WATCH: Stanford running back Sedrick Irvin squats 500 pounds
The Stanford running back job is very much up for grabs ahead of the 2024 season with both E.J. Smith who is now at Texas A&M and Casey Filkins no longer in the room.
The front-runner for the starting job is sophomore back Sedrick Irvin who played in eight games and started three as a freshman in 2023. His best game came in Stanford's 21-20 loss to Arizona, which saw him rush for 66 yards, with a long of 45, while also powering in his first-career touchdown.
He, Princeton transferred Ryan Butler who totaled 18 carries, and Brendon Barrow are the lone scholarship backs on campus for spring ball, which could give Irvin the time to put a claim on the job. Something that may be more difficult when Stanford's trio of freshmen backs Cole Tabb, Chris Davis, and Micah Ford get on campus.
Stanford running back Sedrick Irvin
John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
While a job won't be awarded for work in the weight room, the work in the weight room can make winning the job that much easier. On Wednesday, the team's social media page posted a video of Irvin, who stands in at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, squatting a whopping 500 pounds, twice.
Stanford head coach Troy Taylor didn't get to use the running backs like he wanted to last season due to poor offensive line play. However, Stanford does return the whole unit, which got some much-needed experience under their belts, while also adding some recruits that may contend for playing time.
If Stanford can get the run game going next season, it opens up Taylor's playbook, which as we saw in small doses, can get quite creative.
In 2023, Stanford ranked No. 103 in rushing offense, averaging just 3.45 yards per carry and 118 yards per game—most of which came via quarterbacks Ashton Daniels and Justin Lamson.
