We continue our detailed look at the units with a break down on where things stand with the running backs. The Gators bolster one of the best backfields in the nation heading into 2018. It’s a deep unit, which features Jordan Scarlett, Lamical Perine, Malik Davis, Damien Pierce, Adarius Lemons, and Iverson Clement.

Last season saw the emergence of freshman Malik Davis who averaged 6.7 yards a carry before having his season cut short by a season ending knee injury.

But with Jordan Scarlett sidelined for the season due to his involvement with the credit card scandal, sophomore back, Lamical Perine, was able to demonstrate his talents. Perine carried the group with 562 yards rushing and 8 touchdowns.

Although we saw some good showings from Perine and Davis, overall it was not a good year running the football for the Gators - to be fair it was not the best year for the offense in general. The Gators ranked 93 in the country in rushing offense on the season.

However, new Gators head coach Dan Mullen comes in with a great history of running the football successfully and brings in new running backs coach Greg Knox.

Meanwhile, Florida's not only returns Scarlett, but also added two top backs in freshmen: Pierce and Clement.

Spring Recap

The general consensus heading into spring practice was the running backs were going to be the strength of the offense - that hypothesis proved correct.

In the Orange and Blue game, we saw Scarlett show off his strength on a couple of runs - a 27-yard rush off the edge in which Scarlett broke a few tackles and burst into the second level; and a 7-yard touchdown, where Scarlett ran for 41 of the 60 yards before arriving to the end zone.

Meanwhile, Perine, Clement and Pierce also had decent showings this spring.

"They're going to be very good players,” running backs coach Greg Knox told the media about the two first year running backs. “They're here early, graduated early out of high school. I like their ability. They've got a bright future ahead of them."

Group Strengths

The biggest strength of this group is their depth. No one back is going to be required to carry the ball 25-30 times a game. The coaches can keep rotating backs in and out to keep legs fresh, which will be a big advantage late in games and later in the season.

Each back also does something well. Scarlett is a very physical back that’s hard to bring down and can accelerate in the second level, while Perine is somewhat a do it all back. He has good hands out of the backfield and is a powerful runner of his own as well and can make guys miss when he wants to.

Malik Davis can make a few guys miss himself. The shifty back has great power for a back his size, while Adarius Lemons has the speed and can hit that home run play.

When it comes to the newcomers, Pierce is explosive through the hole and can really accelerate as well as make people miss regularly, and Clement has shown good strength and power as well.

Group Weaknesses

The group is not as experienced deep as they are in talent. Scarlett was great in 2015 and 2016 but was out all of last season, Davis had a season ending knee injury, Pierce and Clement are both freshmen and Adarius Lemons has not received many carries.

Pass blocking is another concern as well. The Gators most consistent back, Perine, struggled last year in pass protection. Scarlett is a big, strong back but he is not the best pass protector when healthy. Meanwhile, Malik Davis is not a bad pass protector before his injury, but we will see how he comes back, and the jury is out on Lemons, Pierce and Clement for what they can do to help protect the quarterback.

The starter

Jordan Scarlett will most likely be the main back and will get the first carry of every game, but the Gators will most likely use the running backs as a committee - rotating guys in and out to preserve them and putting different backs in for certain packages to highlight what they do best.

Bottom Line

This group of backs will be tasked with carrying the load for the Gators this season. A lot hinges on the success of this position. If the backs produce and can live up to what expectations seem to be for them it will take pressure off of whoever the quarterback is and the Gators will be able to control the clock and pace of play.