Miami Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr. met with the media during fall camp and discussed the continued development of the offense, the growth of freshman running back Javian Mallory and the strong competition within Miami’s running back room. Fletcher also reflected on his own development since arriving in Coral Gables, both as a football player and as a leader, while emphasizing the importance of staying focused and continuing to push each other as the Hurricanes prepare for the upcoming season.

Running back Mark Fletcher Jr.

On how freshman running back Javian Mallory has adapted to the college game:

“I feel like a thing that starts [challenging] young running backs is definitely the pass [protection] and he loves blocking and that’s what’s going to get him on the field. He loves blocking, loves protecting the quarterback. We all know he can run, but that’s the part that a lot of colleges, a lot of just people want to see with young running backs, so, I’m just happy that he’s getting up to speed with that.”

On the importance of chemistry and strong bonds in a deep position room:

“I feel like it’s extremely important and I love it here because we care so much about each other. We know it can only be one or two people out there at a time, but that just makes the competition out here on Greentree so much greater. We push each other. We always compete in everything we do, [like the] weight room. We try to beat each other in the film room. It’s just all such a healthy competition because we want to be great, so it’s extremely important.”

On what he’d like to see the offense do during the last portion of camp:

“We’ve just got to continue to work hard, continue to push. We’ve got to continue to just take it one day at a time, continue to just lock in and focus. Focus.”

On how he thinks he’s developed and grown during his time at Miami:

“I think I’ve developed in two ways. One, as a man, definitely developed just being a leader, growing up and pushing people to their best ability and me staying consistent on that. And then as a football player, [I’ve] just continued to get faster, more physical and stronger and just learning the techniques and just being a true student of the game.”

 

Miami Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr. met with the media during fall camp and discussed the continued development of the offense, the growth of freshman running back Javian Mallory and the strong competition within Miami’s running back room. Fletcher also reflected on his own development since arriving in Coral Gables, both as a football player and as a leader, while emphasizing the importance of staying focused and continuing to push each other as the Hurricanes prepare for the upcoming season.

Running back Mark Fletcher Jr.

On how freshman running back Javian Mallory has adapted to the college game:

“I feel like a thing that starts [challenging] young running backs is definitely the pass [protection] and he loves blocking and that’s what’s going to get him on the field. He loves blocking, loves protecting the quarterback.

But CIS told me that pass protection isn't that important.

 

But CIS told me that pass protection isn't that important.

If RB pass protection was so important - we'd still have Fullbacks on the roster.

RB pass pro works on a sliding scale

Coaches will deal with WR drops, QB INT's, RB Fumbles/Missed blocks, etc. IF they consistently make plays. The more big plays they make, the more leeway the coaches will give.

Example:

MARK FLETCHER REGULAR SEASON (8 Games)
4.2 YPC vs P4
0 Sacks Allowed
0 Fumbles

MARK FLETCHER PLAYOFFS (4 Games)
6.8 YPC
2 Sacks Allowed
1 Fumble Lost

Which version of Fletcher do you think the coaches prefer?

 

If RB pass protection was so important - we'd still have Fullbacks on the roster.

RB pass pro works on a sliding scale

Coaches will deal with WR drops, QB INT's, RB Fumbles/Missed blocks, etc. IF they consistently make plays. The more big plays they make, the more leeway the coaches will give.

Example:

MARK FLETCHER REGULAR SEASON (8 Games)
4.2 YPC vs P4
0 Sacks Allowed
0 Fumbles

MARK FLETCHER PLAYOFFS (4 Games)
6.8 YPC
2 Sacks Allowed
1 Fumble Lost

Which version of Fletcher do you think the coaches prefer?

If the Playoff version of Fletcher/Our Run game is here to stay, this offense will be even better than our expectations.

 

If RB pass protection was so important - we'd still have Fullbacks on the roster.

RB pass pro works on a sliding scale

Coaches will deal with WR drops, QB INT's, RB Fumbles/Missed blocks, etc. IF they consistently make plays. The more big plays they make, the more leeway the coaches will give.

Example:

MARK FLETCHER REGULAR SEASON (8 Games)
4.2 YPC vs P4
0 Sacks Allowed
0 Fumbles

MARK FLETCHER PLAYOFFS (4 Games)
6.8 YPC
2 Sacks Allowed
1 Fumble Lost

Which version of Fletcher do you think the coaches prefer?

