STATE OF THE U: RB depth chart analysis

Nine. And five have come since 2012 (Lamar Miller that year, then Mike James in 2013, Duke Johnson in 2015, FB Marquez Williams in 2017 and Mark Walton this year).

Walton was taken as a fourth-rounder, leaving after his junior season.

So it's been a talented stable of backs that have come through Coral Gables.

And even with Walton's departure, the cupboard is far from bare. Because Walton was injured and missed much of last season, it gave Travis Homer a chance to show what he can do. Homer responded with 966 yards and eight TDs. One NFL scout told us at the end of last season that the pros were even starting to think more favorably of Homer than Walton. Homer is also a solid receiver out of the backfield and a reliable pass protector ... that makes him the best-rounded of the backs on the roster.

But you can't simply ignore the forward progress that Deejay Dallas has made, which is why we project he will be the second team back this season ahead of talented true freshman Lorenzo Lingard, a five-star recruit.

Dallas moved from receiver to running back midway through last season and really came into his own as the year went on (217 rush yards, 92 receiving yards, 3 TDs). He's a threat with the ball in his hands and can be used in multiple ways - as a running back, receiver or even Wildcat QB. And have you seen Dallas this off-season? He's turned himself into a physical specimen, packing on some nice weight.

We still see Lingard as a guy that has to be on the field quite a bit, with Dallas perhaps being utilized more as a situational back or catching the ball out in space and maybe even as a short-yardage back given how much he's bulked up.

Lingard is a five-star freak with breakaway track speed. He enrolled early, and if he can really get his understanding of where to run with the ball down and get his pass protection up to snuff there's no reason he won't be on the field a lot. Lingard worked as the third-teamer behind Dallas this spring. While we don't expect that to change this fall, we just can't see him not getting plenty of action.

There's a reason Lingard was ranked the second-best running back in the nation, fourth-best recruit in Florida and 13th recruit nationally by Rivals.com out of high school. He rushed for over 2,500 career yards, and as a senior he gained 1,701 yards on 207 carries and scored 26 touchdowns en route to being named Gatorade Florida Player of the Year. He had other offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Florida and Georgia, among others. So it's only a matter of time before this talented back makes his mark.

Camron Davis joins Lingard as a freshman talent looking to get on the field, but his later arrival has him a step behind Lingard. He'll have a big learning curve this summer and fall. It might be a good idea to redshirt him. Davis is a consensus four-star prospect who was rated the No. 6 running back, No. 19 player in Florida and No. 81 prospect nationally by Rivals.com. He finished his high school career with over 1,300 yards rushing and 21 touchdowns, and he had other offers from Georgia, Oregon, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Likely lost in the shuffle will be Robert Burns, who many are already labeling a recruiting miss. He's been injury-ridden and just doesn't have a great burst. Perhaps fullback could be in his future. A former three-star prospect, his final two years of high school were also marked by injury.

And Trayone Gray was moved from tailback to fullback this spring, but don't look for him to do much this season. He has 29 carries for 169 yards in his career.

Helping all the tailbacks ... and perhaps curing some of UM's short-yardage woes from recent seasons ... is the addition of true fullback Realus George. A summer arrival, George is built like a bowling ball and loves to get in the hole and manhandle defenders. He's a very underrated addition to the offense and should pay some big dividends in the red zone and in goal line situations. He was listed as the top-ranked fullback in the country by Rivals.com and played on both sides of the ball in high school, lining up at fullback and middle linebacker. As a senior he rushed for 306 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 5.4 yards per carry; he also led the team with 43 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and eight sacks. His other offers included Boston College and Virginia. Look for George to open some big holes for the tailbacks.

The state of the U at this position?

Strong - if Lingard develops to be as good as advertised.

Otherwise, there are some talented backs in the pipeline for recruiting classes in the near future.

Perhaps the only thing that can hold this group back is a suspect offensive line, which we will break down in the days ahead.