(93.7 The Fan) - Even in the absence of spring football, Penn State running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider can't contain his excitement for the group. Speaking on a Zoom conference with reporters Tuesday, Seider heaped praise on Journey Brown, Noah Cain and Devyn Ford.
"I think all three of those guys, in my mind, are starters right now," Seider said. "They all have the mentality they have to do better than they did last year. We talked about pushing each other and learning how to prepare different to have a target on your back because last year it was the (perceived) weak link and now everyone looks at them as one of the better groups in the country."
Brown, the redshirt sophomore from Meadville, finished last season atop the depth chart. He comes off a dazzling performance against Memphis in the Cotton Bowl in which he ran for school bowl record 202 yards. Seider saw Brown's game take off several weeks before that.
"He's got freakish athletic ability and strength, and he finally started to tap into it. The Minnesota game he played his tail off. What he did to Ohio State in the second half was probably as impressive as anybody in the country. I'll say this, the last four or five games, I know I'm biased, but I thought Journey Brown was playing as well as any running back in the country."
Brown's playing time increased when Cain, a true freshman, went out with a nagging ankle injury. Despite missing three games, the bruising back scored eight rushing touchdowns, the most by a freshman in school history.
"He never lacks confidence," Seider said. "It was just getting healthy and getting back to the guy we saw early in the year. Getting back for the bowl game got his confidence back."
Ford, another true freshman, opened his career with 107 yards against Idaho. Seider believes the four-star recruit got a bit complacent after the game and his playing time dwindled. He also believes the sky's the limit.
"Be cautious, don't count out Devyn Ford," Seider said. "He's one of those physically-gifted kids, and I think you're going to see a whole another level of Devyn going forward."
The talent in the running backs room is such that former five-star recruit Ricky Slade played sparingly and entered the transfer portal after the season. The room will remain crowded for the immediate future as Penn State signed two highly-recruited backs out of Florida Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee.