Over the last three seasons, USF football fans were accustomed to seeing quarterback Byrum Brown as the team's leading rusher. Last year alone he led the Bulls in yards gained (1,008), rushing attempts (175), and touchdowns (14).
It's not exactly a bold prediction to say the USF quarterback this season will not put up anything close to those numbers. With new head coach Brian Hartline promising a more conventional attack, there will be more focus on the Bulls' running backs than there was during Brown's time here.
The good news is ....
Oh, let guard Caleb Cook drop some knowledge on the RB room.
"We got some dogs. I ain't going to lie, we got some dogs. Listen, from the top to the bottom, there is no bottom. Everybody is like that. Everybody has their own skill set, and everybody can do that at an elite level. We got some shifty guys," he said.
"We got some pass catchers. We got some trucks. We got everything that you want into a running back room, and the best thing about that is that we have depth. Literally from a guy who's maybe at the first, maybe to the bottom of the roster, every single last one of them can march out there with the first group and give us points and give us yards and give us everything we need. They can pick up a pass throw. They can do everything you need. They can be the backbone of the team."
There are eight running backs on the roster, including holdovers Alvon Isaac, Chase Garnett, and Tray Kinkle from last year. Of those three, Isaac was the only one who made a significant statistical contribution with 350 rushing yards and 141 receiving.
Isaac also saw plenty of action on kickoff and punt returns.
But expect to see a lot of D.J. Crowther, a 5-11, 215-pound transfer from Dartmouth. Like Isaac, he is a dual threat -- he rushed 929 yards and 10 touchdowns last year for the Big Green and caught 16 passes for 120 yards. He's basically a human bowling ball and he'll be running behind an offensive line that blocks out the sun.
“It was an opportunity that was hard to pass up,” he said in the spring about coming to USF. “I really loved it on my visit, really liked what (the coaches) were preaching.
"The one thing I have enjoyed most is everybody’s mindset in trying to be a pro and trying to be expert in everything we do. Coach Hartline, all of the coaches, they kind of preach that. The way you go to sleep, the way you attack each and every day, every rep, the weight room, the way you eat. Everything matters and at the end of the day it will pay off.”
Another name to watch is Jason Collins, Jr., a transfer from Morgan State. He ran for 1,009 yards and 13 touchdowns in 18 career games for the Bears and caught 31 passes for 205 yards.
Noticing a trend here? Hartline and offensive coordinator Tim Beck seem to have put a premium on backs who can also double as receivers.
That may be another thing USF fans will notice as changed from the Alex Golesh era. In 2025, for instance, the Bulls running backs combined for only 27 catches and Isaac had 14 of those.
Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck said he likes the depth of this group.
"They're all very similar. To be honest, I like the depth. They do a great job. They got great vision. All of them do. They're very compact, quick, elusive, and strong runners. They're not afraid to put their face in there on pass protection, which is always a must in terms of playing, being an all down back, right? So I've been impressed with them," he said.
"Really, we've been rotating guys, giving everybody an opportunity, especially early. I'm sure as we get into scrimmages and we start to narrow down who those guys are, we'll start taking shape in terms of what that depth might look like. But right now, there's four or five guys that are in the ones and twos."
Beck was asked about his philosophy with running backs. An old adage for that is to rely on a "pair and a spare" or find a lead dog and go with that.
"Pair and a spare is a pretty good one, right? I think you need to have two guys you're going to count consistently with that third guy, for the most part. But you know, sometimes you may even have two of those spares, right? Just one guy may be a role player somewhere else and help the football team. He might be a better pass catcher, and the other guy may be a better blocker or runner. And so you carry that spare as one, right? But those guys, same thing," he said.
"Their retention of the offense. But I've been impressed. I was impressed with them in the spring, and I've been impressed with them the first three days too.You have to have depth, right? To think you're going to go through 12 games, two bye weeks, five weeks of preseason, right? Bowl game, championship game, and the season's a long time, right? And so you're going to need to have plenty of depth in there, and that's what we're trying to do right now. Everybody's getting opportunities. They're separating themselves based on their consistency. Who could pick the things up? Who's able to execute? And then from there, we build on that. And like I said, I've been pleased in that area for the whole offense, to be honest."
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