2021 Bearkat Football Preview: Running Backs

Returners: Ramon Jefferson, Noah Smith, Kyran Jackson, Daryon Triche, Charles Crawford III, Jacob Berry
Newcomers: Zach Hrbacek, Weston Stephens

HUNTSVILLE – High-quality backs are nothing new to Sam Houston.

Players such as Timothy Flanders, Keshawn Hill, D.D. Terry, Chris Poullard and Corey Avery have been putting up big numbers on the ground regularly over the past two decades.

But it took just three touches as a Bearkat for Ramon Jefferson to show that the Sam Houston had something special in its back from the Big Apple.

A native of The Bronx, Jefferson exploded for a 59-yard touchdown run on his third touch in the season opener against Southeastern Louisiana and went on to put up 139 yards on the ground to become the first Kat since 2008 to rush for over 100 yards in his debut.

Jefferson went on to average 6.0 yards per carry for the season and earned all-Southland honors and played a huge role in helping take the Kats to the national title with four of his seven rushing touchdowns on the season coming during the playoffs.

A back with the rare combination of power and the ability to make any touch a home run, Jefferson was no stranger to success when he came to Huntsville after rushing for nearly 1,000 yards at Garden City CC in 2019 and going over 1,000 yards for Maine in 2018 when he helped lead the Black Bears to the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs.

He saw more and more snaps as the season progressed and had 44 carries in the Kats' final three games of the season, including 96 yards on the ground in the national championship game.

Those numbers could go even higher this season, but Jefferson is far from the only backfield piece defenders will have to worry about next season. Noah Smith made the switch from wide receiver to running back last season and despite only rushing for 133 yards on 35 carries, made an impact in a number of other areas, especially the passing game.

His skills saw him haul in 28 passes for 241 yards and four scores out of the backfield, giving the Kats a change of pace and a multi-faceted tool at quarterback Eric Schmid and offensive coordinator Ryan Carty's disposal.

His skills were never more on display than the Kats' FCS Playoff quarterfinal win over North Dakota State when he provided mismatches throughout the day with Bison linebackers, catching a career-high 10 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown against the reigning national champions.

The Kats also return trusted back Kyran Jackson for his senior season. The Fort Worth native enters the year with over 1,300 career rushing yards as a Bearkat with his biggest season coming in 2018 when he rushed for 809 yards and eight touchdowns.

Along with those three and other returners such as Daryon Triche, Sam Houston added a pair of freshman backs from Central Texas in Zach Hrbacek and Weston Stephens.

An electric back from Troy High School, Hrbacek was one of the top players in the state of Texas as a senior and was named as one of 25 semifinalists for the Mr. Texas Football Award given out by Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine. He rushed for over 7,500 yards and over 100 touchdowns in his prep career and his big-play ability could push for early playing time as a Kat.

Meanwhile, Stephens joins the ranks from Lake Travis High School, one of the most successful programs in the Lone Star State. He closed his career ranked second in LTHS history in rushing touchdowns and twice led the Cavaliers to the Class 6A state semifinals.

2021 Bearkat Football Preview: Running Backs

Players Mentioned

Jacob Berry

Charles Crawford III

Zach Hrbacek

Kyran Jackson

Ramon Jefferson

Eric Schmid

Noah Smith

Weston Stephens

Daryon Triche

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