A backfield with multiple capable ball-carriers might have just run off former Auburn RB Roc Thomas, but that’s not stopping coach Gus Malzahn from wanting to add an experienced running back for 2017. The Tigers are making a huge push to get junior college running back Octavius Matthews to the 2017 roster.
Even though they wouldn’t be teammates, senior RB Jovon Robinson showed a special interest in Matthews’ recruitment during the current Big Cat weekend.
“As soon as I got here, he basically treated me like a brother,” Matthews said of Robinson, per Corey Masisak of SEC Country. “He asked me, ‘Do you want to stay here or go with me?’ And he didn’t even give me time to answer. He just said, ‘Come on, you’re going with me. I’m going to show you around.’ He took me back to his dorm and really treated me like a brother. Instead of me just seeing (the campus) by myself, I got to see it with him. He showed me his school, and I really liked that. He knows everything around here, so he showed me too.”
When JUCO running backs pick a destination, they’re expecting to go somewhere they can see the field. Robinson’s final season and Thomas’ recent decision to transfer make The Plains an attractive option to Matthews.
“That gives me an advantage because I know (Jovon) Robinson is leaving (after next season), and then the only people it’s going to be is me, Malik (Miller) and Kerryon (Johnson),” Matthews told AL.com’s Tom Green. “I’m just looking forward to the challenge and all that.”
Matthews is currently a Louisville pledge, but that might not last long based on what he told Masisak about receiving an Auburn offer Saturday.
“It got to my heart, man,” Matthews said. “When they said they were offering me, it brought some tears to my eyes.”
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
