Spring camp rolls on.
Today, it's all about the tailbacks. Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford and five scholarship players in his room – Master Teague, Marcus Crowley, Miyan Williams, TreVeyon Henderson and Evan Pryor – spoke with the media about spring camp and how they expect this position group to shake out.
A bullet-point rundown of what they each said:
Tony Alford
- On the running backs: "It's a great room." He says he has a "great group of kids." He mentions they all come from good homes and are competitive. "Highly competitive, but a very unselfish room."
- If they'll use a multi-back system or not: "We're going to do whatever we need to do to win games."
- Alford says if a game was played tomorrow, Teague would be the starter since he's the incumbent. But there'll be plenty of competition. "Guys are going to get their opportunities."
- He says he doesn't think it's fair to put pressure on somebody like Henderson by comparing him every step of the way to J.K. Dobbins.
- Alford says he prides himself on having honest conversations with his players. "We'll have those conversations when they're needed to be had."
- He says Teague's ability to make plays in space is an area for him to work on this spring.
- On the run-blocking on the offensive line: "I think we have a chance to be elite there."
- He says Henderson and Pryor are both "extremely coachable." ... "They're hungry to learn."
- Alford says during the Alabama game that Crowley apologized to him because he said he knew at that moment he wasn't ready. "He's had a really good focus. I'm really excited to see what he does. Marcus has got a lot of talent."
- The guys who are "consistently great over the course of time" will separate themselves from the pack in the backfield, he says.
- "This is a fun group to be around. I'm blessed with the types of kids that are in that room."
- Alford says the competition in the backfield is all about putting guys in competitive situations.
- On if there's any chance Steele Chambers could move to linebacker: "I've heard that speculation. I don't know where it came from. It didn't come out of this office." Alford says Chambers has "looked really good. The biggest thing I want Steele to do is to exude self-confidence." Chambers is a perfectionist.
- He says he doesn't think Teague was 100 percent healthy at the beginning of the 2020 season but was fully healthy by the end of the season. "To come back from that injury the way he did, a lot of guys couldn't pull that off." Alford says Teague is both somewhat of a genetic freak and also a great worker.
- On the quarterbacks: "What I have seen from outside the room watching them is they're all highly competitive guys."
Master Teague
- "It's a little weird being the old guy, now being the veteran. It went fast." He says he can share what he's learned with the younger guys.
- "We've got a good room, good energy. I feel good about it."
- Teague says the attention to detail is what makes Henderson and Pryor special. "They catch on quick." He also mentions those two freshmen already have a bond. "I haven't seen as much of that in the past."
- He says he doesn't have any issues with his health right now: "I feel great."
- If he wants to be the bellcow tailback: "Of course I want to be that guy, but we continue to make each other better, compete. My role, whatever is going to be best for the team, that's going to be my role."
Marcus Crowley
- On how he's feeling: "My health right now, I would say I'm 100 percent. Last season, it was a long journey after the Maryland game tearing my ACL." He gives credit to the trainers for their help. Working at home last spring when the pandemic shut things down made it hard for him to rehab. "I feel good for this upcoming season."
- He says he doesn't have any thoughts on the running back competition: "We're all striving to be the best that we can be."
- Crowley says his cutting ability is improved from last season. "That just comes with the more rehab I've been doing."
- What stands out about him as a running back: "I would say my decision-making and really just athletic ability."
Miyan Williams
- On his freshman season: "It was just an experience that I enjoyed."
- What separates him from others in the room: "A little bit of speed, a little bit of wiggle."
- On his College Football Playoff carries: "I was just out there having fun with my teammates."
- Williams says he "got way more followers on his social media" after the Clemson game, so he knows people are taking notice of him.
- He's focused on getting faster this offseason.
- His stocking frame: "I can get low when I run, like move around a lot, so a lot of people lose me. In high school, I never really had a big O-line, so I was just running and being seen."
TreVeyon Henderson
- "I worked pretty hard during that time I didn't have a season." He says he was training with his track coach at his high school who got him mentally and physically prepared.
- If not playing a senior season set him back: "Not really. I don't think it set me back or anything." He's looking forward to padded practice on Wednesday: "All I need is that one good hit to wake me up and I'll be good."
- He says the transition to college "has been great." On the coaches: "They're what I expected and Ohio State is what I expected."
- Henderson says the veterans at running back, including Teague, taught him about the expectations of this program.
- When the pads come on... "That lets you know who's real and who's not."
- What he thinks can translate to the college level right away: "I'd rather not talk about it. I'd rather just show it."
Evan Pryor
- How he thinks the running back competition will go: "No clue yet. Just coming in here grinding every day, giving it all we've got."
- Pryor says his ability to make plays in space and route-running makes him stand out at running back. Also mentions Alford's coaching has helped him add things to his game.
- His best attribute as a running back: "Definitely to hit the home run."
- "We know it's competitive everyday. First off, we started off by building a brotherhood."
- He says he and Henderson compete all the time. "If Trey cooks something, maybe I'll cook something, see what tastes better."
- On the first day of spring camp: "I'm ready. First day of spring ball was fast. I feel like I've made that adjustment well."
- "My goal every time is to go to the end zone."
