Preseason Camp Preview: Running back
07/31/16 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
Assessing where things stand for the Oregon football team entering the start of preseason camp Aug. 8.
RUNNING BACK
Who's back: Four months from now, we might be talking about a new all-time rushing leader in Oregon history. The Ducks' enviable stable of returning backs is headlined by junior Royce Freeman. The nation's fourth-leading rusher with 1,836 yards last season, Freeman needs 1,881 yards as a junior to match the UO career record held by LaMichael James. This summer Freeman was named to the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell and Walter Camp Football Foundation national player of the year awards, and also the Doak Walker running back award. One website labeled him college football's most underappreciated star, but those who study the game's analytics definitely recognize his talents. Freeman is a bruising runner with great elusiveness and ample speed. He'll be draft-eligible after the 2016 season, and no doubt will be highly sought by NFL teams should he choose to turn professional.
Freeman's top backups also return to Oregon this fall, including jitterbug Taj Griffin, track star Tony Brooks-James and slippery junior Kani Benoit. Each of the three is a big-play threat every time he touches the ball, particularly against a defense battered and bruised from trying to tackle Freeman. The rest of the depth chart includes walk-ons likely to spend the season imitating opposing backs with the scout team. Jarret LaCoste and Lane Roseberry are tough program veterans from in-state, and Langston Stuckey showed some promise in his initial season with the Ducks last fall.
Who's new: The Ducks didn't sign a running back in this year's recruiting class, although it wouldn't be a surprise to see another walk-on join the fold to bolster the practice rotation.
ESPN's take: Great shape. "Oregon owns an embarrassment of riches at running back, and it will be fun to watch them compete with (Stanford) for the title of "best backfield" in 2016 -- possibly in the nation."
ROB'S TAKE
Projected depth chart
RB: Royce Freeman, Jr.; Taj Griffin, So.; Kani Benoit, Jr.; Tony Brooks-James, So.; Jarret LaCoste, Sr.; Langston Stuckey, RFr.; Lane Roseberry, Sr..
What to watch: There's no question about the man at the top of the depth chart. Freeman is Oregon's starter, and the goal in August will simply be to get him to the opener healthy and feeling sharp. However, he did spend this offseason working hard to expand his value as a receiving threat. Recall Freeman's long over-the-shoulder catch to keep alive the Ducks' desperate drive to the game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter at Arizona State; he had some ability in the first place, but Freeman spent spring and summer honing that element of his game even further. Ditto Brooks-James, who struggled catching the ball out of the backfield as a redshirt in 2014, but has worked hard to make himself a reliable option in that role. In the spring, Griffin looked like the guy next in line behind Freeman for carries, when healthy; he wasn't healthy for the spring game, though, so fans didn't get to see him in that role. Benoit has already proven himself a reliable backup in games, and Brooks-James' straight-line speed can't be denied. August will give position coach Gary Campbell more time to assess how he will distribute carries behind Freeman come September. All three backups could use more game experience, but if something should happen to Freeman, there's ample talent ready to step up.
