Photo via Reese Strickland, USA TODAY Sports
The position group most up in the air heading into fall camp for Texas Tech is running back. After an announcement from head coach Kliff Kingsbury during local media day in Lubbock on Sunday, the picture may be more unclear.
If there was a favorite heading into 2017, it was sophomore Da’Leon Ward. As a freshman last season, Ward took hold of the starting position in the second half of the season and finished as Texas Tech’s leading rusher with 428 yards.
But yesterday, Kingsbury said Ward would miss at least the first week of fall camp as he sorts through some academic issues, and the team would re-evaluate his situation after that. “He won’t be participating in this first week, and we’ll kind of take it from there,” Kingsbury told the media during a press conference.
Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury provides an update on RB Da'Leon Ward. pic.twitter.com/o92B9lm2Eh
— Carlos Silva Jr. (@cmsilvajr) July 30, 2017
Considering Ward’s academic uncertainty and the fact that he missed part of spring practice with a minor knee injury, the running back position seems wide open for three other Red Raiders – senior Justin Stockton, junior DeMarcus Felton and JUCO transfer Desmond Nisby.
Stockton showed flashes of greatness and outstanding speed in the open field during the 2014 and 2015 seasons as a backup to now Oakland Raiders running back DeAndre Washington. But when given the opportunity as a starter in 2016, Stockton disappointed and struggled to stay healthy. He finished with just 154 yards rushing as a junior, but also picked up 220 receiving yards. The most carries Stockton has ever had in a single game is just eight, so he may be better suited as a third down back who’s utilized in the passing game rather than an every down workhorse.
Perhaps the frontrunner to trot out for the first game of the season as the starter is DeMarcus Felton, who averaged 5.5 yards per carry last season but couldn’t stay healthy for all 12 games. In three starts, Felton showed great vision and was arguably the best back on the team dealing with a below average offensive line.
A darkhorse candidate for the starting job is Desmond Nisby, who arrives in Lubbock for fall camp after transferring from Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California. At 6’2″ 240 pounds, Nisby is easily the biggest running back in a position group of mostly undersized peers. However, he’s also the most unproven. In addition to never playing in an FBS game, he didn’t transfer in time to take part in spring practice at Texas Tech either. If he’s going to be the starter, he would have to learn the offense quickly.
In all likelihood, regardless of what happens with Ward’s situation, the position battle will spill intot he season and won’t be determined until two or three of the candidates see some game action.
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