Rodrick Williams

Minnesota doesn’t have a legit candidate to come close to replacing David Cobb’s record-breaking production, but Williams is likely the closest thing the Gophers have to a workhorse coming into the season. Still, coach Jerry Kill plans to open camp with a committee of running backs, with Berkley Edwards and Rodney Smith also factoring into the mix. Williams has an edge in experience over those other two candidates, but that’s a relative term given that his 140 career carries over three seasons isn’t even half of Cobb’s 314 carries from last year alone. Regardless, none of those three backs can individually replace what Minnesota lost with David Cobb’s departure, but Williams figures to spearhead the running back committee for what should be a strong Gopher ground game.