Penn State football: Can Ricky Slade dominate on limited workload?
Penn State football running back Ricky Slade is set to lead the Lions backfield. Will he be able to produce without obtaining a majority of the carries though?
The 2019 NCAA season will surely be an exciting journey for the Penn State football program. With the number of changes at critical offensive positions, nobody knows what to expect out of their offense truly. While the suspense could leave some believe the season could flare up in flames, others see the Lions as a team who could potentially shock the Big Ten.
We know the most significant loss for the Lions falls on the quarterback position. Without Trace McSorley in the picture, Penn State loses its offensive general. Sean Clifford is assumed to be the starting quarterback, and it apparently sounds like the Sophomore is ready to potentially stun his critics this year as he plans to debut as a starter for the first time.
The quarterback position isn’t the only spot where there’s a massive question mark though. Over the last four seasons, Penn State had some remarkable talent in their backfield. Three years with Saquon Barkley — then one year with Miles Sanders. Now they are without both of their stars as they took their talents to the NFL. Suddenly, Ricky Slade’s time to shine is here.
What to expect from Slade
Former five-star prospect Ricky Slade joined the Lions last year as the number one All-Purpose back in the country. Although he played mostly behind Miles Sanders all year, the Freshman at the time took on 45 carries, for 257 yards and six touchdowns. Quite the stat line for a running back who didn’t even notch 50 rushing attempts on the year.
With Sanders out of the picture now, many would think that Slade is going to get his chance to shine in the Penn State backfield. While there’s some truth to that thought, at the same time, it doesn’t seem like the Lions backfield is solely Ricky Slade’s. Instead, Penn State is rumored to be trying out a committee approach, which would feature Journey Brown, Noah Cain, and Devyn Ford.
Despite the rumored committee approach, Slade is still on the radar for having a potential breakout season. In Athlon Sports’ list featuring College Football’s Top-30 breakout running backs, Slade appears within the top ten, as he’s listed at number eight.
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“With Sanders off to the NFL, Slade will take on more carries for coach James Franklin,” Steven Lassen wrote, “he may not be a 250-carry back though, as Journey Brown, Devyn Ford, and Noah Cain are too talented to keep on the sidelines.” If there’s one back who proved he can be pretty productive on limited work, it’s Ricky Slade. He probably won’t match the recent totals of Barkley or Sanders for his Sophomore effort, but Slade likely won’t seem like he’s being held back.