Roster
- #22 Isaiah Davis (6-1, 220, Jr)
- #3 Amar Johnson (5-11, 180, So)
- #21 Angel Davis (5-10, 185, RFr)
- #28 Josh Buri (5-11, 210, RFr)
- #24 Derrick (DJ) Johnson (6-0, 200, Fr)
- #33 Justin Harris (5-11, 185, Fr)
- #39 Isaac Kracl (5-11, 180, Fr)
Andre Crenshaw is now in his second season coaching the running back position at SDSU. He is really excited about his group even with the loss of Pierre Strong to the NFL. Pierre is an all-time SDSU great and it will be interesting to see how the offense replaces his production. Crenshaw shared that this group is really talented and he’s excited to see what they do this fall. They are all good running backs and they can catch the ball at an elite level.
The group is led by Isaiah Davis who has embraced the leadership role of the room even though he is still pretty young himself. In a season that saw him get injured during the non-conference schedule and not return until later in the year, Davis still finished with 701 yards on 95 attempts (7.4 ypc average) and 7 TDs. Maybe most impressive is that Davis only lost 8 yards on those 95 attempts. Crenshaw said that Davis is following in the footsteps of Pierre and really learning how to take care of his body and focusing on stretching and warming up properly. Davis’s production was limited in the passing game last fall and he only had 2 receptions for 8 yards but Crenshaw thinks he can be really productive in this area. We saw in the spring season how good Isaiah’s hands can be so this could be something to watch. I pushed Crenshaw to name what makes Davis so great and he said simply that Davis wants to great and he knows the level he needs to play at.
The likely candidate to split time with Isaiah is Amar Johnson who showed flashes of his high level talent in the fall. He finished with 427 yards on 86 carries and 3 TDs. He also added 2 receptions for 38 yards in the passing game. Crenshaw said that Amar has really made a big jump in his understanding of the playbook. He has continued to improve as a pass blocker and enjoyed the benefits of a full spring. Crenshaw stressed that Amar will need to ready to play because it is a long season and Isaiah plays with such physicality. Crenshaw really sees Amar’s trajectory shooting up and is excited to see what he does this fall.
Angel Johnson and Josh Buri are the other two returnees who each bring a little something different to the table and are battling for the 3rd spot. Johnson has a ton of ability and athleticism. He is strong and explosive but is still learning the position after playing mostly as a 9-man wide receiver in high school. In limited action he gained 66 yards on 12 carries. Josh really understands the running back position according to Crenshaw. The athleticism and power is there and Crenshaw thinks he will play a lot of special teams. He’s a downhill back who is smart, breaks tackles, and plays a smash mouth style of ball. Again in limited action, Buri had 31 yards on 10 carries and added 1 TD.
The three incoming freshmen are all slightly different in type and style but potential is there. Crenshaw said he will see for sure what the guys can do once the pads come on but he does think the future is bring for DJ Johnson, Justin Harris, and Isaac Kracl. As a whole, this group has good movement skills and twitch.
Losing one of the best players to ever play the position is always scary. However, the Jackrabbits appear to be a good position at the position. The group is not deep in numbers so health is important! I’m excited to see what Amar does with his additional opportunities and what Isaiah can do as the lead dog.
Go Jacks!
Matt
