Why Auburn believes future of backfield 'going to be crazy'

TAMPA, Fla. | Kam Martin made sure to find time to chat with Harold Joiner during the penultimate practice of Martin’s career as a Tiger.

With only a few days remaining on the same team together, Martin had a message to convey before they go their separate ways.

“He's going to be special,” Martin said Sunday. “I was just telling him today that his time is coming. He works his butt off, and he's just got to — next year, take it with a stronger approach.”

An identical sentiment could be said for the bulk of Auburn's running back room heading into the 2020 season. Martin is the only departing senior. Leading rusher Boobee Whitlow will be a redshirt junior, but past that, it will be another juggling act to divide carries among Joiner, rising sophomore D.J. Williams, rising redshirt freshman Mark Antony-Richards, 2020 signee and 5-star prospect Tank Bigsby, rising junior Shaun Shivers and rising senior Malik Miller.

"It's going to be crazy," Martin said of next year's tailback rotation. "I feel like they're going to do a good job of putting the right guys in the game whenever their numbers are called."

Martin said he's confident that, in his second season as the position coach, Cadillac Williams can devise a plan to get the most out of what will be, again, viewed as one of the deepest running back rooms in the Gus Malzahn era.

Depth didn't necessarily translate to elite production this season, however. Unless Whitlow goes nuclear for 261 yards on the ground in the Outback Bowl, Auburn will not have a 1,000-yard rusher on the roster for the second consecutive season after the team's nine-year streak of a 1K running back from Ben Tate in 2009 to Kerryon Johnson in 2017.

Martin is looking forward to seeing that improve from afar, wherever his life after Auburn takes him. Amid all the goodbyes this week and the flashbacks to his best memories wearing the orange and blue, the Texan has still found time to think ahead about future Auburn tailbacks.

There are the youngsters who have played alongside Martin that have Auburn fans excited — D.J. Williams, namely — but there's also the ones that have yet to suit up.

Bigsby, who will enroll early but was not able to report to Auburn during the on-campus bowl practices earlier this month, is the highest rated signee for Auburn in the backfield since Roc Thomas in 2014.

"When they add Tank, they're going to be really good," Martin said.

Then there's Richards, the blue-chip prospect who is participating with the Tigers in Tampa — at practice, at least — for the first time since undergoing leg surgery two weeks before the season opener.

Martin said the smooth, instinctive Richards reminds him of Kerryon Johnson not just in his running style, but also in his want-to. Martin said Richards, even while rehabbing this season as a true freshman, was hungry to learn the game from Cadillac Williams and his mentors in the running back room, so that he wouldn't be far behind once healed from injury.

And, like with all the other ball-carriers, Martin will miss teaching Richards tremendously, but can't wait for his future.

"I feel like those guys are going to grow up and do everything the right way," he said.