2021 IU Running Backs Preview: Under New Leadership, the Running Backs Room Looks to Improve

Image: Indiana University Athletics

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Hoosier Huddle is previewing each position ahead of the 2021 season for the 17th ranked Indiana Hoosiers. Today’s preview takes a detailed look at a position with a few new players and an exciting new position coach: let’s take the hand-off, hit the hole, break through a couple of tackles and go to the house…it’s time to look at the running backs!

Let us begin by recapping who is no longer in Bloomington. Mike Hart returned to his alma mater and is now the running backs coach for the University of Michigan. IU replaced him by hitting a home run and bringing back Deland McCullough from the Kansas City Chiefs. McCullough was previously at IU as a running backs coach under Kevin Wilson before he went to USC and then the NFL. Stevie Scott is with the New Orleans Saints and hoping to make their final roster after forgoing his final season of eligibility. Sampson James left the program shortly after fall camp began and has transferred to Purdue.

The Starter – Stephen Carr

The addition of Stephen Carr on May 20 as a transfer from the University of Southern California was a big one for the Indiana Hoosiers. Deland McCullough recruited him and worked with him in 2017 and the relationship was kept while McCullough was in the NFL. When he entered the portal, McCullough was the coach he wanted to play for and Indiana University presented a terrific opportunity.

“Indiana was great,” Carr told the media in June. “I watched some of their games from last season and it was hard not to pick this school.”

Carr rushed for 1329 yards on 264 carries during his USC career and he added 57 receptions for 421 yards. In total, he had 13 touchdowns and is known as a good all-around back that never quite capitalized on his potential because of injury issues. Carr’s best success came with McCullough as his position coach and the Hoosiers are hoping that can be replicated in Bloomington. What do the Hoosiers need from Carr in 2021? They need a healthy player that is hopefully running behind an improved offensive line and a guy that provides veteran leadership to a very young group. If Carr can give you something like 800 yards with five yards per carry and add 20 to 30 receptions while blocking well in the backfield, I think Hoosier fans would be very pleased.

RB2 – Tim Baldwin

During the 2020 season, Hoosier fans only saw glimpses of what Tim Baldwin brings to table. Part of that was the shortened nature of the season and part of that was Mike Hart’s desire to rely heavily on one running back in lieu of playing a rotation. Deland McCullough is expected to spread things out a bit more and believes in keeping players fresh. In short, Stephen Carr (or anyone else) is not going to be getting 80% of the carries. Baldwin appeared in four games last season and averaged 6.4 yards per carry in his limited work. The bulk of his touches came in the November 28 victory over Maryland as the Virginia native carried the ball 16 times for 106 yards. He showed a nice burst of speed and a bit more wiggle than the other backs IU had. Baldwin needs to show consistent blocking ability to earn the trust of the coaches but there is a hope that Baldwin can pair with Carr to provide a very effective one-two punch for IU’s offense.

The Wild Card – David Ellis

Your guess on how this season will play out for David Ellis is as good as anyone else’s. Ellis is a very good athlete that has yet to find a true home position. He was recruited to IU as an athlete and first tried out at wide receiver and kick returner. His freshman season was a good one as Ellis returned kicks well and had a couple of strong games as a wide receiver. Before the 2020 season, he was moved to running back but he suffered an injury before the season began and his progress at the new position was stymied. He played sparingly in the final five games but had an impact against Ohio State with a 51-yard touchdown reception and 86 receiving yards. Ellis is expected to be the primary kick returner and primarily be a pass catching option out of the backfield. There’s a reason the coaching staff moved him to running back though: they believe Ellis can impact the game getting handoffs. If he can bring a more explosive element to the running game, he can play a vital role in 2021.

The Freshmen – Trent Howland and David Holloman

We’ll begin with Trent Howland, the big fella from Joliet, Illinois. Howland is 6’3” and 230 pounds, the largest of IU’s running backs. He’s currently coming back from an ACL injury and is not expected to be ready to contribute in the early parts of the season. Certainly, the preference would be to get him to 100% and redshirt him. He can then have an impact on the outlook for 2022 and beyond.

David Holloman is from Auburn Hills, Michigan and is a smaller and quicker back. That’s not to suggest he’s a small guy. On the contrary, he’s a well-built 6’0” and 215 pounds. He ran a sub-4.3 40-yard dash at a combine event and was a four-year basketball letterwinner in high school. Holloman projects as a good receiving option out of the backfield and a change of pace player to a bigger back like Carr or Baldwin.

The Walk-Ons

Running back is a position that has previously (and will continue to) seen impacts made from walk-on players. Tom Allen believes in walk-ons and IU has a few very good walk-on running backs that deserve mention and can work their way into some carries in 2021. Davion Ervin-Poindexter has been given high praise from IU coaches for his work and the Merrillville, Indiana native earned the 2020 Outstanding Walk-On Player of the Year honor. He played in all eight games in 2020 as a special teams player and that should continue in 2021. The most decorated high school player of the group is certainly Charlie Spegal. The 5’10” and 220-pound player from New Palestine was 2019’s Indiana Mr. Football and holds state records in career rushing yardage, career points, single-season rushing touchdowns and single-season total touchdowns. While only 5’10” (says the man that is 5’6”!), Spegal runs very tough and is a bear to bring down. Caution is certainly warranted but measured optimism is understandable. Seeing Spegal work his way into a few 10-15 carries along with some special teams work with eyes on a larger load in the future is definitely possible. Chris Childers is a walk-on with experience at the FCS level. He was a high school player in Illinois and then began his college career at Indiana State. Childers played in 19 games, rushing 34 times for 110 yards and three touchdowns in his eight games as a sophomore. Childers was named the scout team special teams player of the year in 2020 and could see a role on special teams during the 2021 campaign.

Running Back Recap

With no Sampson James and no Stevie Scott, the running back position could have been a bit of a question mark. However, the Hoosiers added Stephen Carr in May and any concerns about a lack of options at the position have been allayed. Carr and Baldwin should be the primary ball carriers with David Ellis as a change of pace option. If Trent Howland or David Holloman progress well, they could work their way into the rotation and it would not be shocking to see Charlie Spegal or Davion Ervin-Poindexter earn some carries in certain situations. With Deland McCullough back as a leader of this position, it’s hard to be concerned about running back moving forward.