How Are These Arizona Running Backs Embracing Leadership Roles?
Upperclassman running backs Kedrick Reescano and Ismail Mahdi have embraced the role of being leaders in a running back room that was overhauled in hopes of seeing major improvement in preparation for the 2025 season.
By the end of the 2025 season, the Wildcats finished with the 15th-ranked rushing offense in the Big-12 and 119th-ranked nationallly, emphasizing a huge need for improvement in that area.
Those improvements seem to have been made with the addition of Ismail Mahdi transferring over from Texas State, along with Quincy Craig, who comes from Portland State.
Running backs coach Alonzo Carter was also successful in recruiting two big-bodied runners in Wesley Yarbrough and Cornelius Warren, both hailing from the Lone Star State of Texas.
Reescano was a part of last season's offense and played along side Quali Conley and Jacory Croskey-Merritt, both of whom are now in the NFL battling to make a roster spot on their respective teams.
Rayshon "Speedy" Luke was also a contributor of the Wildcats' offense, but redshirted after four games and has elected to transfer to Fresno State for the 2025 season.
Now that Conley, Croskey-Merritt and Luke are going on different directions, that leaves Reescano as one of the running backs to lead the way in a by-committee system.
Mahdi is also one of the players in a newly loaded room that has a chance to take on a leadership role. The 5-foot-9, 188-pound 2025 Paul Hornung Award Watchlist nominee could have yet another breakout year, the same as he did in 2023 when he first transferred to the Bobcats.
Yarbrough has been soaking up knowledge of the running back position ever since he touched down in Tucson, being "attached to the hip" to Reescano.
"Wesley is really explosive and his desire to learn the offense is amazing," Reescano said. "I see a lot of myself in Wesley as a freshman because I didn't know everything, but I wanted to learn it so bad. That's why I feel bad for Wesley because I feel like I'm looking in the mirror when I look at him."
Warren has also been a sponge when it comes to retaining information on the offense, learning from Mahdi as much as he can during training camp.
"He's a learner," Mahdi said. "He wants to get out there and just learn and get into the playbook. He wants to get out there and just make plays... He is really a football player."
One of the big determinations of who gets to carry the ball on Saturdays is the development of skill in pass protection.
Cater's saying for this certain skillset is "No block, no rock." it's so important that he said he keeps the mantra on his wall in his office.
"They all work at it very, very hard, it's on my wall in the room," Carter said. "We take pride in our blocking, so no block, no rock. We've been protecting that quarterback, especially when you got one like Noah Fifita. Gotta take care of him."
The key word that has been thrown around all fall camp when it comes to the running back room is versatility, something that all four runners possess, according to Carter.
"Each year, you have a different group of guys and you try to play to their strengths and you coach to the strength of your talent," Carter said. "This year, that is the strength of the talent. The strength is that they are very versatile. They all can line up out wide, (they) also can run inside zone, outside zone. whatever it is we need them to do.
These four players will have the chance to display their talents when Arizona plays Hawaii on August 30.
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Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.