We begin our position previews today with a look at Liberty’s running backs.
The Flames led the nation in rushing last year, averaging just a hair under 300 yards per game. It wasn’t just one person who paved the way on the ground, though Quinton Cooley did tote the rock for 100 yards per game, there were several contributors.
Liberty welcomes back Cooley and the majority of the room that was so dominant in 2023. The Flames do lose Aaron Bedgood who began the year as a wide receiver but transitioned to the running back room after Vaughn Blue’s injury.
Frontrunners
B-Back 20 Quinton Cooley SR 5’7″ 210
Cooley, affectionately referred to as the Bowling Ball, is one of the top running backs in the country. He averaged 6.3 yards per carry on his 221 attempts in his first year in a Liberty uniform. Anytime he got hit, he would move forward, always picking up a positive gain.
Expect big things out of the senior once again this fall, but also don’t be surprised if his touches are reduced as Liberty looks to keep him healthy for the prime-time moments throughout the season.
Running backs coach Newland Isaac has also asked Cooley to step into more of a leadership position this fall.
RB Coach Newland Isaac – “It’s like pulling teeth to get him to talk. Now, he’s got to take on the role of getting the guys together when we’re having a bad day or a rough day, he’s got to be the one that is talking to the offense.”
A-Back 24 Vaughn Blue R-FR 5’11” 190
We may have forgotten just high the coaching staff was on true freshman Vaughn Blue this time last year. There were comments made about him being too good to keep off the field and to redshirt. That was said even when the staff knew they had Cooley, Lucas, and others.
Blue started the year making a big impact on the field before he was injured in the game at Buffalo. He would return late in the season but was not the same running back we saw at the beginning of the year. Blue finished his first season at Liberty with 19 rushes for 116 yards, good for 6.1 yards per carry. He’s also capable out of the backfield, as he hauled in 4 passes for 26 yards and a score while playing in just six games.
Blue will be a prominent feature in the offense this season, and he can be expected to shoulder some of the load left vacated by Aaron Bedgood’s departure.
RB Coach Newland Isaac – “Missing Vaughn last year hurt us a little bit, but he’s going to play that A-Back role. He looks the same. He’s still super, super explosive, super twitchy. We just gotta be careful with him, can’t have him diving for loose balls in practices and doing stuff like that that hurt him last year. But he looks good. He’s doing everything that he’s been doing up until that point (when he got injured). We just got to make sure we do our job and keep him healthy.”
Competition
B-Back 0 Billy Lucas SR 5’11” 205
Lucas was understandably overshadowed by Cooley last year, but he was very productive in his own right. He averaged over 5 yards per carry and finished the season with 597 yards and 6 touchdowns. He’s a versatile back who is able to work in between the tackles and also has the speed and agility to bounce it outside. Lucas will allow the coaching staff the freedom to spell Cooley and help reduce his carries.
A-Back 2 Victor Venn SO 5’7″ 170
Venn is one of the fastest players on the team. The former Colorado transfer saw limited time in the offensive backfield last season, though he did finish the year with 5 rushes for 25 yards and had 2 catches for 10 yards and a score.
B-Back 3 James Jointer, Jr. SO 6’0″ 215
Jointer has a similar build to that of Cooley. He has hard to bring down with just one person. Jointer finished 2023 with 43 carries for 251 yards and 2 touchdowns. He can provide a spell for Cooley and/or Lucas while also being a weapon at the goal line and in short yardage packages.
Not really running backs but instead listed as wide receivers, expect Julian Gray and Darius Copeland to be featured in a running back role at times on the offense, similar to what Aaron Bedgood did early in the season last year before Blue was injured.
RB Coach Newland Isaac – “We’re more of a two-back offense. So, you are going to see those two backs, you will see Cooley and Vaughn be out first. Then, Billy will come in to give Cooley that break a few drives here and there. Then, you will see DC (Darius Copeland) and JuJu being able to spell Vaughn and give him a break or two, as well.”
Depth
RB 23 Caden Williams FR 5’10” 210
Williams is a talented true freshman who we have heard a lot about during camp and even back in the spring. He is pushing Jointer as a depth option at B-Back, but it is likely that he will redshirt, assuming the Flames stay relatively healthy at the position. Williams is certainly a name to keep in my mind for the near future.
RB 26 Jaylin Belford SO 5’8″ 160
RB 33 Kyle Hanks SO 5’9″ 180
