Over the first two seasons under head coach Jamey Chadwell, Liberty has had one of the most explosive rushing attacks in all of college football. But in 2025, the Flames will be doing so with a much different looking roster. Quinton Cooley (and his back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons) is gone. Billy Lucas is gone. Even Kaidon Salter, who rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2023, has moved on. Those three rushed for over 5,600 yards the past two years.
There won’t be any one guy that steps into that huge vacancy, but the Flames will rely on a group to help carry the load. The one name with the most experience at Liberty is Vaughn Blue. Entering his third year in the program, Blue was a big contributor as a true freshman before suffering an injury late in the first month of the season, forcing him to miss most of the rest of the year. Last fall, Blue played in all 12 games and rushed 35 times for 207 yards and a touchdown. He is also capable out of the backfield catching passes.
Juju Gray moved full-time to the running back position in the spring after spending most of last year, his first season with the Flames, at wide receiver. Gray could help as a hybrid wide receiver-running back type similar to what Aaron Bedgood was in 2023. Primarily working as a wide receiver and fighting through injuries much of the season, Gray did have 10 carries for 62 yards and one touchdown last season after transferring from NC State.
While Gray and Blue are backs that are utilized more on the perimeter and in being the pitch guy on option plays, Caden Williams and Evan Dickens look to be the more every down, between the tackles type of runners Liberty will lean on in 2025. As a true freshman last year, Williams played in three games while rushing 14 times for 47 yards. Dickens is a transfer from Georgia Tech who came to Liberty prior to the spring. As a true freshman in 2023 with the Yellow Jackets, Dickens appeared in 12 games primarily on special teams and as a reserve running back. The 5’11”, 195 pound back played in 12 games while rushing 11 times for 47 yards on 30 offensive plays over six games. He did not play for Georgia Tech in 2024. Dickens finished his high school career at IMG Academy in Florida. He was a three star recruit out of high school with several offers. He originally committed to Coastal Carolina under much of the current Liberty staff before flipping to the ACC program in Atlanta. Dickens is originally from Roswell, Georgia where he attended Blessed Trinity.
A true freshman who joined Liberty for the spring is Malachi Fannin-Render. After putting up some very impressive stats and highlights during his senior season in high school, Fannin-Render could develop into one of Liberty’s next star running backs. It could take some time for him to adjust and how much of an impact he makes as a true freshman remains to be seen.
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