Alabama Has Perfect Storm of Running Backs

The college football world will find itself in the perfect storm in 2010, a Crimson Storm created by over emphasis on the spread attack. 

Alabama returns an embarrassment of riches at the tailback position this year.  While it's not unusual for Alabama to field great running backs, the prevalence of the spread attack throughout college football has left high school running backs in search of teams still running the tried and true power run-based pro attack.

Step in Nick Saban, who found a home in the driver's seat of the winning obsessed Crimson Tide nation.

In an era dominated by the spread attack, Alabama used a power running game and play action passing to steam roll most of the opposition and stampede to its 13th national title and an undefeated 14-0 record.

The Storm starts brewing with Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram.  

You might have heard of him. 

He took some ribbing from press around the nation, but Ingram is one tough hombre with the ball in his hands.  He lacks true breakaway speed but is powerful, has wicked lateral movement, and has an uncanny ability to find a hole or make one.

This guy alone is enough to win with but thanks to Urban Mayer's utter failure to incorporate a running game into his offense, Alabama picked up an outcast from Florida named Trent Richardson.  

The term outcast might be pushing it—Florida wanted Richardson badly—but Richardson knew his skills would never be utilized in a spread attack and he opted for greener pastures to his north.

Alabama fans were giddy with happiness when he chose to roll with the tide, and Richardson didn't disappoint. 

Richardson rotated regularly with Ingram getting roughly one-third of the carries.  Though his lack of experience showed at times, his uncommon strength and true breakaway speed were hard to miss. 

If Ingram is great at breaking tackles, Richardson is unbelievable.  His ridiculous 52-yard touchdown against Arkansas was probably one of the best I've ever seen at any level.

By the end of 2009, Richardson was playing at a level above where Ingram was this time last year. The timing was fortuitous as Ingram was banged up late in the season and Richardson took up the slack with virtually no drop off.

This season, most expect Richardson to split carries with Ingram, closer to 50 percent.  In fact if Ingram doesn't watch, he could be the first Heisman to lose his starting position the following year. 

Alabama signed another top running back in 2009, Eddie Lacy.  Many felt Lacy might be close to Richardson in ability but that he was not nearly as prepared physically.   Unlike Richardson, Lacy had some academic issues that cause him to be late getting to campus.  The lost time all but guaranteed him a year on the scout team. 

Lacy is a more fluid natural runner than Richardson and Ingram.  From the limited time I've seen him running, he seems to weave through traffic rather than taking on tacklers as directly. 

Arriving on campus this spring will be bruiser Jalston Fowler.  Fowler didn't play high school ball last year because he was just a tad too old. At 6'0”, 245 with speed and power, he is a prototypical NFL style battering ram. 

This is a type of player Nick Saban has been coveting since arriving in Tuscaloosa.

The reason Alabama lacked the battering ram was the season ending injury to Jaramie Griffin. Griffin, an unapologetic north south demolition runner, would have seen goal-line and mop-up work in 2009 had he not been injured.

I don't know if Griffin will be prepared to compete this spring and if not, he could slide behind Fowler who is even bigger and possibly more powerful. 

If neither work out, there is Mike Marrow.  Marrow weighs in at around 240 lbs and will likely be used on the goal line as well.  My guess is that Marrow could end up at H-back, which is a combination of fullback and tight end.

Alabama has some wild cards to consider as well.

Demtrius Goode blew a knee in his first practice as a freshman and after two years he started showing signs of being fully recovered. Goode is good enough to be a starter at other programs and thus I would not be shocked to see him look elsewhere for opportunity.  

By tagging Goode as a potential loss to transfer, I am not discounting his ability. In fact, he was so impressive in limited duty, I feel he should be playing somewhere. 

The same could be said of Terry Grant except that he is a senior, so if he plans to finish elsewhere, it will have to be down a level to avoid the lost year. 

Grant has speed but failed to make the yards after contact that would have led to more playing time.  His multiple nagging injuries could put him in the dreaded medical scholarship category. 

At no point in my lifetime has Alabama fielded this amount of talent at the running back position.  With Alabama bulldozing its way through the SEC, you can be sure other teams will copy what they are doing and turn back to the power running game. 

Future high school running backs will have more choices in the future, but that will not take away the advantage that Alabama has today and in the next few years with a stable of ball carriers that can do it all.