How Does Craig Shake Up the Running Back Room?
In this story:
The Arizona Wildcats running back room went through a rehaul over the offseason with the addition of transfers Ismail Mahdi out of Texas State and Quincy Craig from Portland State.
The addition of Craig and Mahdi adds depth to a room that has returning junior Kedrick Reescano and freshmen Wesley Yarbrough and Cornelius Warren.
That kind of depth may be just what is needed for a Wildcats rushing offense that finished with the 15th-ranked rushing offense in the Big 12.
Craig, who signed with Arizona on January 9, brings with him a diverse set of skills, from returning kicks on special teams to catching the ball out of the backfield and at the slot.
That is the kind of versatility that running backs coach Alonzo Carter and offensive coordinator Seth Doege look for in the players they want in their group.
"Quincy brings a lot of versatility," Carter said. "Coach Doege had me watch the film, him and Coach Bobby Wade. They were really impressed with what he brought to the table on film, not just from a running back standpoint, but he did a lot of things, catching the ball, as well as in special teams space. You've seen a kid that can not only run the ball, but runs excellent routes, good hands and is really physical in the run game. We figured he would have a great role and be able to fit in the offense."
Coming from an FCS school and being in the transfer portal puts a "Chip on his shoulder," according to Carter.
He continued, "When you're playing against and coaching against FCS schools, a lot of those guys, they're Division I football players, but for whatever reason, they probably got overlooked, didn't get evaluated in the sense that they felt like they belonged. Because even here, pound for pound, he's one of the strongest guys on the football team."
Craig played the entirety of his first three seasons (2022-2024) with Portland State and really began displaying his skills as a versatile athlete during his sophomore season.
In 2023, he ran the ball 66 times for 410 yards and three touchdowns. Craig also had 19 receptions for 207 yards and three touchdowns and returned seven punts for 75 yards in six games until a knee injury ended his season.
The following year, Craig ran 115 times for 602 yards and five touchdowns. he caught the ball 34 times for 314 yards and another five touchdowns while returning nine kickoffs for 186 yards.
By the end of his time with Portland State, the Garden Grove standout ran the ball 219 times for 1233 yards and 10 touchdowns. He caught 55 receptions for 530 yards and eight touchdowns.
Craig attended Mater Dei High School and played a huge part in the Monarchs' 12-0 season, where they were named 2021 MaxPreps national champions.
Although he was recruited as a running back, he was mostly a starter at the slot receiver position at the varsity level.
"My junior and senior year, I actually started as a slot receiver over there," Craig said. "That's how I developed my route running and my catching ability pretty good."
Craig has had his share of run-ins with quarterback Noah Fifita, as they both played in California's Trinity League.
Craig was a standout for the Monarchs and Fifita for the Servite High School Friars. Fifita played on a loaded team that featured tight end Keyan Burnett, former Wildcat linebacker Jacob Manu, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Mason Graham.
Whenever the two schools would face off in a game, "It was a very big rivalry for us and he (Fifita) was always a ballplayer, him and T-Mac," Craig said.
Craig added, "They always had a good team, especially the four years that they were there. We always had a great rivalry between us, but coming here now, I think his level of knowledge and understanding of the playbook and the scheme and everything like that, kind of made me want to dive deeper into that...Happy to see him that he's on my team this time."
Doege's system requires the running backs to be skilled in both running the ball and catching, whether it's out of the backfield, in the slot, or even out wide if the situation calls for it.
Craigs skills at both receiver and ball carrier make him the right fit for an up-tempo offense that favors airing the ball out.
"Being an air raid offense, I think it will help, you know, because then we can motion out to an empty set or an open set, and then, you know, get into a nice one-on-one with the linebacker," Craig said. "I think that could actually help the team pretty well."
Craig has had a great fall camp so far and it seems the momentum will carry over into week one. It's unclear who will be the starter, but he may get plenty of opportunities to showcase his development, as Arizona will most likely be running a by-committee system.
"In the offense, in this modern offense, the average offense up-tempo offense, you're going to have 80 to 85 snaps," Carter said. "That's on average, even on the low 70 to 75 snaps. No one person can play that many snaps in the game. So we will have a person that will take a big chunk of that, the bulk of that, whether it be 35 to 40 snaps and then another two guys doing what I would say split between 25 to 30 snaps. So I'll never call them starters. I would say a 1a and a 1b, which means you can still call the offense regardless of who's in the game."
"I think the versatility of all three of those guys will give us an opportunity for Coach Doege to be just as creative as he's been with the offense and do what he wants to do. Having that versatility is important."
Until the offense takes the field for the first play, fans can only speculate who will be taking the majority of those snaps. No matter who it is, the running back room has the potential to cause serious damage to opponents this year, according to returning running back Kedrick Reescano.
"There's no fall off when you put either one of us in," Reescano said. "All of us can do everything when it comes to running rounds, running the ball, blocking. Everything you need to do to be a running back, everybody in the room can do."
Be sure to follow us for more stories on the Wildcats and their players. Click the link to find us on X and give us a follow.
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.