I had Mark Fletcher giving up at least 3 sacks in the playoffs:

1 sack given up vs. A&M,
1 sack given up vs. Ole Miss [2 if you want to argue on the flea flicker he was partially or fully responsible for that sack]
1 sack given up vs. Indiana.

All 3 at least clear as day and they were all the same, late to recognize and get to the point of attack.

But don't forget, we have some sensitive boys here who will claim he's elite at pass blocking.

 

If RB pass protection was so important - we'd still have Fullbacks on the roster.

RB pass pro works on a sliding scale

Coaches will deal with WR drops, QB INT's, RB Fumbles/Missed blocks, etc. IF they consistently make plays. The more big plays they make, the more leeway the coaches will give.

Example:

MARK FLETCHER REGULAR SEASON (8 Games)
4.2 YPC vs P4
0 Sacks Allowed
0 Fumbles

MARK FLETCHER PLAYOFFS (4 Games)
6.8 YPC
2 Sacks Allowed
1 Fumble Lost

Which version of Fletcher do you think the coaches prefer?

Hometeam, I’m almost sure Fletcher ran out of a new formation during the playoff (IMO, probably made an impact on his ypc and effected his ability to see where the blitz is coming from). But every coach teaches to catch every pass, make every block and protect the ball…And I’m not a “Fletcher fan” but his 2 missed blocks and fumble isn’t a testament of how good of a pass blocker he is. But your regular season stats do show how great he was during the season. Plus, a coach “leeway” is only measured by the talent in the room. I’m in belief that Fletcher playing time is limited IF his blocking and fumbling was a problem during the regular season.

I don’t know what teams you follow Hometeam but dropping passes, throwing ints and missing blocks will get you on the bench no matter how many big plays you make. Or the coach/staff/player will be looking for another job soon.

Coaches will deal with WR drops, QB INT's, RB Fumbles/Missed blocks, etc. IF they consistently make plays. The more big plays they make, the more leeway the coaches will give.

 

Hometeam, I’m almost sure Fletcher ran out of a new formation during the playoff (IMO, probably made an impact on his ypc and effected his ability to see where the blitz is coming from). But every coach teaches to catch every pass, make every block and protect the ball…And I’m not a “Fletcher fan” but his 2 missed blocks and fumble isn’t a testament of how good of a pass blocker he is. But your regular season stats do show how great he was during the season. Plus, a coach “leeway” is only measured by the talent in the room. I’m in belief that Fletcher playing time is limited IF his blocking and fumbling was a problem during the regular season.

I don’t know what teams you follow Hometeam but dropping passes, throwing ints and missing blocks will get you on the bench no matter how many big plays you make. Or the coach/staff/player will be looking for another job soon.

Yes - coaches want to limit mistakes, but they're always going to happen. That's why it's a sliding scale

2024 - Fletcher had 3 fumbles on 112 carries.

Not good. But he didn't lose any playing time. None. Not even with the great Jordan Lyle backing him up.

Now, if Fletcher had 4 fumbles, would he have been benched? Maybe. 5? Probably. 6? Definitely...because it's a sliding scale.

It's a perfect example of what I mean when you said "Fletcher ran out of a new formation during the playoff (IMO, probably made an impact on his ypc and effected his ability to see where the blitz is coming from)"

If you believe that, then what are the coaches telling you? They're saying "We'll run this formation if it means sacrificing some breakdowns in pass protection in order to get a couple more yards per carry"

 

I had Mark Fletcher giving up at least 3 sacks in the playoffs:

1 sack given up vs. A&M,
1 sack given up vs. Ole Miss [2 if you want to argue on the flea flicker he was partially or fully responsible for that sack]
1 sack given up vs. Indiana.

All 3 at least clear as day and they were all the same, late to recognize and get to the point of attack.

But don't forget, we have some sensitive boys here who will claim he's elite at pass blocking.

He is elite at pass blocking for a running back…, are you retarded?

 

He is elite at pass blocking for a running back…, are you retarded?

My bad, I'll just forget about the sacks given up that I just highlighted. I'd hate to hurt your feelings or anyone else's for that matter who refuses to admit Fletcher isn't a perfect RB and has no room for improvement.

 

If RB pass protection was so important - we'd still have Fullbacks on the roster.

