There are a lot of things about A.J. Dillon that scare defenses.
First, the obvious: He’s a 245-pound bulldozer that prefers to go through tacklers instead of around them. In what was essentially half of a season on the Heights, Dillon rushed for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns on 5.3 yards per carry, the first freshman in the nation to reach those marks since 2014. In fact, dating back to 2000, only four other rookie runners compiled such seasons, and all of them except Adrian Peterson are currently playing on Sundays.
By now, the rest of the ACC has watched his film. But just because they know what’s coming doesn’t mean they can stop it.
Dillon has been named a preseason All American by Athlon, SI, CBS Sports, Phil Steele, and Lindy's Sports entering 2018.
Take last year’s Louisville game, for example, when offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler rode Dillon to a 45-42 comeback win on the road. That’s when the switch flipped. With backup Darius Wade in at quarterback and no vertical passing threat, the Cardinals front seven expected the run but still couldn’t do anything about it as Dillon exploded for 272 yards, 199 of which came after contact, and four scores. Only one ACC player since 2005 has posted more rushing yards in a game than his 272 at Louisville.
By the end of Dillon’s breakout performance, the press box was stunned. We had just witnessed a true freshman outduel the reigning Heisman winner at Papa John’s Stadium, and then listened to the Cardinal faithful boo their own defense for giving up seven touchdowns to Boston College. It turns out that some fans, too, are afraid of Dillon.
“Yeah, I definitely would say that Louisville probably was when I first started to kind of realize that I started to trust myself,” Dillon said. “I know from the beginning of the year I didn't really trust myself. You can see me kind of thinking through cuts, trying to figure out.”
For BC fans, the rest is history. Since his coming-out party at Louisville, the ACC Rookie of the Year entered a league of his own, leading all of FBS with 1,256 yards and 13 touchdowns over the final seven games of the year. He didn’t lose one fumble. It wasn’t always beautiful for the Eagles, but it did come together as they finished 5-2 down the stretch.
The scariest part about Dillon might be the fear of the unknown. If it took just five games for a 20-year old to become the best running back in the country, how much better can he get with an offseason of training under his belt?
This summer, Dillon has attacked his weaknesses as if they were running lanes. The preseason ACC Player of the Year studied tape to help him anticipate different fronts and pressures as both a runner and a blocker. Plus, two weeks into training camp, Dillon already looks like a more dynamic pass-catcher out of the backfield.
“You are going to be impressed by his ability to catch the ball,” running backs coach Brian White said. “He won’t be just a first and second down back like he was last year. We’ll spell him at times, but he’s worked really hard to be an every-down back.”
Dillon has emphasized that improving his pass-catching ability has been a priority for the sophomore this offseason.
Dillon’s ability to be an every-down back depends largely on his stamina. A between-the-tackles bowling ball, he has a reputation for maintaining forward momentum after contact and fighting for every inch in the trenches. Ultimately, as the weeks went by last year, the amount of energy he expelled on every carry began to show.
“There are certain times where I'd be tired in the backfield, just kind of—you can see it on the film where I definitely could have made another move, another cut, pushed for a couple extra yards,” Dillon said. “Those add up.”
As the number of Dillon’s carries spiked, he found himself on the sideline catching his breath more often. During BC’s second-half turnaround, he averaged over 30 rushes a game, more than Andre Williams touched the ball his senior year in 2013. Such a high usage rate, of course, is unsustainable without high endurance.
“A big, big factor for me, probably number one overall, was definitely stamina,” Dillon said. “Coming from high school, going to college, I always say one carry in high school is the equivalent of two and a half in college. You have to work so hard for each yard.”
Nobody works harder than Dillon simply because nobody is harder to bring down. His tree-trunk legs drag defenders for yards and make tackling him a group task. Last season, he forced 46 missed tackles, most among returning ACC running backs.
By virtue of his running style and heavy workload, Dillon will need some backup—even if the Heisman hopeful is making strides toward becoming an every-down back fit for the NFL.
The Other Guys
Travis Levy is primed to expand his role outside of a third-down back in the wake of Jon Hilliman’s transfer to Rutgers.
“I can run the ball on first and second down,” he said. “I can get in the pass game if you need me to. I can also go out wide if you need me to.”
Levy was limited to 54 yards on 21 carries during his freshman campaign, but he added a valuable receiving dimension to the backfield. The Olney, Md. native totaled 15 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown, leading the team with three receptions for 42 yards against Virginia Tech.
When I asked Levy about Dillon’s prospects as a pass-catcher, he joked: “[Dillon] definitely got hands, but I don’t know if they’re better than mine.”
A new face who has the potential to make an immediate impact is David Bailey, the No. 1 running back recruit from Maryland. At 6-foot-1, 245 pounds, the freshman is nearly as hard to tackle as the sophomore star ahead of him on the depth chart. Bailey has the talent to earn a share of the backfield, but with the new redshirt rule allowing players to remain eligible after four games, it’s hard to tell how Addazio will handle playing time for his true freshmen.
