Texas A&M Announces Hiring Of RB Coach Marquel Blackwell
Texas A&M officially has its running backs coach for the 2023 season.
The Aggies announced the hiring of Ole Miss running back coach Marquel Blackwell for the same position on Friday. Blackwell will replace Tommie Robinson, who was not retained by Jimbo Fisher this offseason following a 5-7 record in 2022.
Blackwell, 43, spent one season in Oxford before returning back to Texas. Prior to his arrival with the SEC West program, Blackwell coached at Houston as the Cougars' running backs coach from 2020-21.
Blackwell also has coached at USF (2009-11, 2013), Lakewood High (2014) in St. Petersburg, Florida (2015), Toledo (2016-17), and West Virginia (2018). In 2019, Blackwell was hired as Houston's quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator but later transitioned to running backs coach under Dana Holgersen.
The Aggies are hopeful Blackwell's coaching will translate to their backfield next season following the departure of All-SEC running back Devon Achane. Last season, Blackwell was instrumental in the development of freshman phenom Quinshon Judkins.
Judkins, a native of Pike Road, Ala., and former three-star talent, led the SEC in rushing yards (1,567) and rushing touchdowns (16) en route to an 8-4 record. Judkins' 16 rushing scores ranked top 10 nationally in terms of production.
Blackwell also was worked with several premier college and NFL running backs, including Kareem Hunt at Toledo and Alton McCaskill at Houston. Hunt, who currently is a member of the Cleveland Browns, posted two 1,000-yard campaigns for the Rockets during his four years with the program. McCaskill, a native of The Woodlands, TX, rushed for 961 yards and averaged 5.6 yards per carry in his first season with the Cougars.
The Aggies are expecting ample production from their running back trio, including early enrollee Rueben Owens. The five-star running back from El Campo committed to the Aggies hours after de-committing from Louisville following the departure of Scott Saterfield to Cincinnati.
Last season, Amari Daniels primarily served as the No. 2 running back behind Achane. He rushed for 200 yards on 36 carries. Rising sophomore Le'Veon Moss, who is expected to fight for first-team reps, totaled 114 yards and a touchdown on 27 rush attempts.
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