A look ahead to Auburn football's 2023 running back room

We are entering the post-Tank Bigsby era of Auburn football.

Now that Bigsby has declared for the NFL Draft, the Tigers have to reevaluate their running back room - which, thankfully, is not barren like some of the other position groups on the roster. There's also the possibility of adding some more depth via the transfer portal - Mississippi State running back Dillion Johnson may be added to this list here in the next couple of weeks.

There is a considerable amount of talent that Hugh Freeze and Philip Montgomery are going to have at their disposal. How they use this talent - and more specifically how often they use that talent - will be determined over the course of the next nine months.

Here's an overview of Auburn's 2023 running back room (scholarship players only) as it currently sits:

Jarquez Hunter, Jr.

Hunter took a dip in YPC as his freshman season progressed, but he broke out this past season with three hundred-yard performances over the final three games of the year - including two huge games against Texas A&M and Alabama.

His blend of power and explosiveness has provided Auburn with a fun compliment to star tailback Tank Bigsby - but now that Bigsby is gone, is Hunter ready to carry the load in the backfield?

All signs point towards yes, and there's reason to believe that OC Philip Montgomery and HC Hugh Freeze will be excited about using him. Hunter has also proven to be the best pass-catcher out of the backfield over the past couple of seasons.

Although, there may be someone on the depth chart that could potentially take those passing snaps away from Hunter.

Fans should be excited about Hunter's return and should expect him to continue to improve upon the standard that he has set as an explosive, shifty back that's hard to bring down.

Career carries - 193

Career rushing yards - 1,261

Career total touchdowns - 13

Career YPC - 6.5

Best game of career: Vs Alabama State (9/27/21) - 8 carries, 147 yards, 1 touchdown OR at Alabama (11/26/22) - 11 carries, 134 yards

Damari Alston, So.

Alston was the newbie in the rotation this season, and by default didn't see a lot of playing time - despite this, he finished inside the top 10 of PFF's individual offensive grades for the Tigers in 2022.

He has an almost identical frame to Hunter (5-foot-10, 205 pounds) but has a very different running style - his one-cut bruiser style approach to the game makes him a difficult matchup for opponents as a rotational back - there is no fun in trying to hold Jarques Hunter down and then immediately having to account for a back that does not shy away from contact. He had almost 2,000 all-purpose yards as a junior in high school and has the potential to be a solid option in years to come for Auburn.

Career carries - 14

Career yards - 85

Career touchdowns - 0

Career YPC - 6.1

Best game of career: Vs San Jose State (9/10/22) - 2 carries, 38 yards

Jeremiah Cobb, Fr.

This may be the most intriguing pickup of Auburn's 2023 recruiting class. Cobb was a monster at Montgomery Catholic High School, posting insane stats and displaying a well-rounded skill set. 247Sports noted in their analysis that "not one physical trait that stands out among the rest but (Cobb) possesses a well-rounded skill set and has a good feel for the position."

And a good feel he has. There have been several comps thrown out for Cobb, and one many recruiting experts come back to is Alvin Kamara, given his ability to catch passes out of the backfield and turn anything into a big gain. There's not a particular area of weakness in his game (outside of the fact that he's still raw, as any high school talent), which is great news for the Tigers, who would expect him to take over the starting role as early as 2024 if Jarquez Hunter were to declare for the NFL Draft.

Cobb has some serious potential to become a great weapon in Hugh Freeze's offense.

*Career carries - 639

*Career yards - 6,567

*Career rushing touchdowns - 75

*Career YPC - 10.3

Career receiving yards - 1,142

*Career receiving touchdowns - 15

*Career YPC (receiving) - 22.8 (!)

*All of these career numbers are his high school stats over the course of 50 games.

Sean Jackson, Rs So.

Jackson earned his scholarship as a redshirt freshman last season. He did not record a stat for the Tigers in 2022, but received 12 carries for 60 yards and one touchdown over the course of Auburn's first two games of 2021 (Akron, Alabama State).

He'll be on roster to provide depth in what should be a very talented and well-balanced running back room in 2023. Whether or not Freeze and Montgomery end up giving him any serious playing time is to be determined over the course of the offseason, but Jackson has been praised for his work ethic - hence his reception of a scholarship.

His bruising frame (5-foot-9, 230 pounds) could be utilized in short-yardage situations, if Freeze were to end up using him.

Career carries - 12

Career yards - 60

Career touchdowns - 1

Career YPC - 5.0

Best game of career: Vs Alabama State (9/27/21) - 10 carries, 38 yards, 1 touchdown