Shannon Brooks

Minnesota had some question marks at running back coming into last season with the departure of workhorse David Cobb, but Brooks provided a pretty solid answer in the Gophers backfield as a true freshman. He led the team in rushing with 709 yards despite having only 119 carries (5.96 YPC) -- 38 fewer carries than Rodney Smith, who had 670 yards on the season. Despite being listed at 6-0, 210, Brooks runs with a low center of gravity that allows him to make devastating cuts in small spaces, leaving defenders in the dust in the process. He and Smith should both be in line for big increases in their carries, especially when you consider that Brooks did not get into a game until Week 4 and he never had more than 20 carries in a game. That figures to change this year and Brooks should establish himself as one of the more productive runners in the Big 10, even if the carries are somewhat evenly distributed between him and Smith.