice one to practice eight."

Carrie has loads of talent and this will be the first chance for Yellow Jackets fans to see him in action. There is still a way to go, but Carrie is making a strong first impression for the Yellow Jackets this spring and is one of the guys to watch on Saturday. 

Trey Cooley had a great start to the 2024 season and he is going to be firmly in the mix again this year. Cooley has big play ability and McKenzie has spoken highly of him this spring: 

"I think my expectations for Trey is to play how he played in the first two or three games, right? We saw glimpses of Trey where it was like, man, unbelievable, really, really good, right? And then there were times where he was... as consistent as he was in the first two to three games. So I think the biggest word for Trey this spring is consistency, because he shows flashes that he can do it. It's just a matter of doing it all the time. And so that's the biggest challenge I have for him this spring is, hey, man, like, if you could do it on one play, then you could do it on the second play. You got to better do it on the third play. So that's kind of where I am right now. I feel like he's a talented kid. We talked also too about just honing in on some detail things in terms of the run game and the pass game. But he knows that, and once he knows that he's embraced that, now he's trying to work on it."

Carrie and Cooley are the top guys to mention for Saturday, but what about everyone else?

After the first spring scrimmage, Brent Key praised Evan Dickens and Chad Alexander as two running backs who ran hard and I am interested to see them on Saturday. Daylon Gordon and Jamie Felix are two other guys to watch. 

This is going to be an interesting position to watch to see if someone can separate themselves for the No. 2 spot going into the summer. That is the most intriguing thing to keep an eye on for this position.