Josh Gattis highlights the running back competition between Henry Parrish, Jaylen Knighton

New Miami offensive coordinator Josh Gattis is liking what he’s seen so far during fall camp from his two top running backs Henry Parrish and Jaylan Knighton as they battle for the RB1 spot for the Hurricanes.

“Those two guys I’ll say specifically the last three days they practiced at a really really high level. If I could put a highlight on those two guys from an effort standpoint, they’re practicing how we want them to practice, and I’m not talking about running the ball. I’m talking about doing the little things — running after the ball is thrown down the field, hustling down the field trying to get blocks,” Gattis said.

Gattis spent the previous three seasons as the offensive coordinator for Michigan, where we won the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach last year. Gattis’ offenses are known for their prolific rushing attack, as the Wolverines averaged the second most rushing yards per game last season out of all Power 5 teams, led by running back Hassan Haskins. Hopefully, he can find similar production between Parrish and Knighton for Miami this season.

“It’s easy to judge a running back based on what he does with the ball in hand, but the true details and true level of execution and effort that we want is getting all of our guys to play without the ball, being able to play at a high level and sustain our style of play that we want,” Gattis said.

Knighton led the Hurricanes in rushing yards and touchdowns last season, despite only playing in eight games and only starting the final six of the season. Parrish is an Ole Miss transfer who accumulated over 1,000 all-purpose for the Rebels in his two seasons there. Ole Miss was the only Power 5 team to rush for more yards than Michigan last season, as Parrish is more than familiar with being a ground and pound and receiving threat out of the backfield.

Regardless of who wins the starting job, Gattis seems pleased with the effort and intangibles of both hometown running backs, as his offense will likely feature a combination of both Knighton and Parrish for the Hurricanes throughout the season.