UCF RB Room Deep with Talent for 2022 and Beyond

The UCF Knights running back depth chart is loaded with talent for the foreseeable future.

Author:
Jack Edwards
Publish date:
Dec 28, 2021 10:56 AM EST

When looking at UCF’s offense in 2021, it is hard to ignore how big of a part the running game played, especially after Dillon Gabriel went down with injury. UCF ran the ball very effectively this year, and it was critical to most of the success they were able to manage on offense.

Averaging 5.2 yards per carry as a team, the Knights were able to impose their will on the ground versus most of their opponents. They mostly relied on speedster Johnny Richardson and senior Isaiah Bowser, but they got contributions from Mark Antony-Richards and Trillion Coles at times as well. There is talent oozing out of the running back room.

Bowser and Richardson are two completely different runners, but they complement each other well. Bowser was the brute force back, a guy that gained positive yardage even against teams loading the box. After transferring from Northwestern, he came onto the UCF scene with a bang, rushing for a career-high 172 yards and a touchdown in the comeback win vs the Boise State Broncos.

He also finished the season going for 155 yards and two touchdowns vs Florida. Generally it took more than one guy to bring him down, making Bowser a nightmare to gameplan for. A lot of the time, the Knights would run the ball with Bowser on first down to set up second down and medium or short, taking some pressure off freshman quarterback Mikey Keene.

It remains to be seen whether Bowser will be back for next season, as he, like everyone on an NCAA roster in 2020, has an extra year of eligibility at his expense. When asked if he would return, his response was merely “we’ll see.” UCF certainly hopes it gets to use his services one more time next season.

Richardson is someone to keep an eye on in 2022, especially if Bowser decides not to return. Though he probably is not quite as fast, he could be compared to former UCF RB Adrian Killins in that when a big play is needed, Richardson is often the go-to guy. While he didn’t qualify to be on the NCAA’s official list, he would have ranked third in the country with an unbelievable 7.0 yards per carry. That’s not all. Richardson was also very effective in the passing game, with 25 catches for 226 yards on the year, a good chunk of which came from screen passes.

This is a guy that allows UCF to really mix up the playcalling, and when the UCF offensive coaches are able to get him in space, open field tackles are hard to come by for opposing defenses. Richardson will be a junior in 2022.

Like Bowser, Antony-Richards transferred to UCF not long after Gus Malzahn took the head coaching job at UCF. He came over from Auburn, following Malzahn to Orlando. UCF’s usage of Richards was, for the most part, limited to when Bowser was sidelined with injury. However, when he was getting snaps, they were usually inside the opponents’ 10 yard line or in other short yard situations. When his number was called, he delivered. On just 48 carries in 2021, Antony-Richards was able to amass five touchdowns. If Bowser is to depart, Richards seems like the likely candidate to fill his role moving forward. Like Johnny Richardson, Richards will also be a junior in 2022.

Coles saw some playing time in 2021 as well, after coming off of a season ending Achilles injury in 2020. He saw progressively less snaps as the season went on, but in his limited sample size, he showcased some of what he is capable of. He had 32 total carries for an average of 5.8 YPC on the year. He scored once on the ground and once through the air, both against Bethune Cookman. Heading into his senior season, Coles may be a transfer portal candidate, as he is more than talented enough to get more playing time on plenty of FBS rosters.

Other running backs to watch out for who did not get much (if any) playing time in 2021 are Damarius Good, Anthony Williams, and RJ Harvey. The Knights will also welcome new running back recruit Jordan McDonald next season.

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