THI continues a series looking ahead at next football season, focusing on each position group. Today we look at Running Back:
RETURNING: Sophomore Jordon Brown.
INCOMING: Michael Carter, 3-star, Navarre, GA; Antwuan Branch, 3-star, Clarksville, TN; Kayne Roberts, 2-star, Greenback, TN.
2016 Stats
Jordon Brown – 20 carries, 45 yards, 1 TD; 1 reception, 15 yards.
Ratliff (end arounds) – 2 carries, -10 yards.
It’s difficult to imagine a major college football program having as little experience returning at a position such as running back like what North Carolina is facing. Lost with Elijah Hood, T.J. Logan and Khris Francis moving on are 929 rushing attempts for 5,093 yards, and 49 touchdowns, for the trio’s career, plus receiving out of the backfield 136 receptions for 1,030 yards and 5 scores.
That’s a ton of production, especially compared to what’s back. The staff’s decision to take the redshirt off of Brown was criticized when it happened, and while nobody would say so, it was pretty obvious they did that to ensure having a returning player with some major college experience. Brown had just 20 carries, but at least he has 20 carries on film and that experience to draw from. That’s better than nothing.
Before getting into the freshmen, in which at least two of whom likely will play, there’s a very real chance the staff will bring in a graduate transfer this summer to bolster the group. If they can do that and play the grad transfer with Brown and maybe get Carter on the field, that would be ideal and could help restore some foundation in the program.
And if you look ahead to the class of 2018, the highly touted prospects UNC’s in the mix with might be less inclined to go somewhere with four signees in the class of 2017, so unless the staff can land a big-time prospect, such as Anthony Davis, UNC might be best off waiting for a grad transfer and then trying to get a big timer in 2018.
As for the 2017 season, though, the roster of running backs likely isn’t complete, and the pecking order at this time is unknown.
