Veteran Indiana football running backs positioned to make an immediate impact

Indiana football’s regular season opens in just nine days against Florida International University, with the team looking to showcase a new era of football in Bloomington.

Newly hired head coach Curt Cignetti killed it in the transfer portal, recruiting a talented group of men with successful backgrounds in college football.

Specifically, Cignetti excelled in bringing in a strong group of running backs, building an extremely well-rounded core of experienced, veteran running backs.

“Well, that’s a position — I feel good about our depth, you have to have good depth,” Cignetti said. ” … normally we would like to play three backs in a game.”

Run game was a struggle last season for Indiana, as there wasn’t a bonafide player Tayven Jackson and Brendan Sorsby could turn to and rely on consistently. 

The tables have turned, as Cignetti enters his first season with Indiana giving sixth-year quarterback Kurtis Rourke plenty of options to hand the ball off to.

What is expected:

Justice Ellison

Justice Ellison, a senior transfer from Wake Forest, rushed for nearly 2,000 yards over four years for the Demon Deacons. Ellison, a versatile athlete, rushed for 15 touchdowns in his time at Wake Forest. 

Ellison, who’s expected to be the number one option for the Hoosiers, was featured on the Third Team All-ACC in his sophomore campaign. 

Kaelon Black 

Kaelon Black was one of many players to follow coach Cignetti from JMU to Indiana. Black played four seasons under Cignetti, rushing for over 1,300 yards, seeing an increased amount of carries each season.

Aside from his run game, Black has really strong hands, receiving nearly 500 yards and six touchdowns in his time at JMU. 

Black enters the season playing as a redshirt junior.

Ty Son Lawton 

Another JMU transfer, Ty Son Lawton departed from JMU after playing just one season with the program. While Lawton totaled six touchdowns with JMU, he shined in his three seasons at Stony Brook, rushing for 19 touchdowns. 

Lawton, now a fifth year senior, brings a huge veteran presence to Indiana’s offensive core.

Outside of his ability to run the ball, a huge piece of Lawton’s game that will make a difference on this Indiana team is that he can run routes and play as a receiver.

“I have good hands. I can catch out in the backfield. I can be another receiver to our offense.”

Elijah Green

Similar to Ellison, Elijah Green enters the season with Indiana having four seasons of ACC football under his belt. While it took some time for Green to find success at North Carolina, he broke out in 2022, rushing for 500 yards and finding the end zone eight times. 

Despite playing four seasons at North Carolina, Green enters this season as a redshirt junior. 

Green is expected to see an increased amount of snaps at Indiana, now recovered from injuries obtained during the 2023 season at North Carolina. 

Mike Shanahan: Offensive Coordinator

After coaching at James Madison with Cignetti from 2019-2023, Shanahan took the OC job at Indiana, continuing to work alongside Cignetti.

While Shanahan has experience working with Black and Lawton at JMU, he thinks the entire running back group is flowing very well together.

“We’ve learned especially these last few years at JMU, you have to have a lot of running back ready to go, especially with the collisions they take, the hits that start to add up on them throughout the season,” Shanahan said. “Our room in general, they’re all pretty similar, they do a good job obviously running the ball, they’re good in pass pro and they can catch the ball out in the backfield.

“I think that competition may never really end until after the season.”

Indiana football opens the season on Saturday, August 31, hosting Florida International University.

SEE ALSO: New Indiana football coordinators followed Curt Cignetti because of culture and trust. Now, they feel ‘something special happening’.

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