UCF Running Back Room: Talent and Depth
For 2022, UCF Running Backs Coach Tim Harris, Jr. (seen in the cover photo) has an excellent combination of size and speed that he will be able to utilize. The running game has the ability to be one of the best in the AAC and perhaps all of college football.
Here’s a look at the primary contenders for playing time at the running back position this next season, and how their talents work well together.
The Bell Cow?
This is easy. It’s Isaiah Bowser. A bruiser between the tackles at 6’1”, 225 pounds, Bowser is one of college football’s best at gaining yards after contact. He’s also a quality receiver and pass protector, making him a true three-down running back.
Bowser's powerful running style helped the Knights defeat the Gators 29-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl.
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Make no mistake, Bowser should be considered the primary running back for this next season, but he also has plenty of talent behind him to help the running game going when he steps out of the lineup.
Where’s the Speed?
This category is much different. Johnny Richardson is the first name that comes to mind. It’s fun to watch what Richardson does to create chunk-yardage plays with his speed and shiftiness.
He’s an excellent complement to what Bowser does, and it’s possible that UCF fans will see both in the backfield at the same time in 2022. There is another speedy player at running back as well.
Johnny Richarson's speed helped him score three rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown in 2021.
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Just because RJ Harvey missed the 2021 season with an injury, that does not mean that he’s not going to be back up to his old self. This is a player that out ran defenders all through high school for Edgewater in Orlando, and then was on track to compete for the UCF starting running job last season before injury.
If Harvey is even close to back to his old self, he’s going to be a breakaway threat from a traditional handoff, as well as with the option pitch and within the passing game. Adding weapons like Harvey, off the bench, is a tremendous advantage for the Knights.
More Talent
There’s also the all-around skills of Mark Antony-Richards. He’s plenty big enough to be a power back with his frame holding 215 pounds, and he’s also quick and nimble enough to be a threat in the passing game as evidenced by his efforts during the 2021 season.
Having an all-around talent like Mark Antony-Richards, seen here giving a USF player a stiff arm, come off the bench is an advantage for the Knights.
It’s rare for a college football team to have a talent like Antony-Richards that can be used to close out a game with power runs, or be a part of the two-minute drill and be the lone running back in the game. Further, that’s a player that’s not even starting. Versatility and depth like that is certainly welcomed. There’s another big-bodied running back to discuss as well.
Anthony Williams redshirted for UCF this past season, but this is another young man with a chance to be a consistent contributor to the Knights’ 2022 rushing attack. At 6’0”, 220 pounds, he’s absolutely a load when running downhill. That was evident from the UCF Spring Game.
Incoming Talent
This past January, the Knights welcomed in national running back recruit Jordan McDonald to the running back room. He helped his Milton High School squad reach the Georgia 7A State Finals this past season, and he did so by way of being much like Bowser and Antony-Richards, by being versatile.
Jordan McDonald's talents in high school will translate well to the college game.
The talents of the 6’1”, 225-pound running back include being an inside power back, also being able to break to the outside and take it the distance, and catch the football out of the backfield and make big plays. McDonald will be hard to keep off the field despite the talent that he’s competing with.
Final Thoughts
UCF running backs will be able to pound the football between the tackles, break off long runs, catch the football, and pass protect as well. This is truly an elite group of players representing the UCF running back room.
Look for the Knights to go over last season's yards-per game average of 196.3. Further, it's plausible that UCF also moved beyond the 27 rushing touchdowns as a team from last season, and that's just from the running backs. Do not forget, there's also the running talent of quarterback John Rhys Plumlee as well. More about him coming up soon.
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