Notre Dame, Ind. (UHND) - What once looked like a very promising position that had a very good competition going for starting runningback has now turned into a position of concern for the 2002 Fighting Irish. Julius Jones and Ryan Grant finished the spring with neither distinguishing themselves as the starter. A slimmed down Jones and the promising rising star Grant were heading into the summer with the starter's spot on the line. With the suspension of Jones however, Grant has now become the starter by default.

Jones spent a lot of time slimming down and getting in shape so that he would last the whole season without missing significant time due to injury. It appears he spent too much time in the gym though and not enough time in the library studying since he has been suspended for consistently poor grades. He can still be eligible for the 2003 season, but he won't see action in 2002.

When Jones got suspended, Grant became the starter. Grant showed a lot of promise last year in a limited role. Bob Davie loved bringing players along at a snail's pace and then benched them when they made a mistake. Great for their confidence and great for their development. Grant fumbled in the Tennessee game and was immediately removed from the game. Such poor coaching methods are hopefully a thing of the past and maybe now Grant can become the star most people think we can be.

Grant is a slender, slashing runner with very good speed. He can make people miss and out run them as well. He will start the season as the starter with sophomore Marcus Wilson backing him up with freshmen Nate Schiccatano and Jeff Jenkins providing some depth. With only two returning athletes at runningback, Notre Dame is dangerously thin experience wise at the running back position. There has been some speculation that Vontez Duff should return to runningback, but that is just not a good idea. Duff started to establish himself as a good corner and still has two years of eligibility left. He has the potential to be Notre Dame's first standout corner in sometime.

As long as Grant stays healthy, Notre Dame should be alright. Grant can handle 20+ carries a game if need be. It would be very nice however, if Marcus Wilson established himself in the summer and could come in and lessen Grant's work load so that Grant stays healthy all season. If Grant has to handle the brunt of the carries all season, he could wear down by season's end. Articles have been published saying that Grant has been working extremely hard this off season to increase his endurance.

The only people who know what Wilson brings to the table are the coaches since Wilson has seen no game experience. He will be asked to come in and be the backup right away though. Reports are that Wilson was impressive during the spring and that he is capable of being the backup. Wilson doesn't need to set the world on fire, he just needs to come in and contribute.

Nate Schiccatano comes in as the more heralded recruit then Jenkins. Jenkins was not that highly rated out of high school, but shows some promise on film. Schiccatano has good size and speed and scored touchdowns very often in high school. He can come in and contribute as a freshman as the #3 runningback.

Had Lorenzo Booker picked Notre Dame last February at his press conference, he would have most likely come in and been at least the #2 runningback for the Irish this season. A lot of Notre Dame fans might say he is too small to be an every down back now that he is at Florida State, but the fact remains that everyone would feel a lot better about the runningback position at Notre Dame is Booker were here.

Overall, Notre Dame is not in the ideal situation at runningback. The oldest runningback on the roster will be Grant, a sophomore with a sophomore and two freshmen backing him up. Fullbacks Chris Yura and Mike McNair could come in and fill in at runningback if need be. Both were halfbacks in high school and could fill in in a pinch. McNair probably should never have been a fullback and should have stayed at halfback, but that's another story for another time.