Joe Jackson was pumped when K-State added two transfer running backs. Here’s why
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- Joe Jackson smiled and welcomed additions Rodney Fields and Jay Harris.
- Jackson said multiple backs will keep players fresh and help the team reach January.
- Klein called Jackson the room leader and plans to rotate backs to keep them fresh.
Some established running backs may not like it when impact transfers join their team’s positional group between college football seasons.
Not Joe Jackson.
When the Kansas State running back learned that the Wildcats were adding Rodney Fields from Oklahoma State and Jay Harris from Oregon last winter, he celebrated the news right along with avid Wildcats fans.
“I smiled,” Jackson said. “That was the first thing I did. A lot of guys may think I had a problem with that, or I didn’t like it, or I looked at it as some type of competition. But I just look at it as a betterment for the team. I know what those guys can do. I feel like they are going to complement me, and I am going to complement them.”
Still, it was interesting to see new K-State football coach Collin Klein target multiple running backs in the transfer portal.
Jackson played like an All-American at the end of his sophomore season with Wildcats, as he rushed for a school record 293 yards and three touchdowns against Utah. Then he followed that up with 142 yards and three touchdowns against Colorado.
If he can build off those strong games, Jackson could be used as a workhorse runner this season. But it’s hard to see him getting 25 carries per game if Fields and Harris are as good as advertised.
That doesn’t seem to bother Jackson, though.
“I feel like once I come out, somebody else can come in and get it done,” Jackson said. “And once they come out, somebody else can come in and get it done. It’s an ongoing thing.
“I feel bad for every defense that has to try to line up and prepare for that. Ultimately, as a team, it’s going to help us to get to where we want to go in January, because we’re going to have a lot of guys still fresh instead of just trying to play one back who’s going to take a lot of wear and tear.”
Perhaps it is easy for Jackson to embrace that mindset, because he has never entered a season as K-State’s top running back before.
Last year, he was expected to be a change-of-pace runner behind Dylan Edwards. But his role grew considerably as injuries and other issues piled up.
Jackson was ready to make plays when he was called upon. He expects his new teammates to do the same.
Fields rushed for 614 yards and a touchdown for the Cowboys last season. Harris scored a touchdown for Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinals and then had a great spring at K-State.
Klein expects Jackson to lead the way at running back. But he will have plenty of welcome help.
“He’s definitely the leader in that room,” Klein said of Jackson. “He has done a tremendous job preparing himself to be an every down back. He’s got good ball skills, his body has improved and his movement skills have improved.
“But I don’t think you can make it through a season with one tailback. Realistically, that doesn’t happen very often. I want every single one of those running backs, whenever they’re in, to act like that’s going to be the last carry of their life and run like heck. When they get tired, we’ll put another one in, and it will be good.”