Cyclones Depth Chart: Running Backs (Updated)

Quick – who were the two football players who finished off Iowa and Oklahoma State for Cyclone victories last season? If you answered James White and Jeff Woody, respectively, then pat yourself on the back. Both players were two of the top three leaders in rushing last season and both will be coming back for their junior seasons.

It doesn’t really matter which one is ahead of the other. Bottom line is White and Woody will experience plenty of game time, especially at the beginning of the season. Gaining momentum on the ground will be crucial for the early games on the schedule. They have to compete with a pass-happy Tulsa team and an Iowa team that may have to rely on their quarterback’s arm for success. Easing whoever wins the quarterback battle into the starting position is also a must.

White will likely be out on the field first. He touched the majority of the carries (158) and picked up 743 yards on the ground and eight touchdowns. Quarterback Jared Barnett was the next-best rusher with 437 yards and one touchdown. Woody came in at third with 380 yards on 91 carries and had six touchdowns.

Shontrelle Johnson, the highly-touted recruit from Florida, will be making his return at the third spot. He beat his totals from 2010 in just four games – rushing for 247 yards on 51 carries – before suffering a neck injury against Texas that ended his season. Johnson had over 100 yards rushing and 135 all-purpose yards against Iowa last season, all on 18 carries and three receptions. He didn’t record a touchdown.

A couple of redshirt freshmen round out the depth chart – DeVondrick Nealy or Rob Standard, and both come in with similar body types.

Nealy is a 5-foot-10, 180-pound back from Monticello, Florida. After running into some trouble harassing a local policeman last summer, he’s rebounded nicely being the offensive scout team player of the year in 2011. Standard is the same height and seven pounds heavier from St. Louis, Missouri.

For those wondering about Duran Hollis, he was dismissed from the team on February 1st with “a failure to comply with the expectations and the policies of this program,” according to the Iowa State Daily.

Editor’s Note: Thanks to follower Mike Rouse for reminding me about Shontrelle Johnson. Used the latest official depth chart that didn’t have him listed and completely spaced off the news of his return.

Brian Spaen is the lead editor for Clones Confidential, follow the site on Twitter and Facebook. Read his other work on the Oregon Ducks blog, Autzen Zoo, and Lacrosse the Web.