Arkansas football experienced a lot of change over the off-season, but the running back position is largely the same.
Raheim “Rocket” Sanders will once again lead the Razorback backfield, with [autotag]A.J. Green[/autotag], [autotag]Rashod Dubinion[/autotag] and [autotag]Dominique Johnson[/autotag] returning to help the SEC’s second-leading rusher from 2022. The only newcomer to the group is incoming freshman [autotag]Isaiah Augustave[/autotag] – a four-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting class.
With so much depth and experience returning to the Arkansas backfield in 2023, the Razorbacks are expected to pick up right where they left off last season. New offensive coordinator [autotag]Dan Enos[/autotag] has made some noticeable tweaks to the offense from what it looked like under [autotag]Kendal Briles[/autotag], but the philosophy of being a dominant rushing team has not changed.
Adding in the fact that [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] is also back for another season, and it’s hard not to expect another big year for Sanders and the Arkansas backfield. Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire is also a big believer in Sanders entering next season. Conn shared his top running backs in college football for 2023 and had [autotag]Rocket Sanders[/autotag] ranked at No. 3 behind Blake Corum (Michigan) and Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss). Conn says that 2023 could be Sanders’ best yet since arriving in Fayetteville.
The man they call “Rocket” was a force for the Hogs offense over the last two seasons, and despite the opportunity to go pro he returns for another season. Over the past two campaigns, Sanders has tallied 2,401 yards of offense and 18 touchdowns. This could be his best season yet with K.J. Jefferson also returning to Fayetteville.
As previously mentioned, Sanders finished last season as the SEC’s second leading rusher, behind Quinshon Judkins. He ran 222 times for 1,443 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, while also hauling in 28 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns on the year. Sanders was the only consistent presence on an Arkansas offense which struggled for most of the season.
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