Spotlight on Indiana's Running Back Room After Former USC Back Stephen Carr's Arrival

From the time he was a little boy, Stephen Carr dreamed of being a running back at USC. The former five-star recruit had four good years there, but he's finishing his college career at Indiana, and he's looking to make a splash.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – When you're a five-star running back in high school, all the major football programs come calling. But for Stephen Carr, a California kid, none of that mattered. As soon as USC offered, his recruiting was over, just like that.

A recruiting one-and-done, so to speak.

"USC had my heart ever since I was a young kid,'' Carr said. "As soon as they offered, I committed. I’ve had some of my greatest moments there. I grew up around that place, and I think I’ve gained maturity and the knowledge that I needed to from USC, and I respect USC to the highest, man.”

Four years have come and gone at USC for Carr, who's from nearby Gardena, Calif., and he's had a bit of a hit-and-miss career. Injuries have been a small factor, as had the usual crowded stable of great backs at USC, which has been known for producing great Heisman-quality running backs for years. Carr has rushed for 1,329 yards on 264 carries (5.0 average) with 12 touchdowns in 35 games at USC from 2017-20, and was also a threat in the passing game, catching 57 passes for 421 yards.  

But Carr, who was recruited to USC by current Indiana running backs coach Deland McCullough, was ready for a change in this final bonus season. He looked around for a better situation – and found it here at Indiana, where there's still plenty of question marks in the running back room. 

Deland McCullough is in his second stint with Indiana, but in between, he recruited Stephen Carr to USC, and now they are reunited in Bloomington. (Reese Strickland/USA TODAY Sports)

McCullough was a big reason, too.

"It was very tough to leave USC. I had some of my greatest moments there since I grew up there as a kid. I respect USC to the highest,'' Carr said Tuesday when he met with the local media for the first time. "(McCullough) was a great recruiter as a coach, and we built a great connection at USC. He welcomed me in, and we got straight to business. We had a great relationship.''

Carr's best season at USC was as a freshman, where he showed some dynamic breakaway speed and ability to force defenders to miss. Even then, he was still learning as he went. McCullough taught him how to be a college running back, and he'll get that chance again this year.

“Coming out of high school, I didn’t really know too much about football,” Carr said. “I would just get the ball and run and it worked out, thank God. But coming in my freshman year, he explained the whole blocking scheme to me, how to read holes, how to read the first-down defender, how to call out D-linemen as a three-technique or a five-technique guy or stuff like that, and that’s very, very important when it comes to communication, coming back to the sideline and talking to your coach.''

Carr got to Bloomington last week and is ready to get to work. He hasn't spent much time with McCullough yet, because he's been out recruiting. It's a long way from home, but he's excited about what this last year will bring at Indiana, a program on the rise the past couple of years.

"Being away from my family and friends and not being able to hang out with them so easily, I feel like this gives me a great opportunity to focus on myself,'' Carr said. 

"I can't wait to see the end results of these next five months. I'm just being patient and taking it day by day, I think I could provide a lot offensively, but I’m just going to have to put the work in, just like all of the other guys and try to earn my spot.  Hopefully, everything plays out.”

Stephen Carr gained more than 1,300 yards during his career at USC, but he's excited about finishing it at Indiana this season. (USA TODAY Sports)

Carr, one of eight transfers to arrive at Indiana this season, walks into a running back room that's hitting the reset button this year. Longtime running backs coach Mike Hart is gone, returning to his alma mater at Michigan, and three-year starter Stevie Scott is off to the NFL, signing with the New Orleans Saints.

Avon's Sampson James is next in line as a starter, and he's shown a few moments so far in his first two years in Bloomington, most notably against Purdue in 2019, helping the Hoosiers win the Old Oaken Bucket 44-41 in double overtime with a head-spinning 118 yards on 22 carries. In all his other games, though, he has just 253 total rushing yards on 91 carries, a meager 2.78 average per carry.

Freshman Tim Baldwin Jr. showed some burst in his first season, and incoming freshmen Trent Howland (Joliet, Ill) and David Holloman (Auburn Hills, Mich.) have had great high school careers.

Who starts? It's up for grabs, and Carr is clearly in the mix from Day 1. Who gets the carries? Well, they will have to be earned. That's how McCullough works, as does offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan. 

But it's also clear that Carr will get plenty of good looks. That's why he's here. He feels great physically, and is looking forward to contributing from the first week to the last.

"I watched some of their games last season and it was hard not to pick this school,'' Carr said.  We haven’t watched too much film yet. He’s been out this past week, so I can’t wait until he gets back and we can chop it up and watch some film.

“I can’t wait to be fully prepared to play this season. I feel like every athlete should, no matter if you have no injuries or if you have had the most injuries. I think the training room is very important, make sure you stretch, ice and all those other things that you need to do.”

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