Kansas State’s running back picture is coming into focus, and the backup battle behind Joe Jackson is starting to heat up.
Jackson is the centerpiece of the Wildcats’ backfield, but K-State wants more than one answer when he needs a break. That’s why Rodney Fields Jr. and Jay Harris were brought in through the portal, and both transfers have already made an impression in preseason camp.
Offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson addressed the competition Thursday and sounded encouraged by what he’s seen.
"I think we're in great shape," Gleeson said. " ... I'm all confident that they'll be great in the game, each of them, but I do think that we're going to reward the hot hand too and see how they take us."
Fields, who spent last season at Oklahoma State, brings the stronger résumé into the fight. He ran for 614 yards and a touchdown in nine games a year ago and also added 276 receiving yards and a touchdown on 28 catches. At this point, he looks like the leading candidate to settle in as Jackson’s backup.
Jackson, meanwhile, enters the season after earning honorable mention All-Big 12 recognition last year. His rise was one of the bigger surprises in the backfield, especially with Dylan Edwards originally viewed as the starter before Jackson took over.
Harris gives Kansas State another option. After two seasons at Oregon, he arrived in Manhattan and logged 42 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns in limited work last season. For him, this is the final shot to leave a bigger mark before his college career ends.
The Wildcats are hoping the whole group can become a real multi-back operation, with quarterback Avery Johnson folded into the mix as well. K-State does not want Jackson carrying everything on his own, and the goal is to keep defenses guessing with different looks and different runners.
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