Projected Depth Chart
1. Tiyon Evans OR Jalen Mitchell
2. Trevion Cooley OR Jawhar Jordan
3. Maurice Turner
Reasons to be Optimistic
What's not to like about the group of running backs that Louisville has entering the 2022 season?
You can make an argument that Louisville has four players who are capable of being starting running backs in the ACC.
Tiyon Evans comes to Louisville from Tennessee, where he put up huge numbers in just seven games with the Vols.
Evans totaled 525 yards on 81 attempts, averaging over 6.5 yards per carry. Evans eclipsed the 100-yard mark three times for the Vols, going for 120 against BGSU, 156 against Missouri, and 119 against South Carolina.
PFF graded Evans as the second-highest player on Tennessee's offense last year at 81.3, only behind quarterback Hendon Hooker.
In addition to Evans, Louisville returns three other backs who have all been reliable: Jalen Mitchell, Trevion Cooley, and Jawhar Jordan.
Mitchell was the workhorse back for Louisville in 2021, rushing 155 times for 722 yards. While Mitchell doesn't have breakaway speed, he's extremely tough between the tackles and has been a perfect fit for Louisville's stretch run concepts.
As a true freshman last year, Trevion Cooley played in all 12 games, and made his mark on the ground and in the passing game.
The third returning running back is Jawhar Jordan, who shouldn't be overlooked whatsoever. The Syracuse transfer looked as good as anyone when he did get touches last year.
The battle for the starting running back spot is shaping up to be one to watch during fall camp.
Reasons to be Pessimistic
There's really not an obvious reason to be pessimistic about this group, but for the sake of this article, we're going to come up with something.
You can never have enough depth at a position, or can you?
This is nit-picking at its finest, but there is a slight concern that Louisville doesn't land on one back above the rest, and guys struggle to find a rhythm when being shuffled in and out.
As mentioned above, that's certainly grasping at straws, but it certainly shouldn't be completely dismissed given that Louisville has four guys who all seemingly deserve their fair share of snaps.
Ideally, one of the four running backs separates themselves during camp, and roles are carved out from there.
I could see a world where Evans and Mitchell dominant the early downs, Cooley operates as the third-down back, and Jordan is used for short yardage and goal line situations, plus returns kickoffs.
