Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason has only been a head coach in the Southeastern Conference for two years now, but he knows great running backs when he sees them. Mason, a former running backs coach who has spent time coaching in the NFL as well, talked about Georgia running back Nick Chubb with Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman.
“Nick Chubb is really special,” Mason told Feldman. “His feet never stop. He always moves the line of scrimmage. He can anticipate contact and his ability to offset tacklers from angles is unbelievable. That’s an innate ability. His ability to see what’s happening in front him and react on a dime. Had he not gotten hurt (last year) there wasn’t anybody he wasn’t running through or making miss. Nick Chubb is the best running back in this conference that I’ve faced.”
Calling Chubb the best running back he has faced is quite a statement, even in Mason’s brief two-year coaching career within the SEC. Over the past two seasons, Mason has faced Georgia’s Todd Gurley and Tennessee’s Jalen Hurd.
Chubb ran for 189 yards on just 19 carries against Vanderbilt a year ago. Commodore linebacker Zach Cunningham described both Gurley and Chubb in more detail.
“Chubb’s more of a shifty, more of a quick elusive guy than Gurley,” Cunningham told Feldman. “I wouldn’t say as big or powerful but he’s definitely up to par with Gurley. He’s very quick, very instinctive, and you noticed how quick he could hit a hole.”
Gurley has already made his presence in the NFL felt after just his rookie campaign, and as long as Hurd stays healthy, he will be playing professionally sooner than later as well.
One running back Mason hasn’t faced yet, though, is LSU’s Leonard Fournette. Fournette is near or at the top of many pre-season Heisman Trophy ballots, and for good reason.
Maybe for Mason’s best interests, Fournette’s Tigers aren’t on the Commodoores’ schedule for 2016. Mason will be traveling to face Chubb and the Bulldogs on Oct. 15, though, when first-year head coach Kirby Smart is hopeful to have his shifty tailback back in action.
Twitter: @KidCuni
