With running back CharMar Brown out for the season, we asked 247Sports' David Lake who takes over at RB2 during his weekly appearance on CanesInSight.
Here's what DMoney and Lake had to say on the topic:
DMoney: Let me ask you about running back, David, because Marty going down, I'm heartbroken about it.
I talked to someone yesterday and asked if this changes his career. What I'm hearing is he'll be back running the ball and being Marty, which was reassuring. With injuries you never know, but he's a hard worker, and that tends to help the process.
Football-wise, it's still a heartbreaking situation. So you've got Jordan Lyle, Javian Mallory and Girard Pringle Jr. How do you see this shaking out?
David Lake: I'm interested to see it, because the Central Michigan game is what it's going to be. The things to watch are the O-line rotation and who makes the first statement that says "I'm going to be RB2." And I try not to be the guy who's enamored with freshmen, right?
DMoney: I'm that guy. You're more sober on that.
David Lake: But there's something about Javian Mallory that is just different.
He's a similar style to Brown in how you can use him. Brown was good in pass protection, he was very good on the check-down swing balls into the flat on third down where he'd get a full head of steam and go get you the first down. He was also a fourth-quarter hammer, and he shared that role with Mark Fletcher Jr.
Mallory can do those things. And I think Mallory has better vision and better natural running instincts than Brown. But he's a freshman, is he going to get that opportunity right away?
I think they really want to see Jordan Lyle maximize his potential and the trajectory he was on during the first half of fall camp. He looked unreal. My guess is it'll be one of those two, and Pringle will be your classic change-of-pace back, which I think is a good role for him.
If I'm picking over the course of the season, I'd probably ride with Mallory. I think he's special, and I didn't see that coming when he signed with Miami.
DMoney: He can catch, too. That's what I keep thinking about for passing downs, he's got good hands. I saw him at a camp where he and Derrek Cooper were matched up basically the whole time. Cooper's speed was ridiculous, he's a big guy and he's a competitor - just scored a touchdown for Texas.
But I thought Mallory was the smoother player with the better hands. As much as I want to pigeonhole him as our grind-it-out runner, it's not like he can't catch.
David Lake: He's much more of an explosive threat than I thought, too.
I still think he could benefit from changing his body in a college strength and conditioning program, so some of that explosiveness is still to come. When he gets to the second level, he's kind of gone, always runs just fast enough to break the angles of whoever's chasing him.
DMoney: Chris Wheatley-Humphrey moves up the depth chart now. He was hurt for FAMU, which was going to be a showcase game for guys in his spot.
People always ask me about him, and he reminds me of Henry Parrish. He's in a very deep, talented room, where he was so far down the chart that we didn't talk about him much. Now we've entered a range where you could see him play a role this year if things go a certain way.
David Lake: It's a physical position, so I hope the guys ahead of him stay healthy. No more injuries, please.
I can't remember another year that's been this brutal with early-season injuries. But Hellcat can play. If he gets his opportunity, it's up to him to produce. For any young player, when you get your chance, go out and produce, and then you get more opportunities. It's very cut and dry.
DMoney: We labeled this Insider Talk, and you talk to coaches and people around the program. The one thing I've learned over the years is that a player can look good in practice one day and it's "this guy's going to be our guy." Two weeks later, he can't play. It goes the other way, too: one week a guy won't be in the program by the end of the year, and three weeks later you're building around him.
So even people talking directly to the people involved aren't getting the full picture. It's week to week. That goes for SJ Alofaituli, Max Buchanan, everybody, at every position.
We covered a lot more than the backfield on this one, including the offensive line rotation, the secondary, WR3 and a deep dive on old recruiting classes that got nerdy in the best way.
Tell us in the comments who's getting your RB2 carries.
Here's what DMoney and Lake had to say on the topic:
DMoney: Let me ask you about running back, David, because Marty going down, I'm heartbroken about it.
I talked to someone yesterday and asked if this changes his career. What I'm hearing is he'll be back running the ball and being Marty, which was reassuring. With injuries you never know, but he's a hard worker, and that tends to help the process.
Football-wise, it's still a heartbreaking situation. So you've got Jordan Lyle, Javian Mallory and Girard Pringle Jr. How do you see this shaking out?
David Lake: I'm interested to see it, because the Central Michigan game is what it's going to be. The things to watch are the O-line rotation and who makes the first statement that says "I'm going to be RB2." And I try not to be the guy who's enamored with freshmen, right?
DMoney: I'm that guy. You're more sober on that.
David Lake: But there's something about Javian Mallory that is just different.
He's a similar style to Brown in how you can use him. Brown was good in pass protection, he was very good on the check-down swing balls into the flat on third down where he'd get a full head of steam and go get you the first down. He was also a fourth-quarter hammer, and he shared that role with Mark Fletcher Jr.
Mallory can do those things. And I think Mallory has better vision and better natural running instincts than Brown. But he's a freshman, is he going to get that opportunity right away?
I think they really want to see Jordan Lyle maximize his potential and the trajectory he was on during the first half of fall camp. He looked unreal. My guess is it'll be one of those two, and Pringle will be your classic change-of-pace back, which I think is a good role for him.
If I'm picking over the course of the season, I'd probably ride with Mallory. I think he's special, and I didn't see that coming when he signed with Miami.
DMoney: He can catch, too. That's what I keep thinking about for passing downs, he's got good hands. I saw him at a camp where he and Derrek Cooper were matched up basically the whole time. Cooper's speed was ridiculous, he's a big guy and he's a competitor - just scored a touchdown for Texas.
But I thought Mallory was the smoother player with the better hands. As much as I want to pigeonhole him as our grind-it-out runner, it's not like he can't catch.
David Lake: He's much more of an explosive threat than I thought, too.
I still think he could benefit from changing his body in a college strength and conditioning program, so some of that explosiveness is still to come. When he gets to the second level, he's kind of gone, always runs just fast enough to break the angles of whoever's chasing him.
DMoney: Chris Wheatley-Humphrey moves up the depth chart now. He was hurt for FAMU, which was going to be a showcase game for guys in his spot.
People always ask me about him, and he reminds me of Henry Parrish. He's in a very deep, talented room, where he was so far down the chart that we didn't talk about him much. Now we've entered a range where you could see him play a role this year if things go a certain way.
David Lake: It's a physical position, so I hope the guys ahead of him stay healthy. No more injuries, please.
I can't remember another year that's been this brutal with early-season injuries. But Hellcat can play. If he gets his opportunity, it's up to him to produce. For any young player, when you get your chance, go out and produce, and then you get more opportunities. It's very cut and dry.
DMoney: We labeled this Insider Talk, and you talk to coaches and people around the program. The one thing I've learned over the years is that a player can look good in practice one day and it's "this guy's going to be our guy." Two weeks later, he can't play. It goes the other way, too: one week a guy won't be in the program by the end of the year, and three weeks later you're building around him.
So even people talking directly to the people involved aren't getting the full picture. It's week to week. That goes for SJ Alofaituli, Max Buchanan, everybody, at every position.
We covered a lot more than the backfield on this one, including the offensive line rotation, the secondary, WR3 and a deep dive on old recruiting classes that got nerdy in the best way.
Tell us in the comments who's getting your RB2 carries.
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