RUNNING BACKS OUTLOOK
Aaron Prier took over the running backs room in February, joining the Bulldogs' staff from Eastern Washington where he coached the running backs in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. While at Eastern Washington, he worked alongside Bulldogs' offensive coordinator Pat McCann. At the time, McCann was the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator and served some time as the interim offensive coordinator.
Fresno State must replace the production of first-team All-Mountain West running back Jordan Mims, who started all 14 games and led the team with 261 carries, 1,372 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. Mims in his senior season also became the first Bulldog to rush for 1,000 yards since Marteze Waller in 2014.
The 'Dogs will return five players in the backfield, and add four newcomers including a Division I transfer.
Who's back: The returners are highlighted by Malik Sherrod and Elijah Gilliam, who saw playing time in 2022.
Sherrod was Mims' primary backup and the Bulldogs' second-leading rusher with 80 carries for 428 yards and two touchdowns, averaging a healthy 5.4 yards per carry and 30.6 yards per game. He also will be a key contributor on special teams on kickoff return and perhaps punt return for the Bulldogs. A year ago, Sherrod had eight kickoff returns for 175 yards including a career-long 50-yard play in a 30-0 victory over Wyoming, the longest kickoff return for Fresno State since 2018.
The junior from Oxnard spent a lot of time in the weight room this summer. "He's one of the guys that probably killed it the most on the offensive side of the ball," said Andy Ward, the Bulldogs' assistant athletics director for sports performance.
"He did a phenomenal job not only getting faster and more explosive, but also took that next step leadership-wise, and that's something that we needed on that side of the ball, for someone to step up and be that enforcer and be that vocal person and he's the guy that is filling that role for us right now."
Although Sherrod has made strides forward physically, running backs coach Aaron Prier agrees that the biggest improvement he has made has been off the field, "I think the biggest thing with him, more of an off the field thing, not even an athletic trait, but his leadership has really improved. I think that's helping him improve as a person and as a player."
Gilliam will look to get more time in the backfield for the 'Dogs this season. He saw action in 12 games as a sophomore, rushing for 101 yards on 17 attempts with one touchdown. The Las Vegas native was a critical asset to the run game, closing out games when the Bulldogs had a lead. Of his 17 rushing plays, 15 were in the fourth quarter and he averaged 6.3 yards on those plays. He was also utilized throughout the season in the run-game blocking as well.
Additional returners include Johnathan Arceneaux, Justin Guin and Ryan Warkentin.
Who's new: Fresno State added four running backs to the roster for 2023.
Transfer Damien Moore brings much needed experience to the room after spending three seasons at Cal, where he played in 23 career games with 10 starts.
The La Puente native was on the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award last season, and totaled 22 carries for 101 yards in nine games. He had career highs in his sophomore year in 2021 in games played (11), games started (8), yards rushing (518), rushes (100) and rushing touchdowns (6).
Moore was a mid-year transfer, which gave him the opportunity to work with the offense throughout spring ball. He is listed as a senior, but he has two years of eligibility remaining.
Three true freshmen also started their first fall camp at Fresno State in Charles Greer, Brandon Ramirez and Devon Rivers.
Greer graduated from prep power De La Salle High as a first-team All-League running back. In his senior season he recorded 197 carries for 1,251 yards and 16 touchdowns.The Pittsburgh native also had recruiting interest from Cal, Cal Poly, Utah, Nevada, Army, Eastern Washington and Florida Atlantic.
Ramirez is a local product out of San Joaquin Memorial High. The Hanford native was named the 2022 CMAC Offensive Player of the Year after logging 201 carries for 1,967 yards and 31 touchdowns. He brings size to the position group at 6-foot, 202 pounds. He was a two-way player for the Panthers and as a junior in 2021 was the CMAC Defensive Player of the Year. He originally signed to Fresno State as a defensive back, but was moved to running back over the summer.
Devon continues the Rivers' family legacy at Fresno State. His father Ron Rivers and older brother Ronnie Rivers were running backs at Fresno State. Both Devon's father and brother are in the record books at Fresno State, with Ronnie being the program's all-time leading touchdown scorer. Ronnie currently plays for the Los Angeles Rams, and older sister Malia Rivers played softball at Fresno State from 2015-17.
Rivers graduated from Heritage High in Brentwood as a three-star recruit. He was both a 2022 All-Metro and All-Bay Area selection, rushing for 1,759 yards and 24 touchdowns while averaging 7.5 yards per carry.
What to watch: Mims was the Bulldogs' lead back in 2022. His 261 carries not only accounted for 73 percent of the rushing plays in the Bulldogs' backfield, they were the most since all-time leading rusher Robbie Rouse had 282 in 2012.
A high-carry back could emerge through fall camp, but the Bulldogs are more likely to utilize a number of weapons much as they did in 2017 when Mims led the team with 151 carries, Josh Hokit had 128 Ronnie Rivers had 101.
The Bulldogs' running backs room at this point looks very similar to that season, having lost a leading rusher from the previous year. Coach Jeff Tedford throughout his career has had much success pairing running backs like Mims and Ronnie Rivers at Fresno State, and had a long list of NFL backs at Cal including C.J. Anderson, Marshawn Lynch, Justin Forsett, Jahvid Best, Shane Vereen and J.J, Arrington, and could again.
Ronnie Rivers started the 2017 opener against Incarnate Word as a true freshman, proving the competition was wide open.