'There is not going to be any drop off': Despite offseason overhaul of Indiana RB room, expectations remain high

From one of the top rushing attacks in the Big Ten to one of the bigger questions of the Indiana offense this year, the transition in the running back room was notable this offseason.

The departures of Justice Ellison, Ty Son Lawton and Solomon Vanhorse were expected, as both graduated. But then the loss of Elijah Green gave Indiana one notable returner from its backfield; Kaelon Black.

Black had limited work last year, however. So, Indiana reloaded and brought in Maryland experienced back Roman Hemby and UAB transfer Lee Beebe. And through three weeks of spring practice, there doesn’t seem to be a drop off.

“Honestly, there is not going to be any drop off,” Black said on Tuesday. “The guys that we brought in, they are some heavy hitters. Those guys work hard every single day. We all get in work after practice and, honestly man, it is just going to be a tough group for sure. We are just going to have to wake the world up and show them what we’ve got.”

Beebe has 1,600 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns in his three seasons, including over 1,100 last year along. Hemby arrives with nearly 3,300 scrimmage yards and 27 touchdowns under his belt.

Indiana averaged 165.1 rushing yards per game last year — good for 5th in the Big Ten. But, it led the league in rushing touchdowns with 37 — in 13 games played.

Related: ‘Football is still football’ — It’s a new system for Roman Hemby but he comes to Indiana ready ‘for the challenge’

Justice Ellison ran for 848 yards and 5.3 yards a carry while Lawton added 668 yards on 4.7 yards a carry. They combined for 22 touchdowns themselves. They also combined for 61.1 percent of the team’s total carries.

So while there is a changing of the guard, the talent level and competition that the group has will benefit the team long tern.

“With the daily competition, guys are just pushing me to be better each and every day … Also, just learning from last year with learning from different techniques and things like that, you just apply that to your game. It is honestly going to make you a better player,” Black said. “This year, the guys that we brought in, they are going to push you every single day. They are great backs with a lot of experience. It is going to be a competition for sure.”

While last season was driven by the rushing ability of Lawton and Ellison, this season will bring a notable difference; catching out the backfield. All three of Black, Hemby and Beebe are terrific receivers.

But, none of that skillset can be shown if it isn’t for the offensive line — a group that was undoubtedly the best its best at IU in years last season.

“(We have) some mean guys up front,” Black said. “They’re gonna put their hands in the dirt. They’re gonna move some people on defense and that’s honestly important. With the guys that we’ve lost from from last year, some great guys, but those guys, they’re tough and they’re mean, and they’re going to make sure we rush for a lot of lot of yards this year.”

And, that unit’s goal is clear as can be.

“Have the same results of last year,” IU offensive lineman Carter Smith said earlier this spring. “We had multiple explosive runs every game, 10+ yard runs. As long as we hit our targets, everyone is on the same page, the run game is going to explode … as long as we do our job, everything will mesh well together and we will get similar results to last year.”

While competition breeds excellence and the expectation is to not skip a beat from the ground game of 2024, the running backs know it’ll be a group attack and one that will provide the opportunities for all three to shine.

“I knew getting an opportunity to come here and seeing what happened last year and seeing the success that the whole program had. I knew that if I could submit myself as a player to contribute, I would be doing a good thing,” Hemby said. “That’s why I made the decision to come here.

“The thing that set this team apart is the culture. I feel like from the staff, the coaches, the players, everybody here, they want to see each other succeed. So when I got here, I had other running backs that have been here for [a while] giving me advice, helping me get my feet on the ground… I’m here for the challenge.”