A run-game by committee is nothing new to any level of football. Standout workhorses are appreciated, but more often than not there’s a steady rotation of running backs to lean on over the course of a season.
Iowa State will look to lean heavily on its rushing attack under first-year coach Jimmy Rogers and offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl, who was previously a running backs coach at Iowa State under Matt Campbell in 2024. In order to do so effectively, the Cyclones will need to rebuild their identity on the ground.
They’ll need to figure out who will carry the torch after departures of Carson Hansen (transferred to Penn State) and Abu Sama III (transferred to Wisconsin), but on a more immediate timeline they need to rebuild depth at running back.
New running backs coach John Johnson is familiar with the run-game by committee. When he was at Sam Houston State in 2023, there was one point where the Bearkats had eight different running backs. Some were pulled from different positions.
It’s an extreme scenario that he hopes his team won’t have to do again. At Iowa State, the Cyclones are looking to prevent a similar situation and make late additions from the transfer portal at running back.
“Potentially bringing in a running back,” Rogers said May 18 during the Cyclones Tailgate Tour stop in Des Moines. “Other than that, we’re pretty secure with the roster at the moment, and so I feel good about where we’re at and continue on with the guys that we have on the roster.”
Iowa State recently lost Salahdin Allah to a season-ending Achilles injury. Redshirt freshman Jayden Jackson is no longer on the team.
Tulane transfer running back Arnold Barnes III was reportedly slated to visit Iowa State on Monday. He rushed for 686 yards and six touchdowns across 33 appearances throughout his three seasons with the Green Wave. There may be more reinforcements on the way.
“Over the course of my coaching experience, I always kind of had a running back by committee,” Johnson said in April. “We might have a one- or two-guy punch, but my message to these guys, we need everybody. Everybody’s got to be ready to go. My last spot (New Mexico), we played three guys, the year before that, we played four guys. I was in a situation in 2023 at Sam Houston that we played eight guys. I don’t want to get to that standpoint … but I think with this type of offense, we got to be healthy, we got to be fresh, so we’re going to ask a multitude of guys to be ready to go at it in the game.”
Iowa State still has Aiden Flora and Bowling Green transfer Cameron Pettaway, who are expected to play prominent roles in the run game and as returners on special teams this season.
The Cyclones appeared to take some precautionary decisions during the spring showcase to protect them. Both Flora and Pettaway wore black practice jerseys, which signified limited contact. Players who wore black jerseys were not to be taken down to the ground during drills and plays during the scrimmage portion.
“When we lost Salah, it was more about just preventing hits, just in general,” Rogers explained. “They already got some contact stuff in, so both (Flora) and Cam were both put in black jerseys for that reason alone, but they’re healthy now and those guys will carry the load for sure.”
Allah and Pettaway were the only two transfer additions in the running backs room this offseason. In addition to Flora, the Cyclones are also returning Ryver Peppers and Easton Miller.
Peppers suffered a season-ending non-contact injury during the Cyclones’ Week 7 loss to Colorado on Oct. 11.
Rogers, who was familiar with Peppers in high school from the recruiting trail, is optimistic for the redshirt freshman.
“He’s back running and moving right now and this summer will be big for him,” Rogers said. “… We’re hoping to get him in through fall camp and ease him into some practices, and hopefully by the end of fall camp, he’ll be 100 percent.”
Further reinforcements will be needed, though, and Rogers and his staff are looking to address the backfield.
In the meantime, Iowa State will look to carry the momentum built from spring football into summer training and eventual fall camp.
“They’re going to get their break, college football, you get nine weeks and you could train eight of those nine,” Rogers said. “So, right now, they’re at home, they’re going to get a little breather. Hopefully, they come back in shape, ready to work and then we’ll start up in June and July.”
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State football searches for running back depth in transfer portal
Reporting by Eugene Rapay, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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