Auburn Tigers head football coach Hugh Freeze and offensive coordinator Derrick Nix have no grasp on who their featured workhorse back will be during the 2025 season. In truth, they don't know practically anything about the running back room.
Re-classified Auburn High School product Omar Mabson II and UConn transfer Durell Robinson are forcing a conversation amidst injuries Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb.
"With four weeks remaining before Auburn opens the season against Baylor, nothing is set in stone when it comes to who the primary running backs will be. Cobb and Alston’s injuries are minor, meaning they’re expected to participate without limitations before camp ends. That will put them back in the mix, and they have the experience edge over the others," AL.com's Peter Rauterkus wrote.
"Regardless, the competition for carries may be even more open than the staff initially thought going into preseason camp. With Mabson emerging, and Robinson looking like a potential feature back, there are plenty of possibilities still on the table for how the rotation could look against Baylor."
Surprisingly enough, noted Alabama state high school record-breaker Alvin Henderson isn't making much of a dent thus far.
Of course, it's unclear how much the Tigers' RB room will be put to work this season. First-year QB1 Jackson Arnold is a prolific run threat who carried the rock over 20 times and amassed 131 rushing yards against the Alabama Crimson Tide in a shocking 24-3 win for the Oklahoma Sooners last November.
If Arnold takes to the sky more in 2025, using the run to set up deep balls -- of which the former five-star signal-caller is fully capable of slinging -- will be on the agenda.
Freeze and Nix would be overtaxing their golden goose and wasting their depth if they didn't use the RB room to achieve that.