Tony Alford leading loaded, 'mature' Buckeyes running back room in camp
COLUMBUS — The pieces in the Ohio State running back room haven’t changed.
But the mindset for Tony Alford and the Buckeyes ball-carriers is much different than it was at this time last season.
Alford has three talented, unique playmakers in the tailback room entering training camp. Two of them, Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson, gained plenty of experience last fall, while Evan Pryor was quietly working behind the scenes during a redshirt season.
All three of them are in the mix to receive carries, with Henderson as the clear-cut leader of the unit. But Alford can finally change his coaching style compared to how he handled the inexperienced trio last fall. Now, Alford can ask them to take care of their business as training camp heats up.
“I enjoy coming to work with them every day,” Alford said of his room Friday morning after practice. “And I’m asking just make sure they’re being pros, you know. They’re veteran guys. They’ve been around, two of them are at least veterans. But they’ve been in the program now, the top three guys have, at least. So I am asking them to be pros about the way they approach their business, the way they go to meetings, walkthroughs, practice. Be pros and just continue to get better.
“I love the room I have.”
Williams entered last fall as the starting tailback. Henderson took over those duties after a record-breaking September. They’re both back to give Ohio State a lethal combination of speed, agility and power. And now Pryor adds an entirely new wrinkle to the Buckeyes rushing attack.
All three are earning their share of touches, whether that’s through handoffs or in the passing game. All three are showing signs of being a superstar.
And all three are becoming more mature in their approach each day.
“They know what it takes to be a successful college football player,” Alford said. “So their mental makeup has changed. They walk around here with a little more confidence, their chest out a little bit better. When they’re talking the game, they’re they’re articulating the way that we play and using our terminology, and they’re understanding the game of football much more than they did at any time in point last year. But that’s just called maturation. That’s how it should be.”
Ohio State has the same pieces, the same players, the same star power that it had a season ago, when Henderson broke records, Williams provided bursts of ability and Pryor grew into a budding contributor ready for a role.
The only change is the approach and the mindset. That can only be good news for the running back room at Ohio State moving forward.
