2022 Louisville Football Position Breakdown: Running Back
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As we inch closer to the start of the 2022 college football season, Louisville Report will break down each individual position on the Cardinals' roster. Next in our positional breakdown series, we take at look at the running backs.
Position Roster Movement:
Returning (3): Trevion Cooley, Jawhar Jordan, Jalen Mitchell
Departing (3): Maurice Burkley (Graduation), Hassan Hall (Transfer - Georgia Tech), Aidan Robbins (Transfer - UNLV)
Incoming (2): Tiyon Evans (Transfer - Tennessee), Maurice Turner (HS)
Projected Depth Chart:
- Tiyon Evans (5-11, 210, Jr.)
- Jalen Mitchell (5-10, 214, R-So.)
- Trevion Cooley (5-10, 211, So.)
- Jawhar Jordan (5-10, 180, R-So.)
- Maurice Turner (5-10, 180, Fr.)
Breakdown:
Since Scott Satterfield took over as Louisville's head coach prior to the 2019 season, the Cardinals have boasted one of the nation's best overall rushing attacks. Of course, some of that has been assisted by quarterback Malik Cunningham, but Satterfield's run-heavy offensive philosophy has long established their identity on that side of the ball.
Just like last season, the Cardinals are likely going to be operating by running back by committee. But that's not for a lack of a clear starter. As Louisville heads into year four under Satterfield, they sport arguably their deepest running back room of his tenure, with three legitimate Power Five starters expected to compete for RB1 reps.
While he is the new kid on the block, there's a very real chance that Tiyon Evans could become running back 1a for the 2022 season. Coming over from Tennessee, he rushed for 525 yards and six touchdowns until an ankle injury forced him to miss the final five games of the year. Evans gives Louisville valuable SEC experience, and has a great mixture of both speed and strength/power - which he displayed earlier this year in spring ball. If UofL didn't have a deep running back room, there would be a very real possibility that Evans would be an every-down back in 2022.
That being said, expect for Jalen Mitchell and Trevion Cooley to get in their fair share of playing time as well. Mitchell took the lion's share of reps in the backfield last season, starting all 13 games and leading all running backs with 155 rushes for 722 yards and five touchdowns. Mitchell will likely take on a power back type of role in 2022, as he is the most physical and aggressive of Louisville's returning running backs. Although, he has shown an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and did look faster in 2021 than he did in 2020, which adds to his versatility.
If Mitchell is going to be the power back in Louisville's offense next year, then Cooley would likely be the speed/change-of-pace back. He had just over half the rushing reps that Mitchell did at 86, but was still able to rush for 431 yards and a touchdown to average more yards per carry (5.0 vs. 4.7) than Mitchell did. As a true freshman, he displayed his long-term potential on several occasions with his speed, burst and overall agility. Add in 12 receptions for 173 yards and a touchdown - including a 48-yard deep shot - Cooley is a multi-faceted weapon for Louisville who has real breakout potential.
But don't sleep on Jawhar Jordan, either. He wasn't able to get much run last season, due to the fact that he joined the program during fall camp and was nursing an injury for most of the season. Down the stretch, he was able to get some reps in against Syracuse and Duke, then had a breakout game in the First Responder Bowl against Air Force, where totaled 216 all-purpose yards including a 100-yard kickoff return for his lone touchdown of the season. He might see some reps at running back in 2022, but he's already carved out his role as Louisville's kick returner - and he could already be one of the best in the ACC.
As for Maurice "Mo" Turner, this is likely going to be a season where he takes a redshirt. However, there is potential in the future. As a senior in high school for Nicholls (Ga.) Coffee, he was a hybrid running back/wide receiver that also returned punts, displaying noteworthy speed along the way.
Overall, it's hard for Louisville not to be excited about their stable of running backs heading into the 2022 season. Not only do they have three players who could easily be the go-to starter, each one seemingly has a distinct role/niche, allowing for the Cardinals to be a lot more diverse in their offensive game plan. Louisville is certainly slated to have yet another deadly rushing attack in 2022.
Other Position Breakdowns:
- Quarterback
- Wide Receiver
- Tight End
- Offensive Line
- Defensive Line
- Outside Linebacker
- Inside Linebacker
- Cornerback
- Safety
- Special Teams
(Photo of Trevion Cooley: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports)
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