Camp needed to clear up Purdue's muddled running back race
More from Big Ten media days: Handful of players stand out in summer ($) | Linebackers are strength of the defense | Recruiting start pleasant surprise | Blough wows with speech at luncheon | Brohm: Older players needed for 'a chance' | Bentley preparing for big senior season
CHICAGO — With summer nearly over, Jeff Brohm has a better idea of the pieces Purdue has in its running back room. But that doesn't mean he has answers of how that battle will shake out during training camp.
Or at least not ones he's talking about publicly.
At Big Ten media days Tuesday, Brohm responded “good question” when asked who the No. 1 running back will be on Day 1 of training camp Aug. 3. But he didn’t seem too concerned which player took the first snap. He knows camp will be important in figuring out which back — likely among a top five of Tario Fuller, Markell Jones, D.J. Knox, Brian Lankford-Johnson and Richie Worship — will get the start in Week 1 against Louisville.
“Once (it’s) game time, we’ll see who had the most productive fall and who’s ready to go,” Brohm said. “I think we’re good at that position. We have 3-5 capable bodies who can go in and play for us and give us a different element. I think we can utilize those guys properly and they can do some things for us. Now, if we don’t have a passing game and there’s 11 guys in the box, it’ll be tough. But I think they’ve done a good job to this point and certain other guys are back healthy and hopefully they add to the mix because I think they can help us.”
But how many players can Brohm realistically find room for in a game plan? Or could each player’s role depend on the game plan and change week-by-week?
Brohm spouted off each player’s strengths to answer those questions, speaking about Jones’ versatility as the best receiver of the group, Lankford-Johnson’s speed, Knox’s and Fuller’s hard running styles and Worship’s physical play.
He thinks all of those players can help to some degree.
“It’s just who is playing the best and what type of game are we in? Is it a shootout? Are we having success running it? Do we need Markell to catch it more and do some things out of the backfield? It’s going to all depend,” said Brohm, who likely will have to fill the scout team running back spots with walk-ons to start the season. “But I think we can utilize all five of them, if they’re healthy.”
With Brohm’s willingness to play multiple groupings out of several formations, it’s possible Purdue could use one-, two- and, even three-back sets at times, especially because of the depth at the position.
Brohm referenced the New England Patriots and how that offense is multiple with how it uses running backs, sometimes splitting them into the slot or even out wide, sometimes lining up a fullback or an H-back. But Brohm wouldn’t have to start a back outside of the backfield at the snap to take advantage of a receiving skill set either. If Jones, who has been campaigning for more time in the slot, splits out, he could be matched up against a cornerback, he said. Brohm would rather find a way for Jones to have a linebacker to shake.
And those are the kind of plans Brohm is devising and that his offensive staff will continue to tweak during camp, once they’re able to see the players again in a practice environment and do more evaluating.
“I feel good about finding a way to get them in there and find a way to get more than one back in at times and being very creative with it in our own way,” Brohm said. “I do think all of our running backs have worked hard. We have them all healthy at this point. And they have to be a big part of our offense.”
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