On Tuesday, Auburn revealed the depth chart for its season opener against Oregon on Saturday. Some things came as no surprise, such as true freshman Bo Nix starting at quarterback or future first-round pick Derrick Brown as the starting defensive tackle.
A new revelation was, however, that the Tigers listed six starters at running back.
JaTarvious “Boobee” Whitlow, Kam Martin, Malik Miller, Shaun Shivers, D.J. Williams and Harold Joiner were the six backs named, with an "OR" after each name indicating that any option could be considered a starter.
While all of them could see playing time against the Ducks, Whitlow will be the first one to take the field for the Tigers.
“Here is the positive in that: We have got a lot of confidence in all of them,” said Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn. “They could all possibly play. Boobee Whitlow will be the first guy that goes out, but we could possibly play them all. We are impressed with all of them.”
Whitlow, a redshirt sophomore, was Auburn’s top rusher last season with 787 yards and 150 carries with six touchdowns.
Martin, a 5-foot-10, 189-pound senior, was second with 458 rushing yards and 103 carries. He recorded one touchdown. Shivers was third with 371 rushing yards and 70 carries while running for three touchdowns.
Miller, a junior, rushed for 68 yards with three touchdowns in 2018. Joiner is a redshirt freshman who carried the ball just nine times last year with a touchdown against Alabama State. Malzahn said in the offseason that the offense will work Joiner in multiple packages.
The new guy at the position is D.J. Williams. The freshman from Lake Placid, Florida, impressed coaches throughout spring.
"First of all, D.J. had an excellent spring, and then he had a shoulder surgery and he's slowly getting back,” Malzahn said. “But he is a natural runner. He’s got great balance and can break tackles, and he is a tough guy too, so he really caught Coach Williams’ eye.”
Starting left guard Marquel Harrell is excited about the potential of this list of running backs and what they can bring to the Tigers’ offense this season.
“All those guys are talented, so I’m excited.” Harrell said. “What we have in the backfield, I’m excited to watch them play, excited to watch them run.”
Auburn will face off against Oregon on Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Game time is slated for 6:30 p.m. CST. The game will air on ABC.
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