Today’s freshman running backs are Javin Simpkins and Durell Robinson, two three star recruits who will be looking to work their way into playing time in the coming seasons of college football.
Simpkins surprisingly committed and enrolled at Coastal Carolina despite being a lock for Georgia Tech, while Durell Robinson is headed to Charlotte to play for the 49ers.
We’re taking a look at the running back depth on both rosters and how the 2023 college football season might shake out for these two freshman RBs.
Javin Simpkins – Running Back, Coastal Carolina
Javin Simpkins played at Norland High School in Miami, Florida. He gets a lot of credit for playing against some tough opposition almost weekly in the south of Florida, and worked hard as an explosive runner.
Simpkins has a strong lower body and with that comes a low center of gravity that makes him tough to bring down. He’s shifty and shows great lateral movement to burst into space, along with a visible effort in the receiving game.
He was originally committed to Georgia Tech, but decommitted in November 2022 and despite suggestions that maybe he would still end up there, made a commitment to Coastal Carolina at the last second.
ESPN had him as a four star recruit, and a big yearly average as a senior got a few scouts talking in 2022.
Durell Robinson – Running Back, Charlotte
Durell Robinson played his high school football at the St. Frances Academy in Baltimore. He took visits to Boston College, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech but committed to Charlotte and has a very real chance at making an early impact.
Robinson averaged over 110 yards per game as a high school senior in 2022, and played some great football in an outside zone scheme for his school.
New head coach Biff Poggi has been very active in the transfer portal and bringing in new weapons to change the culture of the offense. Whenever a new coaching staff comes in and there’s reps up for grabs, the freshmen have a great opportunity to make an early impact.
2023-2024 CFB Season Opportunity
Javin Simpkins
Simpkins is the best Coastal Carolina recruit of the class, and can be a difference maker in their run-heavy offense that often means having multiple backs on the field at the same time.
That said, Reese White and CJ Beasley are still around, and it was those two guys who managed the one/two punch roles in 2022. Between them, they carried the football 239 times for over 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns. I’d be surprised to see a freshman break the line up too early.
Simpkins opportunity most likely comes next year at the earliest. Reese White is a senior and Beasley a junior, so spots should begin to open up in the offense when the 2024 college football season rolls around.
Durell Robinson
Based on the depth chart as it stands right now, Robinson should be playing this year.
Shadrick Byrd is the only player currently listed ahead of him amongst the Charlotte running backs, and he’s one of the only starters who stuck around or survived the coaching change.
The rest of the running back room is made up of redshirt freshman transfer Terron Kellman and redshirt sophomores Hahsaun Wilson and Henry Rutledge. Byrd is the only one who’s got any college football production to his name, leading the 49ers in rushing yards in 2022 with 633 total and four touchdowns.
This year, the two, three and four backs will be fighting each other for reps, and Robinson could easily emerge at the top of that list as the teams RB2 this season.
Pro’s and Con’s for playing time
Javin Simpkins
Simpkins is a dynamic back who can be a real danger if he gets out in space. He’s the best recruit Coastal Carolina brought in, and sometimes those hyped up freshmen end up on the field in a hurry.
In a run heavy offense, just having the depth and variety to run that system effectively can be big for the offense. So there’s an argument you could make that maybe he see’s 50 or so carries in 2023.
While that could be true, Coastal Carolina also has several backs on the roster. The Chanticleers running backs are stacked up, and guys like Braydon Bennett and Max Balthazar are likely to pick up reps ahead of the freshman.
Give it a year, when the seniors have cleared out, and we should see some of this young man out on the field.
Durell Robinson
Robinson’s got great burst. He gets up to his top speed in a hurry and that could mean he’s a great option to rep in with Shadrick Byrd.
If that was the case, he could pick up 75 carries this season without too much trouble, which is a great workload for a three star freshman running back.
The young talent is an exciting prospect for the program and a great recruiting win over some frankly more impressive programs. There’s a lot of questions to be answered in Charlotte this year, and allowing their young playmakers the game time to make a difference is almost certainly an option.
Why draft him in CFB Fantasy Leagues?
Javin Simpkins
A young dynamic back who is about to get going in a run-heavy offense that gave its backs 295 carries in total last season is interesting.
When you then consider that this is the blue chip recruit of the 2023 Coastal Carolina recruiting class, you’d imagine they have a plan to give him a key role in the not so distant future.
Sometimes these lesser commercialized schools throw out a few college fantasy football diamonds, and Simpkins could be one of those over the next few years.
Durell Robinson
Because he should play. Robinson has a higher ceiling than some of the depth guys on the roster, and he’s a recruit that the fans are excited to see on the field.
With a new staff in town nobody on the roster besides Byrd is guaranteed any playing time, so Robinson has just as much opportunity as anybody else in the room to win the RB2 role.
I’d be willing to bet that not many, if any of the guys in your college fantasy football league will have the Charlotte running back on their radar, so you might be able to just slip him into your depth chart without anybody noticing in free agency.
Stock Radar as an NFL Prospect
Javin Simpkins – 5%
Javin Simpkins high school highlights reminded me of the playing style of Saquon Barkley. He gets his legs churning in a hurry, and his lower body offers him a lot of power. He’s not afraid to deliver a hit inbounds, and picks up a lot of screens and dump offs before turning up field.
If he can be a high production back in Carolina, he’s got a shot at a mid to late round selection in the NFL draft.
Durell Robinson – 4%
Robinson has got a lot of great qualities. He can get skinny and runs through gaps with great speed. He isn’t the most physical back, so could be a role player in the NFL to begin with, with the opportunity to build on that role over time.
His game reminds me a little of Elijah Mitchell, and if he adds some muscle to his lower half his game could get a little more powerful over the next three years of college football.
https://anchor.fm/s/e4c0328c/podcast/rss