Can Troy Taylor help running back E.J. Smith rise to stardom?

Prior to last season, if you looked at Stanford's roster you saw the experienced playmakers that they had littered all over the field.

It was a Cardinal team that was mostly made up of upperclassmen, and eventually went on to produce five NFL draft picks, and have two other players who were signed as UDFA's. However, the record of the team couldn't be further from the expectations one would have when you take all of that into consideration.

Stanford finished the season with just three wins, and it ended up being the final season for legendary coach David Shaw. While a ton of the blame for the disaster that was the 2022 season can be placed on the coaching staff not changing their systems to put their players into better situations, the moment the season changed was when running back E.J. Smith went down.

In Stanford's Week 2 loss, Smith went down with an undisclosed injury. Prior to going down with the injury, he was proving to be very tough for that USC defense to contain, as he rushed for 88 yards and a score while also adding three catches and a receiving touchdown. Following the conclusion of the game, Shaw told the media that they were hoping to have Smith return after the bye week, but he never did.

Instead, Stanford would go on to cycle through running backs due to injuries like they were speed dating. To end the season the Cardinal actually had a reserve safety starting at running back. Heading into the 2023 season there is a new regime led by Troy Taylor, who is expected to bring a new and much more modern offense to the Farm.

One of the biggest hopes from Cardinal fans and those around the country is that he is able to maximize the potential star at running back that Smith can be. In a recent article by CBS Sports, Cameron Salerno broke down his overreactions from spring ball that could come to fruition in 2023, and for Stanford it was that "RB E.J. Smith realizes his full potential under Troy Taylor".

The last time Stanford made an outside-the-box hire, it went with Jim Harbaugh from San Diego in 2007. The school took a similar approach this offseason by hiring away Troy Taylor from Sacramento State. The Hornets finished the 2022 regular season 11-0 and had one of the highest-scoring offenses with one of the best rushing attacks in the country. Smith, the son of former NFL star RB Emmitt Smith, should benefit the most. The former four-star RB started the season with an 87-yard touchdown on Stanford's first play from scrimmage last fall but only played in two total games after suffering a season-ending injury against USC. Taylor will be the coach to unlock his full potential. He will establish himself as one of the top running backs in the country this fall.

If Smith truly is able to emerge as one of the top running backs in the fall it would take an infinite amount of pressure off of Stanford's three quarterbacks who have combined for a career 31 attempts passing, and for a receiver group that is also inexperienced. It may also help the Cardinal surpass their win total odds that were recently released by FanDuel, which came in at 3.5.

Taylor does have a track record of getting the most out of running backs, with current Arizona State running back Cameron Skattebo being a prime example. At Sac State this past season, Skattebo was a key part of the Hornets' success recording 1,400 rushing yards on 195 carries, while adding seven rushing touchdowns. He impacted the passing game as he caught 31 passes last season as well, which is something that Smith could do even more for the Cardinal.

If Smith can stay healthy and the Cardinal can get maybe one or two other backs to contribute as well, the Cardinal could have one of the more underrated rushing attacks in the country.