Come this spring, Auburn will have three standout tailbacks competing to join the growing list of running backs that thrive in head coach Gus Malzahn’s scheme.

Rising sophomores Roc Thomas and Peyton Barber, who saw nothing more than mop-up time in 2014, will return to the Plains as heralded recruits looking to make an impact. The duo will be joined by the top JUCO prospect in the country, Jovon Robinson.

The Tigers lost Heisman finalist Tre Mason, who rushed for a SEC-best 1,816 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2013, and replaced him with Cameron Artis-Payne who led the league in rushing with 1,482 and 11 touchdowns.

Malzahn’s scheme — which centered around the passing game early in his coaching career and figures to again in 2015 with Jeremy Johnson under center — has attracted some of the nation’s best running backs in recent years.

It began before Auburn, when the Tigers’ second-year head coach was the offensive coordinator at Arkansas and was gifted with Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis in the backfield. In his two stints on the Plains, he’s had the likes of Michael Dyer, Mason and Artis-Payne.

The aforementioned Thomas, Barber and Robinson look to be the next star running back to don the orange and navy.

Thomas appeared in 11 games this season, amassing 214 yards and two touchdowns on 43 carries. The five-star tailback showed flashes of what he could be at times this season. In Auburn’s October loss to Mississippi State, Thomas rushed for 36 yards on his first three carries, sparking a Tigers offense early that couldn’t do anything right.

The Oxford, Ala., native is also a good pass-catching tailback. Thomas caught six passes this season in his limited action, but showed glimpses of his versatility which could serve Malzahn and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee well moving forward.

Barber saw much less action, but performed well when he did. The freshman only played in six games, but rushed for 54 yards on 10 carries. Barber, at 5-foot-11, 225-pounds, provides the punch to Thomas’ finesse.

“Before you tackle him, you never know what he’s going to do,” defensive back Derrick Moncrief told AL.com in August. “He’ll juke you or he’ll run you over. You’ve just got to be ready for whatever with Peyton Barber. He’s a real special back.”

Robinson, the JUCO transfer from Georgia Military College, arrives on the Plains this offseason as the nation’s top JUCO prospect. The Memphis, Tenn., native originally committed to Auburn in 2012, but was ruled academically ineligible.

Robinson, after taking a season off, led Georgia Military College back to the junior college national championship game. He totaled 2,387 yards and 34 touchdowns during the 2013 season.

All three figure to have a roll in the backfield in 2015 for Auburn, though its unknown whether Robinson’s transfer in will make him the favorite to be named the starter.

With three years of eligibility left for Thomas and Barber, and two years for Robinson, you can count on one thing.

One player out of the trio will join McFadden, Jones, Hillis, Dyer, Mason and Artis-Payne.