A look at the Notre Dame running backs heading into 2020

With Tony Jones Jr. declaring for the NFL Draft, what does the Notre Dame RB position look like for next season?

If you hadn’t already heard, Notre Dame running back Tony Jones Jr. is gone and is going to test his luck in the NFL.

It’s hard to blame him, really. While he would have definitely seen carries next season, the Notre Dame backfield is packed even, with Jones’ departure. Also, the less “tread on the tires” is best for any running back trying to make it in the NFL and a year less of wear and tear on Jones’ body is ultimately the best thing for him.

As for Notre Dame, the Irish must move on to its other options in the running back corps.

Incoming senior Jafar Armstrong was many people’s pick to breakout and be the clear No.1 RB this past season and that, of course, did not happen.

Armstrong tore a lower abdominal muscle in Week 1 against Louisville and his season was essentially derailed from there. He returned and played against Virginia Tech after missing two months of action, but he never truly looked the same.

In the eight games Armstrong participated in, he tallied 46 carries for 122 yards and one TD. He also added 13 receptions for 97 yards through the air.

The way the depth chart shakes out currently, it appears Armstrong will now be Notre Dame’s No.1 running back heading into the 2020 season. However, Armstrong will likely not get the bulk of the carries, as you may have seen in the past with clear-cut RB1s at Notre Dame such as Josh Adams and Dexter Williams.

Perhaps a diamond in the rough, next in line to get their share of carries after Armstrong will be junior RB C’Bo Flemister. Flemister’s “power-back” tendencies pair nicely with Armstrong’s shiftiness and should make a nice 1-2 punch for the Notre Dame ground game.

The junior RB was very impressive when he saw carries this season and he was easily better than Jahmir Smith and it showed in their carry numbers.

On the season, Flemister totaled 162 yards on 48 carries and 5 TDs, including a 4-game stretch (New Mexico, Virginia, Bowling Green, Duke) where he scored in each game.

No one expected Flemister to be as impressive as he was this season, but he proved many people wrong and with some improvement in the offseason it is totally possible that he could challenge Jafar Armstrong for the RB1 role come next fall.

Next, the freshman phenom. There is no denying that incoming freshman running back Chris Tyree will ‘get his’. The 5-star, No. 1 ranked all-purpose back in the nation has been all the buzz this recruiting season. He is expected to make an impact immediately.

In his senior season of football at Thomas Dale High School in Chester, Virginia, Tyree had video game-like numbers. Tyree was injured during his senior year, but still racked up 655 yards on 71 carries and 13 TDs on the ground, along with 13 receptions for 184 yards and two TDs through the air.

Given that was not nearly a full season of work, try on Tyree’s junior year stats for size. 177 carries, 1446 yards and 11 TDs on the ground and 23 receptions for 302 yards and a TD.

Ridiculous.

Tyree is known for being insanely fast and has the credentials to prove it. At Nike’s “The Opening”, the speedy freshman has won the ‘Fastest Man’ competition in back-to-back years now after winning it this past year.

This means not only was Tyree the fastest player in the country this year, but last year as well. When you consider the speed around the nation these days, that is outstanding. Fans should be very excited to see Tyree in action for the Irish this fall.

After Tyree is redshirt-sophomore Kyren Williams. Williams played in four games this past season as a freshman, although he did not get many carries, just tallying 26 yards on 4 carries.

It is very possible that Williams makes a move over the offseason and is ahead of Tyree on the depth chart come Week 1, however I fully expect Tyree to surpass him by season’s end.

Williams himself was a highly-rated recruit, a 4-star and the 24th ranked RB on 247sports. He did not look ready to play at the college level in 2019, but not many freshmen do. 2020 will be telling.

Lastly is Jahmir Smith. Smith is one that is hard to read. He played well when he was healthy this season, but that was few and far between.

Last season in 10 games played, while battling through more than a few injuries, Smith totaled 180 yards and two TDs on 42 carries. The junior was impressive in the short spurts where he received decent carries and will look to carry that into the 2020 season.

Smith may find himself as the ‘odd man out’ in 2020 if he does not make a move.