Running back unit shaping up to be Brady’s bunch
Second in a position-by-position series looking at the 2022 UTSA Roadrunners after spring workouts.
Today: Running backs
Who’s back: Brenden Brady, senior; Kaedric Cobbs, redshirt sophomore; Julon Williams, redshirt junior; Justin Rodriguez, redshirt sophomore; Jaylon Lott, redshirt sophomore; De’anthony Lewis, redshirt freshman; Kevorian Barnes, redshirt freshman.
Who’s gone: Sincere Mccormick, B.J. Daniels.
2022 signees: Tye Edwards.
What to expect: When Mccormick announced in December that he would be entering the NFL draft following his junior season, running back went from UTSA’S greatest strength to its biggest question mark.
This year’s spring practice was meant to provide answers, but an array of injuries only added to UTSA’S needs at the position.
Cobbs, a potential starter, suffered a torn ACL that will sideline him through 2022. Lewis, a former Judson standout, continued to battle a lingering knee injury that emerged early last season. Lott, too, suffered a significant ankle injury that put his 2022 season in doubt.
But two weeks after the Roadrunners wrapped up spring practice, the running back room received a lift when Brady announced that he will be returning for an extra season of eligibility in 2022.
Brady did not participate in the spring for the Roadrunners, initially choosing to move on from football following his graduation in December. Now, the Steele product who totaled 1,052 yards and eight touchdowns in his four years at UTSA has a path to the starting job for the first time in his career.
Though he struggled with multiple nagging injuries in recent years, Brady has proven effective in his rare opportunities to earn the bulk of the carries, rushing 16 times for 76 yards and a touchdown against San Diego State in last year’s Frisco Bowl. He also shined in his lone start of 2020, running 26 times for 124 yards while adding a pair of catches for 26 yards in a home win against UTEP.
His primary competition for the No. 1 spot on the depth chart will likely be Edwards, a Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College transfer. Edwards
signed with the Roadrunners just days after Mccormick announced his departure.
A bruising back with a 6foot-3, 230-pound frame, Edwards ran for 713 yards and eight touchdowns last season to earn first-team All-america recognition at the JUCO level.
Coach Jeff Traylor highlighted Edwards’ physicality but also noted his need to improve in pass protection as he continues to learn the offense.
Edwards was on the field with the first-team offense for the opening snap of UTSA’S spring game.
“Tye is going to be really
good,” quarterback Frank Harris said. “Just keep developing, keep getting in the playbook. He has a bright future ahead of him. He’s really good. He runs really hard. He just takes coaching very well and I’m excited to see what he does for us.”
Williams, another Judson product and a converted wide receiver, also took snaps with the first-team offense during the Roadrunners’ spring game.
Before Brady announced his return, Traylor said UTSA would “get back in the running back market” during the summer, looking at picking up one or two transfers or late signings.
Though Brady gives the unit renewed stability, the Roadrunners likely won’t shut the door on a potential addition. Traylor said he would ideally want five healthy scholarship running backs on the roster and UTSA closed spring with just two.
On top of the injuries to Cobbs, Lewis and Lott, Barnes also missed portions of the spring. Barnes was still recovering from a lingering foot injury when practice opened and added a hamstring injury midway through the six-week period, adding more unknowns to a muddled situation.
“We just have to see what the real health prognosis is,” Traylor said. “How long is Jaylon really going to be out? How long is Kaedric really going to be out? How long is De’anthony really going to be out? Until we know for sure, I have some decisions to make.”
Projected depth chart
1. Brenden Brady
2. Tye Edwards
3. Julon Williams
4. De’anthony Lewis
5. Kevorian Barnes