Who becomes the starting RB. I think all said and done Journey Brown starter

[Option Bob]

I think all 5 will play at RB this season, unless Holmes changes positions.

Cain has stated that he intends to be at PSU for 3 years then head to the NFL.

Ford can be an electric RB ... he reminded me of Curt Warner when I watched Devyn's highlight clip.

Slade will likely start with Brown being the first guy off the bench. I haven't seen Holmes at all, not even a highlight clip. But a 4-star kid with solid offers should be a great addition.

I have read on this lost from some smart posters that RBs have a better shot at the NFL if they are not overused in college. Hence, I think all 5 play regularly, and unless Ford or Cain gets injured, no one will redshirt.

 

[LafayetteBear]

I hate to break it to you, but if JB gets 20 carries this year I’d be surprised.

I don't follow this closely enough to claim any specific expertise on this issue, so I am curious. Why do you think Brown will get so few carries this coming season? Because Ricky Slade (or some other running back) is THAT good?

 

[ClarkstonMark]

I don't follow this closely enough to claim any specific expertise on this issue, so I am curious. Why do you think Brown will get so few carries this coming season? Because Ricky Slade (or some other running back) is THAT good?

How many carries do you think a 3rd string TB should get? I’d say 20 is a lot.
So my reasoning is he will be 3rd string. No inside info.

 

[81b&w]

If you look at our recent and future running backs, they've been 4 and five star, soft spoken and hard workers. Saquon set the bar really high, caught a lot of attention, and the backs that played behind him learned invaluable lessons. That trend can be self fulfilling, as it's already started. A kid like Ford seems smart and patient enough to be a future star. The lowest rated recruit, Justin Brown could end up being the best of the bunch, we have no idea. Holmes is a stud, Cain is a stud. Ricky Slade is gonna start off, and he's gonna be very good. That's five really good weapons in my book. And then we have them all the next year!

 

[SR108]

I agree and wonder why he didn't get more carries last year.

But Slade has an awesome resume. He had a few flashes but I am concerned about his ability to push the pile when he needs that last step for a first down. Glad to see he's gained some weight. Being over 200 lbs and short, I am hopeful he can do that against a LB or DB. I am also intrigued about the kid from ND, CJ Holms. Kid had offers from every top program (UM, AL, ND, Pitt). He is also a RS Soph, like Brown, so he is three years into his college career. Time to put up or shut up.

A key will be what the staff sees in protecting the ball and pass blocking.

True Fr are always iffy but we've got two high end kids coming in. My guess is that they either RS or do special teams.

regardless, no definite starter but a ton of talent.

You can't necessarily teach speed and Brown had that when he showed up as a freshman. You can teach other important running back skills such as blocking, cutting, stiff arm, how to hold the ball and how to hold onto the ball. It will be interesting how much Brown has learned. He was also redshirted his freshman year and was able to watch and observed Saquon in practice and in work outs.
Sounds like Franklin and his teammates are impressed with his development and work ethic. Slade probably came in more polished, but I would not count Brown out at this point.

 

[jrd23psu]

Ricky Slade. He was ahead of Brown last year and was the #2 behind Sanders. There's no way he's not the starter unless he gets injured.

 

[ncgolfer]

I’m very excited to see what Journey can do. Coming out of high school Journey had a lot of coaching up to go through. He didn’t play against great competition and his position was wingback. He had little experience in pass protection and did not do most of his running out of a RB position. He also needed time in the weight room too. A lot of people are saying very positive things about him now. It sounds to me like Journey is finally getting up to speed at RB and is ready to break out.

 

[PS4814]

That's five really good weapons in my book. And then we have them all the next year!

With what happened to our team this year with many players going into the transfer portal I'd find some wood to knock on after making that statement.

 

[TheWizardofCamelot]

Micah Parsons had an Instagram story on Saturday - included a picture of Journey Brown that had a caption of "This guy is going to shock the world this year."

Could just be a couple of friends having some fun, but there seems to be some hype around Journey coming out of winter workouts into spring ball.

 

[Raffycorn]

From reading the tea leaves, my personal bold prediction is that Journey Brown gets more carries in 2018 than both Cain and Holmes combined. By all accounts, Journey seems like he’s been the star of the offseason.

 

[SR108]

Ricky Slade. He was ahead of Brown last year and was the #2 behind Sanders. There's no way he's not the starter unless he gets injured.

Whoever starts should be pretty good considering the amount of competition in the running back room.