With all the turnover in the Auburn backfield heading into the 2016 season, the starting job fell to Kerryon Johnson by default.

Johnson, then a sophomore, made the most of it, though Kamryn Pettway burst onto the scene and stole most of the headlines.

However, heading into the 2017 campaign, Johnson is back and ready to be better than ever as the Tigers look to challenge for an SEC title.

Kerry Johnson — Kerryon’s father — told AL.com that he feels like his son is ready to have a breakout 2017 season:

“He feels like he’s ready for a big year,” said Johnson. “He’s excited and ready to go. With the combination of what they have in the backfield, he’s really excited.”

After running for 895 yards and 11 touchdowns on 182 carries last year, Johnson will again share the load with Pettway, but both could have big years based on their differing skill sets.

SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic agrees with Kerry Johnson, saying Kerryon has what it takes to be a top back this fall:

“I expect Kerryon to have a more successful season in some other areas than he has so far in his career, whether that’s jet sweeps, catching the ball out of the backfield, catching the ball on screens and even maybe being a guy in pass protection,” Cubelic said. “I expect him to put up some big numbers. Big numbers compared to Derrius Guice or Ralph Webb? Probably not because he’s not going to get those opportunities. But I think in December when we look back at yards per carry, explosive plays and reliability, all of those will be there if he shows durability.”

Having two explosive runners in the backfield is never a bad problem to have, but coach Gus Malzahn and the Auburn staff will have to make sure they utilize both talented backs correctly if they want to prove they’re one of the best teams in college football this year.