Georgia Football: Running Backs to watch this spring

Elijah Holyfield, Junior

It’s probably safe to say that Elijah Holyfield was the most famous 4th running back in college football last year. Now, of course, some of that fame comes from the fact that his father was one of the great heavyweight boxing champions. The rest of it, however, came from his play on the field.

After a disappointing 2016 where he barely touched the ball after a spring injury, Holyfield saw an increased role this past season. He became UGA’s ‘closer’ and would violently run the ball when they have built up a significant lead. His running style and power helped him score two memorable TD’s against rivals and he’s now made a name for himself among Dawg fans.

Holyfield brings something different to the running back room. Zeus might match him one day, but right now, no other back runs with the same power that Holyfield does. He looks to punish defenders when they try and tackle him and most of the time, he does just that.

As of today, Holyfield is the favourite in my eyes to become the 2nd running back. The thought of watching tired defenders trying to stop him after they have chased D’Andre Swift around gives me a profound sense of evil glee. I’m also excited about him getting more reps out of fullback like we saw in the SEC Championship game. Holyfield and Swift on the field together… Yikes!

With White recovering and Cook arriving this summer, 2018 is the year for Holyfield to live up to his potential. He needs to show the coaches that he’s a workhorse right now because he might not get another chance.