Troy University Athletics
Troy Position Preview - Running Backs
8/27/2024 8:51:00 AM | Football
TROY, Ala. – The Troy Trojans have a massive hole in their backfield after losing one of the best running backs in program history, Kimani Vidal, to the NFL Draft. This offseason, the Trojans have been hosting a positional battle to see who will help replace Vidal's 297 carries.
The leading candidate is senior transfer Gerald Green. The 6-foot-tall power back from Columbus, Georgia, is reuniting with running backs coach Re'quan Boyette out of East Carolina. Although Green did not see much action for the Pirates, he saw plenty of action in his first four seasons when he played for conference rival Georgia Southern. The sixth-year senior has 281 career attempts with 1,557 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns.
Another candidate is redshirt junior Damien Taylor. Taylor, listed at 5-foot-10-inches and 221 pounds, spent his first two seasons primarily on special teams. However, the Northport, Alabama, native served as the primary backup to Vidal in the 2023 season. Taylor finished last season with 361 yards on 67 attempts and two total touchdowns.
A few other names to watch in Troy's running back room are Jarris Williams and Jordan Lovett. Williams, a junior from Mobile, Alabama, has seen much of his action in Cardinal on special teams. However, Williams had 14 rushing attempts last season and finished with 71 yards and a touchdown. Lovett, a redshirt freshman from Statesboro, Georgia, had 13 carries for 48 yards in 2023.
Trevor Pearson, Tae Meadows and DeWhitt Betterson Jr. round out Troy's backfield. Pearson, the son of cornerback coach Travis Pearson, is a redshirt freshman who is transferring in after not seeing action in his first season at Prairie View A&M. Meadows, a redshirt sophomore from Roanoke, Alabama, only has one career rushing attempt where he scored a 5-yard rushing touchdown against ULM in 2023. Betterson Jr. is a redshirt sophomore who has not seen any playing time through his first two seasons at Troy. Betterson Jr. is the son of Troy legend DeWhitt Betterson, who holds multiple program records and is currently second in Troy history with 3,441 career rushing yards.
Notables
The leading candidate is senior transfer Gerald Green. The 6-foot-tall power back from Columbus, Georgia, is reuniting with running backs coach Re'quan Boyette out of East Carolina. Although Green did not see much action for the Pirates, he saw plenty of action in his first four seasons when he played for conference rival Georgia Southern. The sixth-year senior has 281 career attempts with 1,557 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns.
Another candidate is redshirt junior Damien Taylor. Taylor, listed at 5-foot-10-inches and 221 pounds, spent his first two seasons primarily on special teams. However, the Northport, Alabama, native served as the primary backup to Vidal in the 2023 season. Taylor finished last season with 361 yards on 67 attempts and two total touchdowns.
A few other names to watch in Troy's running back room are Jarris Williams and Jordan Lovett. Williams, a junior from Mobile, Alabama, has seen much of his action in Cardinal on special teams. However, Williams had 14 rushing attempts last season and finished with 71 yards and a touchdown. Lovett, a redshirt freshman from Statesboro, Georgia, had 13 carries for 48 yards in 2023.
Trevor Pearson, Tae Meadows and DeWhitt Betterson Jr. round out Troy's backfield. Pearson, the son of cornerback coach Travis Pearson, is a redshirt freshman who is transferring in after not seeing action in his first season at Prairie View A&M. Meadows, a redshirt sophomore from Roanoke, Alabama, only has one career rushing attempt where he scored a 5-yard rushing touchdown against ULM in 2023. Betterson Jr. is a redshirt sophomore who has not seen any playing time through his first two seasons at Troy. Betterson Jr. is the son of Troy legend DeWhitt Betterson, who holds multiple program records and is currently second in Troy history with 3,441 career rushing yards.
Notables
- Troy averaged 153.4 rushing yards per game last season with 2,148 net rushing yards.
- Kimani Vidal broke multiple career records last season, including surpassing DeWhitt Betterson's career rushing yard record with 4,010 career yards. Vidal also holds the record for the most carries in a career with 781 attempts. "Kingmani" also set the single-season record last season with 1,661 rushing yards and 297 carries.
- The Trojans lost 77.5 percent of their carries in 2023 through graduation, the transfer portal and the NFL draft. The players responsible for 378 carries last season are no longer on the roster.
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