We continue our Minnesota position previews today by taking a look at the Gophers' running back room. Like the quarterback room, the running back room lost their starter from last year, Mohamed Ibrahim; the room also saw the departure of Trey Potts, who transferred to Penn State this offseason.
Despite the two departures, the Gophers enter fall with one of the best running back rooms in the Big Ten.
PROJECTED STARTER: Sean Tyler (SR)
The Western Michigan transfer entered fall camp as the Gophers' likely starting running back following the departure of Trey Potts. Tyler, before committing to finish his career with the Gophers, originally committed to play at Oklahoma State this fall before flipping his commitment.
Prior to entering the transfer portal, Tyler had a heavy role in Western Michigan's offense each of the last two years, with 387 carries for 2,177 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also had 26 receptions for 125 yards and three touchdowns with the Broncos. Tyler has arguably the best speed of any running back in the room for the Gophers and will be a tailback who could bring quite a bit of versatility to the Gophers' offense.
SECOND-STRING: Bryce Williams (RS SR) OR Zach Evans (RS FR)
Last season, Williams put together a quality season, rushing for 249 yards and three touchdowns over 51 carries. Over his career, he's totaled 974 yards and 11 touchdowns across 39 games and 227 carries. He also has proven quality receiving skills, with 19 receptions for 197 yards.
READ: Minnesota 2023 Breakout Candidates: RB Zach Evans
Evans is entering his redshirt freshman season for the Gophers, playing in one game as a true freshman last fall against Northwestern. Against the Wildcats, Evans totaled six rushes for 29 yards and one touchdown. He also had a big spring game this offseason, which definitely raised some eyebrows heading into this fall. Overall, both running backs are high-quality options for the Gophers as depth pieces, and seeing either work their way up the depth chart this fall wouldn't be surprising.
THIRD STRING/DEPTH: OR Darius Taylor (FR)
I believe in the idea that a player is too talented to keep off the field. I think Darius Taylor fits that bill very well. He's an elite running back prospect who has a great combination of size and speed. He may not see a ton of the field early on, but his opportunities should absolutely grow as the season goes on.
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