Who Will Be RB1 in Bill Belichick's First Year?

The running back position for North Carolina is up in the air, and with Omarion Hampton for the NFL, Head Coach Bill Belichick will have to find the next man to take the position over. But who will it be? Who will be able to slice and dice the defense, going every other way each incoming opposing player is looking to stop the ball? Coach Belichick has options, but the names have yet to prove themselves to be the pinpoint RB1 thus far.

For starters, here are the names of all the running backs on paper: freshmen Demon June, Jaylen McGill, Jaylon Nichols, Jo Jo Troupe, sophomore Davion Gause, redshirt sophomore Charleston French, Benjamin Hall and then there is redshirt senior Caleb Hood. This entire room is led by Natrone Means, an experienced coach who spent time at Livingstone, West Charlotte High School, Winston-Salem State, and Fayetteville State, per GoHeels.

Hood and Gause seem like the two guys who can be slotted into the RB1 position. However, the college football experience and familiarity with the program is why I believe Hood can become the RB1 of this team in Coach Belichick's first season. With all the new faces on this year's roster brings unknowns, but Hood has spent time in Chapel Hill already and even started earlier on in his career as a Tar Heel. As long as he can stay healthy and on the gridiron, I see no reason why he can lead the charge in the run game.

Caleb Hood’s Experience Can Go a Long Way

Hood during the 2022 season had 43 carries on 250 yards, an average of 5.8 yards per carry with his longest run stretching 71 yards. On the receiving end, he caught 13 passes for 119 yards. Then, the following two seasons is where he began to see a dip in his production as he had a combine carry total of 33 for 124 yards.

Regardless, he may find more juice with the new coaching staff in place, and his leaner stature as seen on UNC's first day of fall camp, allowing the media to attend and hear from the Rockingham, North Carolina native, plus others. The Tar Heels are going to need production in the run game as seen in years past beyond Hampton (Michael Carter, Javonte Williams, Ty Chandler, to name a few).

Hood is capable, and looks in shape to make sharper moves, so it will be interesting to see if he gets the nod come Monday Night Football on September 1.

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