Indiana Football Position Previews: Competition Never Ends In Deep Backfield

A look at Indiana’s running backs for the 2024 season. There is no lack of options available.

Todd Golden | Aug 22, 2024

Indiana University's Kaelon Black (8) during the first day of fall practice at the Mellencamp Pavilion at Indiana University on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

In this story:

Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana coach Curt Cignetti wasn’t taking any chances with the Hoosiers’ running game in 2024.

From the transfer portal, four running backs who have had at least one 500-yard-plus season were added to the Hoosiers’ roster – James Madison transfers Kaelon Black and Ty Son Lawton, North Carolina transfer Elijah Green and Wake Forest transfer Justice Ellison.

That’s enviable depth, and that quartet doesn’t include Solomon Vanhorse, who could also be in the backfield. But there’s only one ball to go around. How does this group remain collectively ready to contribute when called upon?

That’s easy as far as Indiana co-offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan is concerned.

“Week to week, who is practicing the best? I think that competition may never really end throughout the season,” Shanahan said.

With the wear-and-tear running backs endure, Cignetti and his staff wanted a lot of proven talent around.

“You’ve got to have a lot of running backs ready to go, just because of the collisions that they take, the hits that start to add up on them throughout the season,” Shanahan said.

Much like the deep wide receiver group, there’s no emphasis on finding backs with different styles. Size-wise, each of them stands between 5-foot-8 and 6-foot.

“If they all walked in the room, they’re all about the same height, weight, body composition,” Cignetti said. “They’re slightly different in some of the skill sets when you watch them very closely, but they can take it inside, outside, pass protect, catch the ball out the backfield.”

Personnel

#6 Justice Ellison: senior-plus, 5-foot-9, 210 pounds. 43 games at Wake Forest.

#17 Ty Son Lawton: redshirt-senior-plus, 5-foot-9, 208 pounds. 27 games at Stony Brook, 12 games at James Madison.

#18 Solomon Vanhorse: graduate-plus, 5-foot-8, 185 pounds. 37 games at James Madison.

#8 Kaelon Black: redshirt junior, 5-foot-10, 210 pounds. 27 games at James Madison.

#21 Elijah Green: redshirt junior, 6-foot-0, 207 pounds. 26 games at North Carolina.

#25 Daniel Weems: redshirt sophomore, 5-foot-9, 197 pounds. 10 games at Indiana Wesleyan.

#28 Khobie Martin: freshman, 6-foot-0, 207 pounds.

#30 Kyler Kropp: freshman, 6-foot-2, 194 pounds.

Top expected contributors: Justice Ellison, Ty Son Lawton, Kaelon Black, Elijah Green, Solomon Vanhorse.

Contributors who departed from the 2023 team: Josh Henderson, Trent Howland (to Oklahoma State), Jaylin Lucas (to Florida State), Christian Turner.

Transfer infusion

Indiana University's Justice Ellison (6) during the first day of fall practice at the Mellencamp Pavilion at Indiana University on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

The most experienced of the transfers is Ellison. He gained at least 100 rushing yards in each of his four seasons at Wake Forest and at least 500 in his last three campaigns. He peaked in 2022 with 699 rushing yards. He had 24 career receptions for the Demon Deacons.

Black and Lawton were a tandem for 11-2 JMU in 2023. Black rushed for 637 yards and had 27 receptions. Lawton, who rushed for 1,088 yards for FCS Stony Brook in 2021, rushed for 568 yards and had 19 catches in 2023.

They offer a window into the philosophy of Cignetti and his offensive staff in terms of how they use the options in their backfield.

“Normally, we would like to play three backs in a game, if I had to go back and break down the last five or six years,” Cignetti said.

Indiana Hoosiers running back Elijah Green (21) runs the ball during the Indiana football spring game at Memorial Stadium on Thursday, April 18, 2024. / Bobby Goddin/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Green, the biggest of the group at 6-foot, was a starter for the Tar Heels in 2022 as he rushed for 558 yards and eight touchdowns. He also had 17 receptions. He is looking for a bounce-back season after he was surpassed by other options at North Carolina in 2023. Cignetti said Green is a good downhill runner.

Vanhorse, also brought to Indiana to help with kick and punt returns, did not have a carry in the last two seasons at James Madison but did have seven catches.

Returning players

None of Indiana’s primary running backs returned in 2024. Trent Howland, who led the Hoosiers with 354 rushing yards in 2023, put himself in the portal at the end of the 2023 season, but did agree to return later. However, in April, Howland put himself in the portal again and he ended up at Oklahoma State.

Jaylin Lucas, who rushed for 275 yards and who had 34 receptions, transferred to Florida State.

The only running back who has returned from 2023 is Daniel Weems – and he was redshirted in 2023 after he came to Indiana from Indiana Wesleyan. Weems rushed for 441 yards for Indiana Wesleyan in 2022.

Freshmen Khobie Martin and Kyler Kropp will wait their turn behind the experienced crew in front of them.

The bottom line

This is a deep, experienced group, a theme across the offensive skill positions. It’s likely to be running-back-by-committee, at least at first. But it’s a nice committee to have with so many players who have proven themselves to be competent Division I ball carriers.

The question is whether an assemblage of competent running backs will be good enough to hang against Big Ten defenses … and whether Indiana’s offensive line can open the holes for these experienced backs to run through.

Personnel

Transfer infusion

Returning players

The bottom line

Related stories on Indiana football