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Colorado football RB room will be a two-headed hydra this season

By Andrew Hughes

Dec 31, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Dallan Hayden (5) runs with
Dec 31, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Dallan Hayden (5) runs with / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
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The Colorado football running back room is expected to be a two-headed hydra during the 2024 season according to The Coloradoan's Scott Procter -- with the two threats being Ohio State transfer Dallan Hayden and Miami (Ohio) transfer Rashad Amos.

"Hayden is a talented ballcarrier who proved he could carry the load when the Buckeyes' RB room was ravaged by injuries in 2022," Procter prefaced before saying, "He rushed for 100-plus yards in three games that season (vs. Toledo, Indiana, Maryland) and started in the College Football Playoff semifinals vs. Georgia, carrying nine times for a team-high 43 yards. I expect Hayden to split the majority of carries with Miami (Ohio) transfer Rashad Amos.

"The 6-foot-2, 234-pound Amos flipped his commitment from Mississippi State to Colorado last month after a visit to Boulder. Amos rushed for 1,075 yards (5.1 yards per attempt) and 13 touchdowns in 2023 for the RedHawks. A bruising runner, Amos provides the kind of physicality from the RB position that the Buffs didn't have last year."

Colorado football RB room was a weakness in 2023

Many discuss the lack of protection Shedeur Sanders had up front last season, but CU's offense was easy to gameplan against because of the lack of a productive running game. Dylan Edwards, Anthony Hankerson, and Sy'veon Wilkerson tried to get the job done by committee -- since star transfer Alton McCaskill IV was limited to four games due to injury and took on a redshirt before leaving Boulder -- but all took to the portal this offseason.

Edwards was not expected to transfer and his departure was easily the most shocking of them all. The room was thinning out and it appeared he'd be able to get another crack at being RB1 like he was at the start of the 2023 season. But Hayden's arrival seemingly pushed him and his father to the edge.

Hankerson and Wilkerson showed flashes, but were ultimately unspectacular options in Colorado's backfield. Both can be serviceable RB2s elsewhere, though, with both being seen as team-first players.

Ultimately, as long as Shedeur is under center, the Buffs will be pass-first. But the passing game should benefit from the talent overhaul in the RB room.

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