How good can Notre Dame’s running back situation be?

Forget the QB battle for a moment. Notre Dame is still looking for clarity at the running back position too. Can the Irish match last year’s numbers?

Much has been made of Notre Dame’s quarterback battle throughout the offseason, and rightfully so. Head coach Brian Kelly has an extremely tough decision on his hands that could possibly have national championship implications for this year and next.

Related Story: Kelly says Kizer and Zaire will play against Texas

But while that competition has been the talk of the team, less has gone into who will be sharing the backfield with the winner of the battle between Malik Zaire and DeShone Kizer.

Last season, Notre Dame was ready to count on the one-two punch of Tarean Folston and the late Greg Bryant. Obviously, Bryant was ruled academically ineligible before leaving the school, and Folston tore his ACL during the first quarter of the season opener against Texas.

This forced the Irish to rely upon safety-turned-receiver-turned-running back CJ Prosise and true freshman Josh Adams to carry the rock. True freshman Dexter Williams also saw the field in a limited role, and all three did a great job for the Irish.

This season, Prosise is not an option after being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the spring. That leaves Folston, Adams and Williams to split the load at the position. That trio hasn’t been talked about often but should be counted on to have a tremendous year.

Folston was going to be counted on to shoulder the load last season, especially with Prosise having been converted to the position in the spring. His sophomore season was largely successful, as he emerged as the best option in the backfield, totaling over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and reaching the end zone seven times. Numbers similar to those would signify a largely successful season for the senior, as long as his backfield mates produce up to their standards as well.

Adams greatly exceeded expectations for him as a freshman last fall. The former three-star recruit averaged more than seven yards per carry on his way to 838 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. He’s a player that could be poised for an even better sophomore season.

One strategy in particular I think could be used is to give Adams a heavy load early on in the season. This strategy would be due to Folston’s return from injury. Is he 100 percent? Most likely, as he’s had plenty of time to recover. But would it be a good idea to let another proven back like Adams have a little bit of a larger load early on and let Folston ease his way back into game action and shift the load to his fresher legs later in the season? I certainly think that makes sense.

When Adams was recruited, the thinking was that he would be the second best running back in his class behind Williams. Williams, a four-star recruit, was expected to have the better career. He still may, as these two are only sophomores. Last season he contributed minimally, but things have been extremely positive for him throughout camp thus far.

Next: Kelly's quarterback decision has benefits for Notre Dame

We found out Wednesday that the quarterback position is going to be shared between Malik Zaire and DeShone Kizer. The Irish backfield is going to see quite a few different faces shuffled in and out of it throughout the season. At this point there is no telling which combination is going to perform the best for Notre Dame.