Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

The Indiana Hoosiers have done a terrific job of recruiting at the running back position. After Tevin Coleman and Jordan Howard succeeded in Cream and Crimson and have shined in the NFL, running backs coach Mike Hart has some good selling points and the Hoosiers have reeled in some depth at the position.

-Stevie Scott- 6’2”/231 pounds – Sophomore

The top returning rusher, and one of the top backs in the Big Ten, returns for his sophomore campaign as Stevie Scott will lead the Hoosiers at running back. The bruiser from New York had Indiana true freshman records in 2018 with 1,137 yards on 228 attempts and ten touchdowns. Scott has looked great in camp and he is one of the more physically impressive players you will see. New offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer would like to incorporate Scott into the passing game a bit more and it would not be a surprise to see the Hoosiers lean on the other backs on the roster a bit more to keep Scott fresh.

-Cole Gest – 5’8”/194 pounds – Redshirt Junior

The showing of Cole Gest in camp has taken me by surprise. By all accounts (from people that have seen practices and from coaches), he has been one of the more impressive players throughout the practices. The only thing he needs now is a chance to shine throughout a whole season by staying healthy. Gest was the game one starter but he suffered a season-ending injury in the opener. His 2017 was ended prematurely with an ankle injury. Gest is compact, explosive and very quick. If he can stay healthy, Gest is going to have a big role in the attack. The redshirt sophomore has worked incredibly hard and it would be great to see that hard work rewarded with some good injury luck.

-Ronnie Walker Jr. – 5’11”/206 pounds – Sophomore

A former four-star recruit from Virginia, Ronnie Walker was limited in the damage he could do because of the emergence of Stevie Scott. He only had 32 carries on the season but his long scores against Penn State and Ball State are promises for what the future could hold. Walker is one of three running backs (Gest and James being the other two) that I think could be listed as the primary “backup” to Stevie Scott and I think they will all get their chance to show their worth.

-Sampson James – 6’1”/212 pounds – Freshman

The former four-star prospect from Indianapolis (Avon High School) ran for nearly 3,500 yards in high school. He was committed to Ohio State and the Buckeyes really wanted him but he was drawn to the atmosphere and opportunity in Bloomington and elected to be a Hoosier. He comes in as the tenth best running back in the class of 2019 and he will play a role in the attack under Kalen DeBoer. James was injured for most of the spring but he is healthy now and should be a factor right away.

-Ivory Winters – 6’0”/215 pounds – Freshman

The highly-productive freshman from Missouri put up video game numbers in high school and it will be very interesting how that translates to the Big Ten. Winters looks physically ready to contribute in 2019 but he was not on campus for the spring and the backfield is crowded so seeing him play only four games and then redshirting is expected.

Davion Ervin-Poindexter, Ahrod Lloyd and Connor Thomas are all walk-ons that will be hard-pressed to get many carries. However, Lloyd is a speedy back that has seen the field (he returned a kick against Maryland in 2018) before and he could work his way into some snaps in 2019. Connor Thomas is a bigger back that actually has carried the ball three times in action and he earned scout team player of the week honors four times in 2018.

The Hoosiers can four or five deep with dangerous running backs that have different skill sets. New offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer has a lot of weapons in the backfield and it is my hope that we’ll see the occasional two-back set to utilize these potential difference makers and get the best personnel on the field. Indiana needs to find a way to get more explosive plays from its offense and this running back group should be able to provide that in 2019 and for the foreseeable future.

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