National Columnist Mike Farrell is here with the 3-Point Stance ranking the ACC top-tier running backs, potential breakout players in the SEC, and the coaching debate — Harbaugh vs. Day.
Top ACC Running Backs
— The best running backs returning to the ACC in 2023
1. Will Shipley, Clemson
— Consistently productive, he finds the end zone, and he can catch the ball.
2. Trey Benson, Florida State
— Physical, fast, and hard to tackle, he makes a case for No. 1 here.
3. Jawhar Jordan, Louisville
— A lot of people don’t know him but he’ll have 1,000 yards this season and find the end zone more.
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4. Henry Parrish Jr., Miami
— The running game should be better, and he’ll be featured more, so look for him to push for 1,000 yards.
5. Elijah Green, North Carolina
— While he only had 558 yards last season, he showed signs of taking the next step and checks in at No. 5 here in a top-heavy league.
SEC Breakout Players
— The returning stars are sometimes obvious in each conference, but how about those just about to break out? Check out these guys in the SEC.
1. RB Jarquez Hunter, Auburn
The departure of Tank Bigsby, coupled with the offensive system brought in by Hugh Freeze, make Hunter a big-time breakout candidate in 2023. Retaining Cadillac Williams on the coaching staff will also be a blessing for Hunter, who has a really good chance to lead the SEC in rushing.
2. DT Bear Alexander, Georgia
His performance in the playoff feels like the tip of the iceberg for the incredibly powerful defensive tackle. Can he live up to the expectations established by Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis? He’s got the body type and disruptive ability, but with offensive scheming around him, he’ll need to take his game to the next level.
3. WR Luther Burden, Missouri
The Missouri native had some ups and downs as a freshman, but his talent is simply too good to deny. Jake Garcia is a step up from what he was getting last season at quarterback, making him a top breakout candidate.
The Coach Debate: Jim Harbaugh vs. Ryan Day
— And we continue our coaching debate with a big one in the Big Ten.
The case for Harbaugh:
The coach in the khaki pants has won the last two head-to-head matchups between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes. And because of it, the Wolverines are picking up a lot of steam on the recruiting trail, most notably with the recent commitment from 5-star QB Jadyn Davis. The high-level play of the offensive line on a year-in and year-out basis is a great foundation for long-term success as well, and he has finally built up enough talent and depth to out-physical nearly every team they play. With consecutive CFP appearances, Michigan is truly back to being a true annual contender.
The case against Harbaugh:
Why does he keep flirting with the NFL? It’s an off-season storyline as predictable as Old Faithful. And while there’s staff churn at every program, the amount of turnover in Ann Arbor seems particularly high over the past couple of seasons, especially at the coordinator level. It hasn’t come back to bite them in the butt yet. But it will.
The case for Day:
He’s 45-6, with half of those losses in the postseason during his four-plus season tenure as head coach in Columbus. No team has a more reliably explosive offense in the country during that time, and no team produces more top-flight receivers. They can compete with anyone on a talent-for-talent basis, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that Day is an elite recruiter and has a staff of guys who are among the hardest-working recruiters in the country.
The case against Day:
You have to go back more than two decades to find the last time that the Buckeyes lost to the Wolverines in back-to-back seasons. And we know that the only thing that matters to the people around that program is beating the team up north every year. Additionally, the defense has not been able to make the strides they need to, especially in the biggest games.
The verdict:
Despite Day’s overall record, Harbaugh has the edge because of the head-to-head success in recent years and how that has reinvigorated recruiting. Day is a great coach, but it feels like, at this point, that Harbaugh is the coach in control of not only this rivalry but the entire Big Ten.
