Most Important Tigers: No. 14

[aubiefifty 18,398]

247sports.com

Most Important Tigers: No. 14 is speedy force in the run game

ByBrandon Marcello

5-6 minutes

 

Manage

Auburn Undercover editor Brandon Marcello takes a look at the roster and ranks the top 50 players on the team entering the 2019 season. Think of it as a breakdown of each player and an extended preview of the upcoming season.

No. 14 Kam Martin, senior

Recruiting ranking: 4 stars, 0.9040 247Sports Composite; No. 7 all-purpose running back

Notable: Kam Martin came to Auburn after initially agreeing to attend Baylor, but the fallout of scandal under then-coach Art Briles pushed his gaze toward the Plains in the spring of 2016. He signed with the Tigers and has played in nearly every game ever since, but he has yet to have a breakout season. His size has come into question (5-foot-10, 189 pounds), leading to many to wonder if he could ever be an every-down running back in the Southeastern Conference. He has three 100-yard games in 28 appearances in an Auburn uniform, and has crossed 20 carries only three times in his career, including twice last season.

Auburn coaches seemed intent on relying on Martin as their primary tailback and receiving option out of the backfield in the season opener last season. He appeared to be the starter and the go-to ball-handler, but he averaged 3.6 yards per carry. He also caught five passes for 32 yards in the victory against Washington, which ended with then-backup Boobee Whitlow emerging as the go-to running back. He crossed 10 carries only three more times the rest of the season, and did so in non-conference games against Southern Miss, Liberty and in the 63-14 blowout of Purdue in the Music City Bowl. He finished the season with a less-than-expected 458 yards and one touchdown while averaging 4.4 yards per carry.

2019 outlook: What Auburn does to split carries, or select a bell-cow, at running back will be an interesting storyline overshadowed by the competition at quarterback in August. Gus Malzahn is notorious for needing several weeks in a season to settle on a starting running back, just as he did last season with Boobee Whitlow unseating Kam Martin. Martin appears to be a nice change-of-pace 'back, but when the Tigers leaned on speed in their game plan in the bowl game (and with Malzahn taking over as playcaller), Martin was the benefactor and the first tailback on the field.

What does the future hold for Martin this season as a senior? Carries might be difficult to attain, but he will get his fair share. The expectation he will suddenly jump to a 1,000-yard rusher is probably unfair, but Martin has the speed and experience to be one of the better change-of-pace tailbacks in the SEC. The addition of freshman D.J. Williams, an every-down 'back, to the running back room in the spring certainly changes things, too.

“We’re all close," Martin said. "We hold each other accountable in that room. That’s what coach likes. When [running backs coach Cadillac Williams] first came in, he wanted us all to be tight. He wanted us all to be tight off the field, while we’re at school, you know, no missing class. He’s real big on details. That’s what I like about him.”

Either way, Martin will get his fair share of carries. It's up to him to perform at a high level, just as he's shown he's capable in the past.

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Most Important Tigers

No. 14: Kam Martin, running back
No. 15: Jack Driscoll, right tackle
No. 16: Jeremiah Dinson, free safety
No. 17: Mike Horton, right guard
No. 18: Kaleb Kim, center
No. 19: Christian Tutt, Nickel
No. 20: K.J. Britt, linebacker
No. 21: Chandler Wooten, linebacker
No. 22: Tyrone Truesdell, defensive tackle
No. 23: Zakoby McClain, linebacker
No. 24: Matthew Hill, receiver
No. 25: Owen Pappoe, linebacker
No. 26: Daniel Thomas, safety
No. 27: D.J. Williams, running back
No. 28: Eli Stove, receiver
No. 29: Roger McCreary, cornerback
No. 30: Smoke Monday, safety
No. 31: Harold Joiner, H-Back
No. 32: Shaun Shivers, running back
No. 33: Anders Carlson, kicker
No. 34: Will Hastings, receiver
No. 35: T.D. Moultry, Buck
No. 36: John Samuel Shenker, tight end
No. 37: Sal Cannella, receiver
No. 38: Shedrick Jackson, receiver
No. 39: Arryn Siposs, punter
No. 40: Nick Brahms, center
No. 41: Malcolm Askew, safety
No. 42: Richard Jibunor, Buck
No. 43: Daquan Newkirk, defensive tackle
No. 44: Jordyn Peters, Nickel
No. 45: Jay Jay Wilson, H-Back
No. 46: Brodarious Hamm, offensive guard/tackle
No. 47: Bailey Sharp, offensive tackle
No. 48: Marquis McClain, receiver
No. 49: Alec Jackson, offensive tackle
No. 50: Caleb Johnson, defensive end

">247Sports

sorry i missed the first thirteen. anyway i thought this list will give folks something to discuss and or cuss about.

