UGA backs primed to carry on ‘Running Back U’ reputation

Then what?

That’s the real question. If Georgia’s well-deserved reputation as Running Back U — or Tailback U as others insist it is — has proven anything to us over the years, it’s that it takes more than one great back for this mean machine to run the way it’s supposed to run. For every Tim Worley there’s a Rodney Hampton; for every Garrison Hearst, there’s a Terrell Davis; for every Todd Gurley, there’s a Keith Marshall; for every Nick Chubb, a Sony Michel; and for Swift last year there was Elijah Holyfield.

Lest we forget, while Swift wowed us all with his highlight reel runs and consistent production, Holyfield was right there with him every step of the way. In fact, they both finished as 1,000-yard rushers last year, Swift with 1,049 and Holyfield with 1,018. They actually had the exact same per-carry average — 6.4 yards.

That gave Georgia the modern-day rarity of producing a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in consecutive seasons, as Chubb (1,345) and Michel (1,227) did the same the previous year. Not coincidentally, the Bulldogs led the SEC in rushing at 238.8 yards per game in 2018.

Georgia expected Holyfield to be back to carry on his end of the deal this year. But the junior from Atlanta decided instead to go ahead and take his NFL shot. And while that didn’t exactly leave the Bulldogs in a bind, there now is a notable vacancy for the other half of the dynamic duo role.

Leading the way to fill that role is rising senior Brian Herrien. Herrien was the Bulldogs’ third-leading rusher last year, finishing with 295 yards on 50 carries and averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Herrien also has proved to be adept at catching the ball out of the backfield, hauling in eight passes last year, including one that went for a 17-yard touchdown against Texas in the Sugar Bowl.

Herrien would appear to check all the boxes. At 6-0, 210-pounds, he’s a bit bigger than the 5-9, 215-pound Swift. And Herrien has a wealth of experience, especially when compared to the rest of the backs. He appeared in all 14 games last year, and has played in 40 of a possible 43 the last three seasons.

Of course, Herrien is not “the people’s choice.” That’d be redshirt freshman Zamir White. Known as “Zeus” in high school, White was the heir apparent in the parade of talent that has come to Athens to play running back in recent years. He was No. 1-rated back in America coming out of Scotland High in Laurinburg, N.C.

But White has never been able to take a snap for the Bulldogs because of knee injuries. First, he tore the ACL in one knee during the playoffs his senior year in high school. Then, no sooner was he cleared from that injury than White tore his other ACL covering a punt in Georgia’s preseason camp last August. That’s expected to keep White sidelined from contact at least until this coming August.

James Cook also showed flashes as a true freshman in 2018, averaging a team best 6.9 yards per carry while playing a specialized role in all but one game. But the speedy back with the shifty moves had foot surgery shortly after the season ended and his status for spring ball is uncertain.

Because Holyfield and those other three backs were all expected to be competing for playing time this season, Georgia came up short in its bid to land the nation’s top running back prospects again this year. John Emery, a longtime commitment from New Orleans, ended up flipping back to home-state LSU, and a bitter battle for Trey Sanders saw this year’s top back land at Alabama.

The Bulldogs signed Kenny McIntosh, a big-bodied, 4-star talent out of Ft. Lauderdale who should fit in nicely down the line. Otherwise, though, it looks like it might be The D’Andre Swift Show in 2019.