It’s been a few years since Louisville entered a season with a productive running back returning for a chance to follow up a big year. Issac Brown shows some similiarities to Javian Hawkins and I think the excitment about his second year is very comparable to Hawkins. Unfortunately Covid and injuries made the follow up year for Hawkins a little rough but Brown should be set for a huge season with a full year and offseason under his belt. He’ll head up a talented running back group who will be a focus
of the offense this year.
Brown returns to the Cards after a huge true freshman season where he ran for over 1,000 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns. He was able to show off his breakaway speed from the first game of the season and his ability to cut into and out of running lanes helped him break off big runs all year. Brown also showed a suprising bit of power on some of his runs for a guy that stands at just 5-9/190. Brown will need to be more durable this year after missing time last year due to being banged up.
The next man up in the running back room is Duke Watson who is also coming off of a stellar season where he led the nation in yards per carry. Watson ws a pleasant surprise last year after arriving in the fall as a guy who had great speed but was a little undersized coming right out of high school. It didn’t take him long to force his way into the rotation and the staff rationed his touches until the end of the season when he became a bigger part of the offense. That will change this year with Watson set to take on an expanded role as the clear backup. I also expect the staff to put Watson and Brown on the field together fairly regularly.
The coaches can’t stop talking about Keyjuan Brown and I’m intrigued to see what his role will be this season. The running back room isn’t nearly as crowded as it was last season, so Brown should see an uptick in his touches. He is an obvious option as a short-yardage back but he also did a good job in pass protection last season. I was impressed with how Brown looked in the open field in spring practice as he looks to be a little slimmed down and more explosive. He ran away from the defense multiple times which isn’t something I think he was doing previously. With the faith of the staff and another year to improve on his body and understanding of the offense, Brown could be in for a much bigger role in the offense.
Depth is a bit of an issue for the group this year with Shawn Boykins moving over from wide receiver this fall to help. Boykins looked good this fall, but I don’t think he is ready to be a contributor at this point. The other option will be Jamarice Wilder who is battling a nagging injury. If he can get healthy, he could spell the guys higher up the depth chart if needed.
BREAKOUT CANDIDATE
While Isaac Brown is already regarded as one of the best running backs in the country, I think he still has room to grow his profile, nationally. Brown is a home run threat every time he touches the ball and I think that Jeff Brohm will find a way to get him the ball in different ways this year. Brown should have an opportunity to catch more passes and just to get more carries overall. If he can be as explosive as he was last year, he will be an All-American candidate and a Doak Walker finalist.
