2022 Season Preview – Running Backs

While Maryland boasted one of the country’s most prolific passing attacks last season, their running game left a lot to be desired. Due to both poor performances from the team’s running backs and a lack of holes opened by their offensive line, they averaged the fifth-lowest rushing yards per game in the Big Ten Conference. While offensive coordinator Dan Enos doesn’t need his running backs to dominate every game, getting more production from them will be a major priority in 2022.

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Note: Players with an asterisk (*) next to their class will have an extra year of eligibility available to them following their senior season due to COVID-19.

The Big Three (Questions)

Who’s the starter?
With 2021 starter Tayon Fleet-Davis in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs, Maryland will be searching for a new lead horse in the backfield. Challen Faamatau is the most experienced returning player, but youngsters Colby McDonald, Roman Hemby, Ramon Brown, and Antwain Littleton will all be vying for the job during summer camp.

Will there be a drop-off in the passing game?
Fleet-Davis was a major weapon in the air attack last season, catching 32 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown. Whether he was slipping out on screen passes or running wheel routes down the sideline, he added a crucial dimension to Maryland’s offense. The ability to make those sorts of plays adds another wrinkle to the competition for snaps.

How much can Brown contribute?
Brown was a major addition for the Terrapins’ 2022 recruiting class. The 4-star prospect from Midlothian, VA spurned Virginia Tech when he flipped his commitment late in the cycle. With a handful of more experienced running backs already on the roster, he’ll have his work cut out for him when he arrives on campus this summer.

Elijah Brooks – Running Backs Coach

Brooks enters his fourth season as Maryland’s running backs coach, after being part of head coach Michael Locksley’s first coaching staff when he was hired before the 2019 season. The former DeMatha Catholic High School head coach has a lot of work ahead of him this year, with a number of talented but inexperienced players vying for carries.

Colby McDonald (Sophomore)

2022 Projection: Starter
2021 Statistics: 60 carries, 325 yds (5.4 ypc), 2 TD; 4 receptions, 12 yds (3.0 ypr), 0 TD

McDonald finished second on the team in rushing yards behind Fleet-Davis as a freshman last season, and was especially impressive down the stretch. He averaged over 6 yards per carry in three of the team’s final four games of the year, including a 15 carry, 99 yard performance in the regular season finale against Rutgers. He has a chance to become the all-around back that Fleet-Davis was, mixing speed and agility with an ability to run between the tackles.

I have projected McDonald to serve as the team’s starting running back this season, though it’s likely a job he’ll have to fight for on a weekly basis. As long as he can prove to be a reliable pass-catcher and improve his pass protection, he should have the upper hand for carries in 2022.

Challen Faamatau (Senior*)

2022 Projection: Second-Team
2021 Statistics: 56 carries, 235 yds (4.2 ypc), 3 TD; 7 receptions, 81 yds (11.6 ypr), 0 TD

Faamatau was one of the more surprising players to emerge last season, proving to be a solid option in the backfield after receiving just one carry as a walk-on in 2020. He’s since been put on scholarship, and impressed everyone with his sneaky speed and a hard-nosed mentality. He missed the final three games of the season after suffering a knee injury, but was a full participant in spring practices.

I have projected Faamatau to serve as the team’s second-string running back this season, but he’ll be given every opportunity to compete for the starting job during summer camp. Even if he doesn’t win that job, he has a good chance to carve out a role for himself as a short-yardage and third-down option in the backfield.

Ramon Brown (Freshman)

2022 Projection: Third-Team
2021 Statistics (High School): 146 carries, 1,021 yds (7.0 ypc), 14 TD; 12 receptions, 241 yds (20.1 ypr), 6 TD

After flipping his commitment from Virginia Tech to Maryland in December, Brown will join the team this summer as one of their highest-rated recruits of the cycle. He was recruited by Brooks and former wide receivers coach Zohn Burden, and had other offers in hand from Michigan, Penn State, South Carolina, and West Virginia, among many others.

I have projected Brown to serve as the team’s third-string running back this season, but he’ll be competing with players like Hemby and Littleton when he arrives on campus. Like Faamatau and McDonald, he’s an all-around back who can contribute in a number of different ways for the team.

Roman Hemby (Redshirt Freshman)

2022 Projection: Fourth-Team
2021 Statistics: 17 carries, 71 yds (4.2 ypc), 2 TD; 1 reception, 1 yd (1.0 ypr), 0 TD

Hemby received carries in just two games last season, but found the end zone against both Howard and Virginia Tech. He’s impressed the coaching staff from the day he set foot in College Park, and his explosiveness was on display in his limited action as a true freshman. I’ve projected him to serve as the team’s fourth-string running back this season, but he’ll have every opportunity to compete for carries with the players above him on the depth chart all year long.

Antwain Littleton II (Redshirt Freshman)

2022 Projection: Fifth-Team
2021 Statistics: 15 carries, 74 yds (4.9 ypc), 1 TD; 0 receptions, 0 yds (0.0 ypr), 0 TD

Like Hemby, Littleton II only received carries in Maryland’s games against Howard and Virginia Tech, but he made his presence felt in a big way during their bowl game victory over the Hokies. “Baby Bus” was bowling over defenders inside Yankee Stadium, and eventually drove his way into the end zone. I’ve projected him to serve as the team’s fifth-string running back this season, but he could very well break into the rotation as a short-yardage back.