[McLoofus 35,182]

Too many mouths to feed in our backfield, especially if Joey is QB1 and he has a lot of carries. And I'm not complaining one bit.

Also, I LOVE that Kam got Nick Marshall's jersey number for his entry on this list. 

[I_M4_AU 9,022]

4 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Too many mouths to feed in our backfield, especially if Joey is QB1 and he has a lot of carries. And I'm not complaining one bit.

Also, I LOVE that Kam got Nick Marshall's jersey number for his entry on this list. 

Unless I misunderstood, Kam is the 14th most valuable player. I think his jersey number is the same as last year.  

[McLoofus 35,182]

9 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

Unless I misunderstood, Kam is the 14th most valuable player. I think his jersey number is the same as last year.  

Hah, I worded that poorly. Just commenting on him coming in at 14 which is also Nick's number. 

[I_M4_AU 9,022]

1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

Hah, I worded that poorly. Just commenting on him coming in at 14 which is also Nick's number. 

Ahhh, just one step head of me again. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

Just now, I_M4_AU said:

Ahhh, just one step head of me again. 

Nah, just a step in the wrong direction, lol. 

[Sizzle 3,948]

Coaches just have to do their job and put him in position to succeed. He’s got the talent. Seems like Martin finally realized he’s more of a north/south runner and not a Kerryon type RB. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

On 7/3/2019 at 9:34 PM, Sizzle said:

Coaches just have to do their job and put him in position to succeed. He’s got the talent. Seems like Martin finally realized he’s more of a north/south runner and not a Kerryon type RB. 

My guess is that Martin has known all along what he is, but he's a team guy and he was willing to try to become whatever Gus and Horton wanted him to be. The preoccupation with his weight, for example. 

That said, I think you're right about him being a north-south guy. He's not going to dance much behind the LOS. Maybe at some point this season we'll finally get to see what he can do at the 2nd level. Would help if Gus could figure out how to clear out, open up and attack the middle of the field. 

[cole256 17,085]

With the run game I think the hardest thing Gus has or will do is getting out of his way. Imo he's always has been horrible at giving plays away as far as hb/wr sub patterns. I used to think well he's setting up for the counter punch but he rarely does that. 

I think you play the most well rounded players so you can cover up how and when you are going to attack defenses

[Auburn Kev 1,653]

I cannot see much of an offensive role for Martin in 2019. At best, he will be the fourth option behind Shivers, Whitlow and Williams. If the staff can figure out how they want to use Joiner, Martin may be pushed further down the depth chart.

[Gene Loblaw 636]

Kam could be really effective if Gatewood is the starter. If it’s Nix, the he may need to get comfortable on the bench

[McLoofus 35,182]

2 minutes ago, Auburn Kev said:

I cannot see much of an offensive role for Martin in 2019. At best, he will be the fourth option behind Whitlow, Shivers & Williams. If the staff can figure out how they want to use Joiner, Martin may be pushed further down the depth chart.

Can't bring myself to "like" your post but I agree. Sometimes we see guys find their way in a contract year, but I have trouble being optimistic for him when he wasn't able to make much noise last year even in a bit of a vacuum of experienced talent at his position. So many RBs. So many HBs and slot guys. Good problem for us. Hoping for the best for KMart. Dude has been all class since he got here. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

2 hours ago, cole256 said:

With the run game I think the hardest thing Gus has or will do is getting out of his way. Imo he's always has been horrible at giving plays away as far as hb/wr sub patterns. I used to think well he's setting up for the counter punch but he rarely does that. 

I think you play the most well rounded players so you can cover up how and when you are going to attack defenses

I find reasons for optimism each year, and that's my reason this year. We have those kinds of athletes, if they have it between the ears and are coached well. We've got two dependable WRs who can also run those sweeps like TZach and Rico used to. And then we've got lots of other WRs. We have a guy who can do OMac/Grant things in Worm, but he can also line up as a "true" RB. Between Shenker, Joiner and Jay Jay Wilson, hopefully we've got a CJ Uzomah/Mario Fannin/Eric Smith. And, of course, Joey is a big bodied QB who can run the wildcat. And catch the ball. I mean, Boobee was a high school QB, after all. 

Probably haven't had depth and versatility like this at our skill positions since 2013, and even then I'm not sure if we had the depth. We just didn't have any injuries. 

[Bottomfeeder 244]

No. 12 Javaris Davis, senior

Recruiting ranking: 4 stars, 0.8987 247Sports Composite; No. 23 running back

No. 13 Marquel Harrell, senior

Recruiting ranking: 4 stars, 0.9116 247Sports Composite; No. 11 offensive guard

 

 

[AURex 2,272]

 

So, these are the top 14 thru 50. Marcelo.

[Sizzle 3,948]

51 minutes ago, AURex said:

 

So, these are the top 14 thru 50. Marcelo.

Drop your list