Starter Returning: None

Starter Lost: Leon Wright-Jackson

Letterwinners Returning: Chizzy Dimude, Alex Green

Redshirts: Hogan Rosehill

Newcomers: Joey Iosefa, John Lister, Sterling Jackson, Jordan Monico

 

This season, Hawai'i's running game may be the most explosive it has been in the school's run-and-shoot era. Despite the loss of starter Leon Wright-Jackson, reserves Alex Green and Chizzy Dimude provide a formidable 1-2 punch in the backfield. Fortified by a number of talented returnees and newcomers, running backs coach Brian Smith expects depth at the position. 

“We feel real good about our depth at running backs and we think we're really strong in our senior class with Alex and Chizzy coming back,” Smith said. “They're both coming off good springs. The addition of Sterling Jackson should help push them. And the addition of Hogan (Rosehill) and (John) Lister gives us a lot of depth. They're both young guys that are doing well and are going to push the rest of the team.”

UH averaged just over 100 yards of rushing per game last season and served the role of opening up the passing game, which finished third nationally. However, during UH's spring game, the running game upstaged UH's vaunted passing attack. Green scored one of the two rushing touchdowns on the night. Lister gave a glimpse of his physicality, while Dimude provided some crowd-pleasing runs with his shifty play-making ability.

The headliner right now is Green. The 6-2, 230-pound senior showed flashes of brilliance in his first season in 2009, rushing a team-high 86 times for 453 yards and two touchdowns. He also hauled in 11 receptions for 98 yards and another score. The Portland, Ore., native rushed for a career-high 110 yards on 10 carries against Utah State and 81 yards on a career-high 14 carries at San Jose State. He busted loose on 44-yard touchdown scamper against Washington State and caught a 32-yard TD versus Wisconsin. For now, the starting position is Green's to lose.

“He came out of spring real strong so he's definitely number one at the depth chart right now,” Smith said. “Chizzy is right there with him, I expect those guys to play a lot right now.”

Dimude was caught in the middle of a numbers game last year and was limited to 11 carries for 67 yards. However his 6.1 yards per touch average was second-best on the team and by adding 15 pounds to his 5-foot-9 frame, he should be more of a threat in the backfield.

“We'd like to give him the ball in open space,” Smith noted, “whether it's on screens or counters. He can run the ball inside just as well as some of the other guys we have. But, he's definitely real electric in space.”

Also in the mix is redshirt Hogan Rosehill, grayshirts John Lister and Joey Iosefa, and transfers Sterling Jackson and  Jordan Monico.

Rosehill is a bruising back who will help in passing situations. Lister rushed for 2,238 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior in high school and was named his league's most valuable player. Iosefa played quarterback, free safety, and linebacker in high school and was considered one of the top prospects out of American Samoa in 2008. Jackson was a junior college All-American at Mendocino College in California, while Monico returns home to Hawai'i after a season at Savannah State in Georgia.

“I expect all those guys to really compete right off the bat,” Smith said. “John [Lister] and Joey [Iosefa], both being grayshirts got a chance to be with us for the spring, so they got a little experience in the offense and have a little understanding of what we do. So we'll take this first week, week and a half to really evaluate those guys and decide if we want to redshirt any, or if they'll get a chance to play on special teams. I think all these guys have a great chance to be contributors.”