Transfer running backs who will be in the spotlight this weekend

Michigan State struck gold in the transfer portal last season with running back Kenneth Walker III, a transfer from Wake Forest who led all Power 5 rushers with 1,636 yards.

Walker now is in the NFL with Seattle, though the second-rounder was inactive in the Seahawks’ opener after having hernia surgery. To replace him, the Spartans went back into the portal and grabbed two backs: Jarek Broussard, a former Pac-12 offensive player of the year at Colorado, and Jalen Berger, who was dismissed from Wisconsin in the middle of last season. While much of the offseason attention was on Broussard, Berger has won the starting job.

He’s rushed for 227 yards and four TDs on 33 carries in two games heading into Saturday night’s game at Washington. Broussard has 25 carries for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Those totals have come against Akron and Western Michigan, and while Washington doesn’t appear to be as good on defense as it was during the best of times under Chris Petersen, the Huskies’ defense still is a lot better than Akron’s and Western Michigan’s.

Berger and Broussard are two transfer portal running backs who figure to be in the spotlight this weekend. Here are five more who could play key roles in “big” games. (We covered BYU’s Chris Brooks vs. Oregon in Wednesday’s transfer portal notebook.)

Louisville’s Tiyon Evans vs. Florida State on Friday: Evans burst on the scene in a big way at Tennessee last season after transferring from junior college; he had three 100-yard outings in the first five games he played. But he got a bit dinged-up, then fell into disfavor and didn’t see the field in the final four games. He entered the transfer portal after the season and signed with Louisville. Evans has rushed for 164 yards and two TDs in the Cardinals’ first two games as the unquestioned feature back (no other running back has more than seven carries). He and QB Malik Cunningham both have big-play ability that needs to come to the fore against Florida State.

Oklahoma’s Eric Gray vs. Nebraska: Gray, who began his career at Tennessee before transferring to Oklahoma after the 2020 season, has just two rushing TDs in 13 games with the Sooners. His playing time drastically lessened last season after Caleb Williams became the starting quarterback, but Gray is the unquestioned lead back this season. His best game in 2021 came against the Huskers, when he rushed for 84 yards on a season-high 15 carries. Gray has 173 yards in two games this season, and he’ll be running against a defense that hasn’t stopped anyone this season.

Miami’s Henry Parrish Jr. vs. Texas A&M: Parrish transferred home to Miami from Ole Miss in the offseason – he starred in high school at Miami Columbus – and is the Hurricanes’ leading rusher through two games (205 yards, four TDs). He has shared carries with Thaddius Franklin Jr., and with Jaylan Knighton expected to be 100 percent for Saturday, UM figures to have a three-man rotation at running back. Knighton has been dealing with what the school termed a soft-tissue injury. It’ll be interesting to see if Parrish, who seems to have more of a burst than Knighton, gets the most carries against a tough A&M defense.

UTSA’s Trelon Smith vs. Texas: Smith had one of his best games of the season for Arkansas last season in a 40-21 rout of Texas, rushing for 85 yards and a TD on 12 carries. He transferred to UTSA after spring practice ended, and has shared time with Brenden Brady in the Roadrunners’ first two games. Neither has had much success, combining for 169 yards and three TDs on 46 attempts (3.7 yards per carry). UTSA opened the season with an overtime loss to Houston, then won in overtime at Army last week. This will be the Roadrunners’ first meeting with the Longhorns, and pulling the upset would be easier if Smith (or Brady) can be productive.

Washington’s Wayne Taulapapa vs. Michigan State: Taulapapa never rushed for more than 473 yards in a season at Virginia, which he left this offseason. But he has 151 yards through two games as the Huskies’ starting running back, a pace that puts him at about 900 regular-season yards. That he is the starter is somewhat of a surprise, but with presumptive starter Richard Newton rounding into shape after an injury, Taulapapa has taken advantage and is averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Still, that was against Kent State and Portland State; the defense will be tougher this week.