FSU running back room has reloaded well despite significant losses
It's not easy to replace the level of running back production Florida State lost after the 2023 season in one offseason.
Gone is Trey Benson, he of the 1,896 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns over the last two seasons. Also gone are Rodney Hill and CJ Campbell, two minor contributors a season ago (307 combined rushing yards and two touchdowns) who would have likely stepped into larger shoes this fall.
You certainly wouldn't know that FSU is replacing three of its top five running backs from last season with how things have gone this spring. Especially over the last few practices, the running backs have found their groove and shown off their collective potential in a major way with quite a few explosive runs.
"I'm seeing growth in it. Guys are growing in their confidence in the technique, fundamentals, overall execution," FSU coach Mike Norvell said of the run game last week. "We've got an explosive group of backs. You give them space, they've got an opportunity to make something happen."
While Benson was a remarkably explosive big-play running back in 2023 with six runs of 30-plus yards, four runs of 40-plus yards and three of 50-plus yards — all in the top 20 nationally — FSU's run game wasn't especially consistent down to down last fall.
The Seminoles' 4.54 yards per carry average in 2023 was actually the team's worst in Norvell's four seasons leading the program, nearly a yard worse than the 5.47 yards per carry the 2022 FSU team averaged and 46th nationally.
That leaves plenty of room for improvement in 2024, both from the offensive line and the running back room working together to rediscover the consistent run game that has been a staple of Norvell teams throughout his coaching career.
The early returns on this FSU running back room this spring have been positive as the group appears talented and quite deep even with the somewhat significant losses off last year's team.
"We're still a versatile group," FSU running back Lawrance Toafili said early this spring. "We've got backs that have good speed, All of us really have good speed, but we've got backs who are more power runners and we've got speed guys. I feel like we reloaded."
Toafili, one of a dwindling number of players who have been on the team for Norvell's entire FSU tenure, has been productive throughout his FSU career. He's surpassed 350 rushing yards in three of his four seasons as a Seminole and enters his fifth and final season of eligibility with 1,439 career rushing yards, 690 career receiving yards and 16 career total touchdowns as a valuable weapon that can be moved all over the field on offense.
Toafili also entered this spring bulked up a bit more at 196 pounds, up nearly 10 pounds from his listed playing weight last fall of 188 pounds.
"I think he understands the offense in and out. He understands the ins and outs at just about every position. He understands everything the receivers are doing, everything the tight ends are doing, he understands the protections," FSU running backs coach David Johnson said of Toafili. "So he's able to help those new guys coming in and let them know the importance of all the little things that we're doing. He was getting onto them just now about a few little things, he thought they got a little tired today. Just bringing his leadership with those guys has been big for us. I've really enjoyed having LT around because he's like having another coach out there."
Alabama transfer Roydell Williams has brought some supplemental experience to the FSU running back room after appearing in 45 games over four seasons at Bama and racking up 1,165 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in Tuscaloosa.
As the spring has progressed, Williams has grown much more impactful as his comfort in FSU's offense has increased.
"I think he's a big back that has great short-area quickness, explosiveness. You've seen probably in this last week, him take a real positive step in what he's been able to do," Norvell said of Williams. "I think a better understanding of tracks, footwork, fundamentals, some of the ins and outs of what we ask our backs to do here. A very versatile player. I like what I'm seeing so far."
Williams, at 5-foot-10, 215 pounds, has also brought some of that tough running that Benson provided over the last two seasons in FSU's backfield.
"He's tough. He showed it last week in goal line. He made some people miss, he ran through some people. That's what we were looking for," Johnson said. "He can catch out of the backfield. He's really, really smart. He's been coached up well different places he's been so we're really excited about him."
Freshman early enrollee Kam Davis has also been impactful after arriving at FSU with plenty of hype as the No. 121 overall recruit and No. 6 running back in the 2024 class. Circled entering the spring as one of the likelier freshmen to contribute right away in 2024, Davis has totally validated that hype.
"Kam has been doing an excellent job. Really strong boy. He came on the last couple of weeks and had a really good understanding of the offense. He's going to help us this year," Johnson said. "That's one thing about Kam, because of his body, his strength and Kam is very smart. He understands football because he played quarterback in high school so he knows protections and different things like that. He is very detailed. Kam is not going to miss anything, he knows where he's supposed to be. We're really excited about Kam."
And while Johnson will have to share Indiana transfer Jaylin Lucas a bit as he's another weapon that will likely move all over the offense, he isn't surprised that Lucas has been one of the best playmakers on FSU's offense this spring.
"I knew that was going to happen..." Johnson said of Lucas. "I understand his mental toughness, how he pays attention to the little things and he plays with a chip on his shoulder. He understands and he likes to be coached hard."
Add in a redshirt freshman in Sam Singleton who has taken a leap after redshirting last fall, an impactful walk-on in Caziah Holmes and another true freshman set to arrive over the summer in Micahi Danzy and you can see FSU will once again have plenty of depth in the backfield to allow for its preferred depth and constant rotating.
Perhaps most encouraging of all to Johnson, all these talented running backs, new and old, have bought into that belief in how FSU uses its running backs, keeping each of them fresh both over the course of a game and the season as a whole.
"They understand the culture. At the end of the day, we want everybody to get a chance to do the things they need to do. Whoever is rolling, we're going to keep them in the game," Johnson said. They understand that you have to be able to do the little things. I think that's big for the room and they're doing a good job of that right now. I'm really proud of them."
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