Golden Opportunity Awaits C'Bo Flemister In 2020
Until someone - or a couple someones - step up and produce in the fall, questions about the Notre Dame running back depth chart will persist.
One back with an opportunity to step up and step into a leading role is rising junior C’Bo Flemister. The Williamson, Ga. native was an unheralded member of the 2018 recruiting class, and his numbers in 2019 won’t knock anyone over.
Flemister carried the ball 48 times for 162 yards, averaging just 3.4 yards per attempt.
Certainly not the kind of production that will get fans excited, but there’s a lot more to what Flemister showed in 2019 than those numbers. Flemister was second on the team with five rushing touchdowns, and he showed flashes of being a productive back.
His season didn’t start off well, with Flemister rushing for just three yards on 10 carries in the first two games. The rest of the season, if you take away his short-yardage touchdown runs, Flemister averaged 4.4 yards on 35 carries. Again, not great numbers, but certainly more indicative of the kind of 2019 campaign he had.
If Flemister wants to earn more touches and be a more integral part of the offense his game will need to make significant strides in the fall.
TOOLS FOR SUCCESS
Flemister has some impressive tools to work with, of that there is no doubt. The rising junior won’t blow you away with home run vertical speed, but he is quick, shows impressive balance (when his technique is right) and his herky-jerky running style belies how elusive he can be.
The 5-11, 200-pound back possesses a strong initial burst, and he can put his foot in the ground and get through the hole in a hurry. He’s not a juker in space, but Flemister has the natural instincts to make people miss. By that I mean he knows how to set up blocks, use angles to get the defender to react and then make his move.
Flemister has enough juice that if he can clean up his game, which I will discuss below, he could start ripping off more and more long runs if he gets the touches; or should I say, earns the touches.
TOUGH RUNNER
One part of Flemister’s game that often goes unnoticed, or perhaps unappreciated, is how tough he is with the ball. The issue at this point is that he lacks the strength to punish people, but the young back is more than willing to mix it up, and on multiple occasions last season he lowered his shoulder and tried to do damage to the defense.
There’s a reason the coaching staff gave him as many goal line opportunities as they did, because Flemister will not only stick his foot in the ground and get vertical in a hurry, he’s willing to lower his shoulder and stick.
Another year in the weight room should allow Flemister to be even more effective in these situations and stay up after contact more than we saw last season.
TECHNIQUE MUST IMPROVE
Flemister needs to clean up his game quite a bit. His initial footwork/steps are far too inconsistent, and he leans too much at the snap … and sometimes before it. This often gets him out of position as he attacks the hole, and that throws off the timing of runs.
When a back starts off wrong it greatly decreases his opportunity for success unless there’s a huge hole. To compound this issue, there were a few too many snaps where Flemister was too impatient as a runner and would make a decision too early instead of letting things develop. This caused him to miss at least two opportunities this season for big runs.
When he stays patient, executes his footwork properly and shows good timing as a runner he’s quite effective. That is when his burst and vision really shine. If he can be a more fundamentally sound and disciplined back in 2020, and if he puts in the work in the weight room, Flemister does have enough tools to be an integral part of the backfield this season.
NEEDS TO ENHANCE ALL-AROUND GAME
If Flemister wants to become more than a situational or rotational runner he needs to put a lot of work in to improve what he offers in the pass game. Flemister is a decent pass catcher, and his only catch of the season was impressive, going for 13 yards to set up a touchdown that gave Notre Dame a 14-7 lead against Virginia.
But beyond that he brought little value to the pass game, and the reason was he struggled in pass protection. In limited opportunities last season, Flemister was either unsure of himself or unable to step and deliver the kind of block needed to be effective with this part of his game.
If he can improve his pass pro ability there’s little doubt he’ll see even more opportunities this fall.
DOES HE WANT IT?
The question for Flemister at this point is how bad does he want to be a productive back at Notre Dame. The depth chart is such that carries are there for the taking. Flemister has a golden opportunity in front of him, but will he put in the work to build up his body, improve his game and put himself in position to seize hold of that opportunity?
That's the question for most of the players in his class, and we won’t really know that answer until September, but if Flemister can grow into the kind of back I believe he’s capable of being it would go a long way towards helping to answer the question marks at his position.
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