Player Profile: RB Tyler Bell

As we begin to work our way towards the final month of the off-season, we are gearing it back up here at Blogger So Dear to make sure the reader is informed about the team for the upcoming year. The best way to do this is to profile each player, as well as each position overall.

Why not start at the running back position, in what could be the strongest backfield that Wake Forest has seen in quite some time. When you look at the number of players who could contribute, as well as the talent level from a recruiting standpoint, there is a lot of hope for production from the running backs. As always, this is highly contingent on the offensive line blocking, which has been a big issue seemingly the past 5+ years.

At this point I would say the running back position is as wide open as any other position on the team. There is experience with junior Isaiah Robinson, but primarily a plethora of young talent with Cade Carney and Arkeem Byrd as true freshmen. Not to mention sophomore returnees Matt Colburn, Tyler Bell, and redshirt freshman Rocky Reid.

I would expect a lot of shared touches throughout the year, rotating based on field position, down and distance, and what is needed overall at the time.

We begin our player countdown with sophomore running back Tyler Bell. He became the first true freshman to lead Wake Forest in rushing yards since since Michael Ramseur in 1982.

Overall Bell carried 129 times for 451 yards (3.5 yards per carry), and one touchdown, coming in the season-finale against Duke. He rushed for 195 yards over the final three games (65 YPG), and got better as the year went along.

At 5-11, 205 pounds, Bell utilizes a quick burst off the line of scrimmage to get early yards, but also has the leg strength to push a pile and break tackles. He had 11 carries for 19 yards in the Spring Game, including a 5-yard touchdown run where he was stood up at the line, but broke through to get in the end zone.

I project Bell to get a lot of touches early on in the season, and perhaps be the starter going into the first game. A lot of that will depend on how he performs during pre-season practices, as well as how quickly Cade Carney progresses after a very strong Spring at Wake Forest.

Sidenote: Tyler is very active on Twitter, so follow him at @Tylerb2321. As we write these we will accumulate as many Twitter accounts as possible so the reader can follow them if so inclined.