Colorado Transfer Anthony Hankerson Sees Major Strength in Oregon State's Run Game
![Nov 4, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes running back Anthony Hankerson (9) breaks a tackle by Oregon State Beavers linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold (5) for a touchdown at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Chet Strange-USA TODAY Sports Nov 4, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes running back Anthony Hankerson (9) breaks a tackle by Oregon State Beavers linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold (5) for a touchdown at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Chet Strange-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6986,h_3929,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/oregon-state-beavers-on-si/01j4fn8mbxv6edkkg1t1.jpg)
Oregon State's transfer portal haul this offseason included multiple offensive pieces that should be immediate impact players. One such piece is junior running back Anthony Hankerson, who spent the previous two seasons at Colorado - the latter of which was spent in Deion Sanders' system.
The Beaver rushing offense was middle-of-the-pack on a national scale last year, averaging 167.1 yards per game. While Damien Martinez was quite impressive in the field, he has since transferred to Miami. Hankerson and Jam Griffin, now on his second stint at OSU, will look to combine their talents to replace Martinez's production.
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"Honestly, I think we could be the strength of the team," Hankerson told reporters at OSU fall camp this week, when askd his feelings about OSU's current running back room. "I feel like we got a nice group of guys that can come in and put this team on our back and take it all the way that we can."
OSU and Griffin are both expected to be used frequently, along with some reps from the highly athletic freshman Salahadin Allah and the 225-pound Jake Reichle.
Hankerson averaged 4.1 yards per carry at Colorado over the previous two seasons. He also expects to be a part of the special teams unit as a return man, in some capacity. Being used in that role will give Hankerson the chance to show why he was so strong in the 100-meter dash back in Boynton Beach, Florida, and what his former team is missing out on.
"I'm feeling very, very, very, very, very confident in that. I have been getting some snaps at punt return, just to get comfortable catching the ball out of the air, keep my elbows tight, stuff like that. But definitely kick return, I know I'm going to want to get some reps back there and just showing off my speed. That's what I'm really looking forward to. I feel like I haven't had a chance to open up, just goal line to goal line and showing just everybody what I got."