RB pass pro works on a sliding scale

Coaches will deal with WR drops, QB INT's, RB Fumbles/Missed blocks, etc. IF they consistently make plays. The more big plays they make, the more leeway the coaches will give.

Example:

MARK FLETCHER REGULAR SEASON (8 Games)
4.2 YPC vs P4
0 Sacks Allowed
0 Fumbles

MARK FLETCHER PLAYOFFS (4 Games)
6.8 YPC
2 Sacks Allowed
1 Fumble Lost

Which version of Fletcher do you think the coaches prefer?

Idk what got into him but we need playoff fletch all year. He changed the whole offense, we struggled to create explosives but if your rb can get 7 yards a carry you can control the possessions like we did

 

Aree you guys overlooking the fact that our coaches stopped playing Pringle in the playoffs after the OSU defender ran him over in pass protection? Do you not remember the play? Yes Pringle made the block and ended up on his back, but it was clear as day that he would be targeted going forward by any team because he wasn’t strong enough yet to handle pass protection. And that was it for playoff Pringle.

And I can’t recall the national podcast that I listened to yesterday but they were quite literally discussing the fact that Fletcher is the best pass protecting RB in the country.

 

Aree you guys overlooking the fact that our coaches stopped playing Pringle in the playoffs after the OSU defender ran him over in pass protection? Do you not remember the play? Yes Pringle made the block and ended up on his back, but it was clear as day that he would be targeted going forward by any team because he wasn’t strong enough yet to handle pass protection. And that was it for playoff Pringle.

And I can’t recall the national podcast that I listened to yesterday but they were quite literally discussing the fact that Fletcher is the best pass protecting RB in the country.

No, no. You don't understand. Rickysixx has done his research and he's discovered he's not good at pass protection.

 

Aree you guys overlooking the fact that our coaches stopped playing Pringle in the playoffs after the OSU defender ran him over in pass protection? Do you not remember the play? Yes Pringle made the block and ended up on his back, but it was clear as day that he would be targeted going forward by any team because he wasn’t strong enough yet to handle pass protection. And that was it for playoff Pringle.

And I can’t recall the national podcast that I listened to yesterday but they were quite literally discussing the fact that Fletcher is the best pass protecting RB in the country.

Yup. I think Pringle can be a great RB here. But the coaches absolutely made the best decision there. Pringle just wasn't ready at that time to block at an acceptable level against playoff teams. And of course, Fletch was an absolute beast from then on.

 

He is elite at pass blocking for a running back…, are you retarded?

My bad, I'll just forget about the sacks given up that I just highlighted. I'd hate to hurt your feelings or anyone else's for that matter who refuses to admit Fletcher isn't a perfect RB and has no room for improvement.

No RB is “pristine” and score at 100% on every assignment every assignment— a little tricky tacky don’t you think?

There isn’t another RB I’d take over Fletcher I’m glad he’s in our backfield and not some team on our schedule-

he blocks well- high football IQ (like when a lateral pass hit the ground during CFP- he fielded it and shed a tackler to make a minus a plus)
A reliable pass catcher, makes short runs, breaks chunk runs, delivers a blow at point of attack, great body control- seems not to be too prone to fumbling despite what was evidenced in 2024

 

Yup. I think Pringle can be a great RB here. But the coaches absolutely made the best decision there. Pringle just wasn't ready at that time to block at an acceptable level against playoff teams. And of course, Fletch was an absolute beast from then on.

I actually think Pringle is the best pure runner in the backfield (haven’t seen Mallory on the college level of course). His vision, burst and ability to turn his body to hit a hole is great. And his off hand work is superior.

But his pass protection held him bask last year and may again this season. Eventually as he becomes bigger and stronger I think Pringle could be become RB1 and maybe as soon as next season.

 

But CIS told me that pass protection isn't that important.

If RB pass protection was so important - we'd still have Fullbacks on the roster.

RB pass pro works on a sliding scale

Coaches will deal with WR drops, QB INT's, RB Fumbles/Missed blocks, etc. IF they consistently make plays. The more big plays they make, the more leeway the coaches will give.

Example:

MARK FLETCHER REGULAR SEASON (8 Games)
4.2 YPC vs P4
0 Sacks Allowed
0 Fumbles

MARK FLETCHER PLAYOFFS (4 Games)
6.8 YPC
2 Sacks Allowed
1 Fumble Lost

Which version of Fletcher do you think the coaches prefer?

