Why Arkansas running backs coach Jimmy Smith enjoys his snaps challenge
There's a juggling act required inside the most talented position rooms across college football these days.
Too many mouths to feed can turn into too many departures in the transfer portal, or maybe even worse, a fractured locker room during the season.
Arkansas football running backs coach Jimmy Smith knows this challenge is his to bear for the upcoming campaign. Raheim Sanders is back after running for 1,443 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022. His three backups are all still on the roster, along with a dynamite talent in freshman Isaiah Augustave.
But Smith, who enters his third year with the Razorbacks, won't get frustrated by the task of distributing touches. Instead, he believes there's a joy to be found.
"It ain't difficult for me. It's fun," Smith said during his media availability after Arkansas' second fall practice Saturday.
"They compete. Like I say about the guys all the time. It's fun because I know one is going in to run for 10 and the other one is thinking maybe I can run for 15. The next one is saying give it to me and I'll run for 20. They're not selfish at all."
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Sanders is the dominant force, but not too long ago it was Dominique Johnson entering the year as the Razorbacks' presumptive starter. Two years and two ACL injuries later, Johnson knows he's further down in the pecking order, but he's also familiar with what comes next.
"Before I was a starter I was the fourth running back. Basically, now again, I’m the fourth running back," Johnson said. "I don’t feel like I have to work harder to get my spot back. I just feel like if I keep doing what I was doing, play how I play. Because you know Coach Smith is going to give everybody a chance."
Aside from Sanders, Johnson will also compete with returnees AJ Green and Rashod Dubinion this fall.
The duo essentially split backup duties last year and rose to the occasion when Sanders went out with an injury during the Liberty Bowl, combining for 213 yards on 33 carries as the Razorbacks topped Kansas 55-53 in triple overtime. Coaches have raved about the work Green and Dubinion have put into the offseason.
And then there's Augustave, who 247sports.com ranked the 13th-best running back in the country in the 2023 class. Like Sanders, Augustave comes to Fayetteville from Florida, and Coach Smith said the freshman is doing a good job raising his football IQ and getting stronger in the weight room.
In an era of college football where roster turnover is the norm, and there is a fair share of that throughout this Arkansas roster, the running backs' room has an aura of stability this fall. Nobody transferred out looking for more game time, and the players themselves speak of a brotherhood crafted by Smith's coaching and mentorship.
"We all know like if we wanted to go somewhere else we could play," Green said. "But why do that when we have the best players right here that’s going to push us to our potential?"
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas running backs relish competition in stacked position room
