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Wes Mitchell
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South Carolina running backs coach Bobby Bentley has managed to re-shape the Gamecocks running back stable in just over a year. What does he look for when evaluating a prospect to play the position? The second-year assistant coach says at running back, it needs to be obvious that the kid can play.
"You want to be able to turn the video on, and let the clips play, and your wife see that this guy's different. It shouldn't be a bunch of little things. You should see, if you turn that video on, you say, 'That guy's different than the others.' 'That guy's more explosive.' 'That guy's got more power.' 'That guy has better agility than the people he's playing with.' It's just that simple.
"Then once you start to see [that], you group those guys into categories and then you start looking at their character. Then you look at their grades, the intangibles.
"But if you're going to play in the SEC as a running back, I should be able to take my wife to his game and her say he's better than everybody else. It's got to be, or you're not going to be a productive back in this league. There's no way."
Since arriving in Columbia, Bentley has added: three-star running back Rico Dowdle, who led the team with 133 carries for 764 rushing yards and also scored seven touchdowns as a freshman; UNC running back transfer Ty'Son Williams, who is pushing for a starting spot; and walk-on transfer Caleb Kinlaw.
ALSO SEE: What does Bryan McClendon look for when evaluating a wide receiver prospect?
"You want to be able to turn the video on, and let the clips play, and your wife see that this guy's different. It shouldn't be a bunch of little things. You should see, if you turn that video on, you say, 'That guy's different than the others.' 'That guy's more explosive.' 'That guy's got more power.' 'That guy has better agility than the people he's playing with.' It's just that simple.
"Then once you start to see [that], you group those guys into categories and then you start looking at their character. Then you look at their grades, the intangibles.
"But if you're going to play in the SEC as a running back, I should be able to take my wife to his game and her say he's better than everybody else. It's got to be, or you're not going to be a productive back in this league. There's no way."
Since arriving in Columbia, Bentley has added: three-star running back Rico Dowdle, who led the team with 133 carries for 764 rushing yards and also scored seven touchdowns as a freshman; UNC running back transfer Ty'Son Williams, who is pushing for a starting spot; and walk-on transfer Caleb Kinlaw.
ALSO SEE: What does Bryan McClendon look for when evaluating a wide receiver prospect?