RB pass protection only helps if your QB has escapability. Mensah does this at an elite level so good pass blocking from our RB’s will definitely help. It’s just not something you should ever rely on.

 

No RB is “pristine” and score at 100% on every assignment every assignment— a little tricky tacky don’t you think?

There isn’t another RB I’d take over Fletcher I’m glad he’s in our backfield and not some team on our schedule-

he blocks well- high football IQ (like when a lateral pass hit the ground during CFP- he fielded it and shed a tackler to make a minus a plus)
A reliable pass catcher, makes short runs, breaks chunk runs, delivers a blow at point of attack, great body control- seems not to be too prone to fumbling despite what was evidenced in 2024

You'd be 100% right if I was harping on one missed assignment, maybe even 2 that led to a sack, but 3 drive killers in a playoff run is enough for me to laugh at the faces of everyone here who INSIST on crowning someone 'elite' at something they're not.

I have no need to discuss his other attributes here. Most of us know what he excels at, I'm merely pointing out the pass blocking has room for improvement.

 

Aree you guys overlooking the fact that our coaches stopped playing Pringle in the playoffs after the OSU defender ran him over in pass protection? Do you not remember the play? Yes Pringle made the block and ended up on his back, but it was clear as day that he would be targeted going forward by any team because he wasn’t strong enough yet to handle pass protection. And that was it for playoff Pringle.

And I can’t recall the national podcast that I listened to yesterday but they were quite literally discussing the fact that Fletcher is the best pass protecting RB in the country.

What I'm saying and "I think" @RickySixx is saying (don't want to speak for him) is that....

Yes - Fletcher has been very good is pass pro in his career. But he WAS bad in the playoffs. Both can be true.

But people didn't notice, care, or want to admit that because he ran so well - 6.8 YPC.

The Same applies to Pringle....

Yes - he was benched for getting trucked in pass pro.

But ALSO because he rushed for 5 - 13 - 2.6 YPC. If Pringle was 5 -35 - 7.0 YPC, he would've got more carries.

The reason why Pringle got carries & Brown didn't get any snaps until the 4th Quarter of our 2nd playoff game was because of Pringle's ability to make plays.

And Mario got more & more conservative as the playoffs went on, so leaning on the better pass pro RB made sense.

 

You'd be 100% right if I was harping on one missed assignment, maybe even 2 that led to a sack, but 3 drive killers in a playoff run is enough for me to laugh at the faces of everyone here who INSIST on crowning someone 'elite' at something they're not.

I have no need to discuss his other attributes here. Most of us know what he excels at, I'm merely pointing out the pass blocking has room for improvement.

Lmao Buddy you are ******* retarded.. you’re *****ing over what amounts to LESS THAN 1 SACK ALLOWED per game against high level NFL talent throughout the entire 4 game CFB Playoffs to make an argument that Fletcher isnt a good running back??

SHUT YO DUMB A$$ UP HATING *** GOOFY

 

What I'm saying and "I think" @RickySixx is saying (don't want to speak for him) is that....

Yes - Fletcher has been very good is pass pro in his career. But he WAS bad in the playoffs. Both can be true.

But people didn't notice, care, or want to admit that because he ran so well - 6.8 YPC.

The Same applies to Pringle....

Yes - he was benched for getting trucked in pass pro.

But ALSO because he rushed for 5 - 13 - 2.6 YPC. If Pringle was 5 -35 - 7.0 YPC, he would've got more carries.

The reason why Pringle got carries & Brown didn't get any snaps until the 4th Quarter of our 2nd playoff game was because of Pringle's ability to make plays.

And Mario got more & more conservative as the playoffs went on, so leaning on the better pass pro RB made sense.

I appreciate it @bshaw28. I believe in other posts I've said he wasn't elite due to his failure to get to the point, that cost him at least 3 in the playoffs. When he is on time and meets the attacker, he's really good, but what value is there in being good at the point of attack if you don't make it to the point of attack? So yes, in a way both could be true.

On a different thread, I also pointed out Pringle's value is in his homerun hitting ability and knack for getting to the 2nd and especially the 3rd level. It was useful in games where our O-Line would open up large holes. For a while, it appeared as if #4 preferred to engage in contact at the 2nd level instead of reaching for more yards. That was my other critique.