‘Our goal is to create the all-purpose back’: Indiana football RBs Coach John Miller wants versatility from his running backs

After an extremely successful stint as the running backs coach from 2021-2023 with James Madison, new Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti decided to bring John Miller with him to Bloomington.

During Miller’s time with the Dukes, his running backs averaged 175.6 rushing yards per game and 1.9 touchdowns over 45 games.

How did they become so valuable?

“Our goal is to create the all-purpose back.” Miller emphasized during his appearance on the newest episode of Under the Hood with Indiana Football. “You got to be able to be the third and one back and you gotta be able to do routes out of the backfield,” Miller said.

That success made Cignetti’s decision to bring Miller to Indiana a no-brainer, and Miller is grateful for Cignetti.

“I’ve learned a lot from him on and off the field,” Miller said about Cignetti. “First off, he’s one of the greatest football minds I’ve been around. He sees things before it happens.”

Miller, a former wide receiver at James Madison (2014-2017), has been extremely successful moving from player to coach. His focus on building good habits has translated to on-field success from his running backs.

“I’m really into it for my guys and seeing those guys develop, that’s what really gives me joy,” Miller said. “It’s all about creating habits on and off the field. So I want to try and preach to my guys creating the right habits that last you a lifetime.”

Miller has a similar focus to Cignetti and other coaches of instilling a standard and building a new culture. That standard allows Miller to have the confidence to ask a lot of his running backs both on and off the field.

“We’re gonna put a lot on their plate because we know we can handle it and we’ve been successful with it,” Miller said.

For the running backs that means a focus on every aspect of the game, from inside runs, to route running and pass protection.

“We’re gonna ask our backs to everything,” Miller said. “Obviously run in between the tackles. … But pass protection is one thing. We’re big on dropback, so pass protection is really big. I’m coaching it, I’m preaching it every single day.”

Indiana football allowed 25 sacks in 12 games a season ago and will be looking to improve in their ability to protect the quarterback. The effort of the running backs in protection can play a huge factor in their passing offense.

While Miller emphasized the importance of pass blocking, he explained the important role that the running backs will play in Indiana’s offense.

“We’re going to use our backs a lot in our offense. We ask those guys to do a lot,” Miller said. “It’s why we’ve been successful at that position and offensively as a whole.”

When looking to build the running back room, Miller stressed the importance of production over talent, something that Cignetti has stressed from his first press conference with Indiana football.

“I’m from the Show Me state,” Miller said. “You gotta be able to show me that you can really go out there and do it. You can look good in the drills and you can say all the right things in the meeting room, but it got to show up on the field.”

That focus on production helped Miller and Cignetti assemble the current running back room. One that Miller is excited about.

“There’s a lot of good personalities in the room which I love,” Miller said. “They’ve all come together, we preach about being a family and that’s what we are. They all got each other’s backs, they push each other in workouts, but they all know it’s coming out of love.”

That camaraderie within the locker room is something that excites Miller as he recognizes the challenges of having a mix of both new and old faces in that room.

While there will be plenty of new faces for Miller this season, his two leading rushers from James Madison followed him to Indiana.

Kaelon Black also transferred to Indiana after he led the Dukes in rushing last year. On 142 attempts, Black ran for 637 yards while averaging 4.5 yards per carry, and scored one rushing touchdown. Black also caught 27 passes for 254 yards and scored four touchdowns through the air.

Ty Son Lawton was second on James Madison in rushing with 126 carries for 568 rushing yards, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Lawton also added 19 catches for 174 yards and finished the season with six total touchdowns.

The stability that Lawton and Black will provide, will be extremely important as the new staff implements their offensive scheme.

One of the older faces but still a new face for Miller is redshirt junior Trent Howland, who decided to return to Indiana football after entering the transfer portal in the offseason.

“Trent’s a great player, I really love what he does on tape,” Miller said. “That’s why we wanted to try and get him back here to Indiana. I think he brings a lot of value to the offense and he’s a downhill, big, strong guy, he definitely is. I mean first time I seen him I was like, ‘Oh my god’.”

After only touching the ball eight times in his first two seasons with Indiana football, Howland worked his way into becoming a consistent part of the offense in 2023. In 11 games, Howland had 78 touches, for 376 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 4.7 yards per rush. Howland’s role could continue to grow in 2024 with the new coaching staff.

Indiana football also added running backs Justice Ellison from Wake Forest and Elijah Green from North Carolina in the transfer portal.

“Both guys Justice and Elijah were successful at the power five-level, both being in the ACC,” Miller said about the two. “So that’s right off the bat, that struck our interest in those guys. Really great kids, really good grades, that’s another big thing. We all obviously want to bring in good players, but players that fit our culture, fit our mold, being a true student-athlete.”

The prior production of both running backs was an important factor in their recruitment of the current staff.

Justice Ellison finished 2023 with 548 rushing yards on 120 carries and one touchdown in 11 games. He also had five games in which he finished with more than 60 yards. 

While Elijah Green did not play much in 2023, he had an extremely productive 2022 season. During that season, Green had 558 rushing yards on 4.3 yards per carry and added eight rushing touchdowns. Green also caught 17 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown during the season.

The versatility of both running backs and their character off the field excites Miller for their potential to impact the 2024 season. 

Indiana football has needed more from their running backs as they have not had a thousand-yard rusher since Stevie Scott did it in 2018. The hope is that Miller can be the guy to get the running back room over the top which could impact winning in a big way.

While Miller’s attention to detail and focus will excite fans, his emphasis on building “the right habits” shows who he is as a coach, and the kind of impact he can make with Indiana football.

SEE ALSO: ‘We got to change the way people think about Indiana’: Curt Cignetti is looking to change the narrative surrounding Indiana Football

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