Spring Preview: Running Back
Despite the loss of two-time 1,000-yard rusher Kyren Williams, the Notre Dame running back depth chart is loaded heading into the 2022 spring.
Don't get me wrong, the group has plenty to prove and barely return 1,400 career rushing yards, and if veteran C'Bo Flemister doesn't return that drops the career rushing yards below a thousand.
But what the group has is a very diverse group of talented players.
Our spring position previews continues with a look at the running backs.
SPRING DEPTH CHART (Rejected)
2021 STATS
Logan Diggs - 230 yards, 4.4 YPC, 3 TD / 56 rec. yards, 1 TD
Chris Tyree - 222 yards, 4.0 YPC, 1 TD / 258 rec. yards, 2 TD
Audric Estime - 60 yards, 8.6 YPC, 0 TD
C'Bo Flemister - 10 yards, 3.3 YPC, 0 TD
IMPORTANT SPRING FOR TYREE AND ND
Landing Chris Tyree was a huge pickup for Notre Dame, and he showed a ton of promise as a freshmen, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Tyree's sophomore season was slowed by injury, poor line play and questionable usage.
As he enters his junior senior, both Tyree and Notre Dame need to work on his game. For Tyree, that means obviously getting healthy, but also continuing to build up his all-around game. His pass protection improved last season but there is still room for improvement, and his decision making as a runner must continue to improve.
That's what Tyree can do, but this spring also needs to be about Tommy Rees and Deland McCullough making the decision to build a Tyree package into the offense. This doesn't mean new plays, but it means when Tyree is in the game they need to make sure the game plan is such that what he does best is being emphasized.
In each of the last two seasons the Irish had basically one run game plan, and it was meant to focus on what Kyren Williams did best. The issue, however, is that Tyree and Williams are different types of runners. Williams is a shifty, make-you-miss kind of guy, while Tyree is an explosive one-cut runner, and those styles require a different emphasis from a play-calling standpoint.
The return of Harry Hiestand should result in a massive improvement in run blocking, and a case could be made that no one in the backfield will benefit more from that than Tyree, who should have more holes to run through, and when that happens his electric speed will become an even greater weapon.
DIGGS READY TO STEP INTO THE SPOTLIGHT
The freshman year numbers for Logan Diggs won't blow you away (230 yards, 4.4 YPC), but that was due largely to him not getting a snap until midway through the season and a poor offensive line.
What we saw from Diggs was a big back with great feet and vision. We saw a back capable of being a workhorse in the Irish offense. His make-you-miss style is unique for a bigger back, and it fit well with the poor line last season, because he could erase the mistakes made by the blockers.
Like Tyree, Diggs should benefit from running behind a better run blocking line. For his part, Diggs will need to make sure he's able to put his foot in the ground and hammer the line and make the easy reads. The poor run blocking last season created some necessary bad habits for Diggs and Williams, as if they anticipated needing to make moves in the backfield, which resulted in them sometimes making unnecessary moves.
During the spring Diggs needs to get back to being a more efficient runner, which was something he showed in high school, and was the primary reason I graded him as a four-star back. Once that is combined with his make-you-miss ability you'll see Diggs game really take off.
ESTIME NEEDS A ROLE
We primarily saw Audric Estime on special teams last season, but late in the win over Navy he got a chance to carry the football and it was very, very impressive.
Estime is a huge back at 228 pounds and giant muscles, but what he displayed in the Navy game is he hasn't lost his agility, balance and fluid running ability. He is light on his feet for such a big back, and he isn't just a power runner, he can do it all.
Estime should be able to thrive in a short-yardage and goal line type of role, but if he can develop into a strong pass blocker you could also see him get more third-down action in instances where they are going to do more six-man protections.
Of course, it's not out of the question that Estime performs so well that he simply passes up one of the other backs on the depth chart.
PRICE BRINGS SOME JUICE
In other years freshman Jadarian Price would be generating a lot more buzz. The Texas native is an explosive playmaker that brings legit home run ability to the backfield.
Price will get his turn, I have no doubt about that, but during his first spring it will be about learning the finer points of running back play and getting his strength up.
An injury could thrust him into the lineup, and he might not give that spot up, Price has that kind of talent. But unless that happens this spring should be a great learning opportunity for Price.
THREE KEY QUESTIONS
1. Will the run game be designed to fit all the backs? - It's not easy, but with Hiestand back I believe it can be done, but Notre Dame has too much diversity at running back to create a one-size-fits-all ground attack like we saw last season and for much of the previous decade.
Rees, McCullough and Hiestand need to figure out ways to create enough volume in the run game to fit the styles of all the backs, which then allows Rees to call concepts that fit them when they are in the game.
That's actually the easy part, at that point it's up to Hiestand to make sure the line can block it all. If that happens this backfield is going to be scary good. If it doesn't happen we'll see at least one of them not play to his capability.
2. Can McCullough develop a deeper rotation? - Going along with that, it's not easy to use three backs on a consistent basis either. The trick is being able to use all three backs but also to make sure that each is able to get into the flow of the game. That's not an easy task for McCullough, but it's a necessary one. The spring will be about him learning what each player does best, and then using that knowledge to figure out the best way to use them all in the fall.
3. How will the pass game usage change? - Williams was a bit of a unicorn in the pass game, and I don't think any of the backs do what he does. That's not a negative or a knock, it's just an observation. All three returning backs and Price are potential pass game weapons, it just means they need to be used differently, and we'll start to find out what that looks like this spring.
Notre Dame will have a successful spring if ....
McCullough is able to find a way to get all three backs involved in the offense, the run game is tailored to their unique skills and each back is healthy and plays to his potential. If that happens the Irish will head into the fall with a backfield ready to emerge as one of the nation's very best.
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