On the opposite end of the tailback spectrum are a pair of backs who could just as comfortably line up in the slot: Ben Glines and Andrew Strader. Glines spent last year primarily with the special teams unit, but also kicked in two catches for 14 yards and two rushes for eight yards. Strader did not play last year after redshirting in 2016. So far in camp, both have displayed the versatility to fill the role of a change-of-pace back who can also move out wide.
Glines, a former wide receiver who also spent time on special teams, has superb vision out of the backfield.
There’s nothing I want to see more in 2018 than John Fadule spiking a football in the end zone of Alumni Stadium. The senior fullback was tossed into an impossible situation as a freshman walk-on in 2013, forced to take the reigns of a dismal offense during the most disappointing season of the Addazio Era. Now, at a new position on what feels like an entirely new team, Fadule has finally found his place in the program as a gritty, bruising runner who can take care of the ball through the teeth of the defense.
As a unit, the running backs will have to assume their scariest form come Halloween this year. It’s then, during the most gruelling stretch of BC’s schedule against Miami and Virginia Tech, when the ACC’s elite will be separated from its growing middle class.
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What are your current Heisman power rankings?
First, the obvious: He’s a 245-pound bulldozer that prefers to go through tacklers instead of around them. In what was essentially half of a season on the Heights, Dillon rushed for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns on 5.3 yards per carry, the first freshman in the nation to reach those marks since 2014. In fact, dating back to 2000, only four other rookie runners compiled such seasons, and all of them except Adrian Peterson are currently playing on Sundays.
By now, the rest of the ACC has watched his film. But just because they know what’s coming doesn’t mean they can stop it.
Dillon has been named a preseason All American by Athlon, SI, CBS Sports, Phil Steele, and Lindy's Sports entering 2018.
Take last year’s Louisville game, for example, when offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler rode Dillon to a 45-42 comeback win on the road. That’s when the switch flipped. With backup Darius Wade in at quarterback and no vertical passing threat, the Cardinals front seven expected the run but still couldn’t do anything about it as Dillon exploded for 272 yards, 199 of which came after contact, and four scores. Only one ACC player since 2005 has posted more rushing yards in a game than his 272 at Louisville.
By the end of Dillon’s breakout performance, the press box was stunned. We had just witnessed a true freshman outduel the reigning Heisman winner at Papa John’s Stadium, and then listened to the Cardinal faithful boo their own defense for giving up seven touchdowns to Boston College. It turns out that some fans, too, are afraid of Dillon.
“Yeah, I definitely would say that Louisville probably was when I first started to kind of realize that I started to trust myself,” Dillon said. “I know from the beginning of the year I didn't really trust myself. You can see me kind of thinking through cuts, trying to figure out.”
For BC fans, the rest is history. Since his coming-out party at Louisville, the ACC Rookie of the Year entered a league of his own, leading all of FBS with 1,256 yards and 13 touchdowns over the final seven games of the year. He didn’t lose one fumble. It wasn’t always beautiful for the Eagles, but it did come together as they finished 5-2 down the stretch.
The scariest part about Dillon might be the fear of the unknown. If it took just five games for a 20-year old to become the best running back in the country, how much better can he get with an offseason of training under his belt?
This summer, Dillon has attacked his weaknesses as if they were running lanes. The preseason ACC Player of the Year studied tape to help him anticipate different fronts and pressures as both a runner and a blocker. Plus, two weeks into training camp, Dillon already looks like a more dynamic pass-catcher out of the backfield.
“You are going to be impressed by his ability to catch the ball,” running backs coach Brian White said. “He won’t be just a first and second down back like he was last year. We’ll spell him at times, but he’s worked really hard to be an every-down back.”
Dillon has emphasized that improving his pass-catching ability has been a priority for the sophomore this offseason.
Dillon’s ability to be an every-down back depends largely on his stamina. A between-the-tackles bowling ball, he has a reputation for maintaining forward momentum after contact and fighting for every inch in the trenches. Ultimately, as the weeks went by last year, the amount of energy he expelled on every carry began to show.
“There are certain times where I'd be tired in the backfield, just kind of—you can see it on the film where I definitely could have made another move, another cut, pushed for a couple extra yards,” Dillon said. “Those add up.”
As the number of Dillon’s carries spiked, he found himself on the sideline catching his breath more often. During BC’s second-half turnaround, he averaged over 30 rushes a game, more than Andre Williams touched the ball his senior year in 2013. Such a high usage rate, of course, is unsustainable without high endurance.
“A big, big factor for me, probably number one overall, was definitely stamina,” Dillon said. “Coming from high school, going to college, I always say one carry in high school is the equivalent of two and a half in college. You have to work so hard for each yard.”
Nobody works harder than Dillon simply because nobody is harder to bring down. His tree-trunk legs drag defenders for yards and make tackling him a group task. Last season, he forced 46 missed tackles, most among returning ACC running backs.
By virtue of his running style and heavy workload, Dillon will need some backup—even if the Heisman hopeful is making strides toward becoming an every-down back fit for the NFL.
The Other Guys
Travis Levy is primed to expand his role outside of a third-down back in the wake of Jon Hilliman’s transfer to Rutgers.
“I can run the ball on first and second down,” he said. “I can get in the pass game if you need me to. I can also go out wide if you need me to.”
Levy was limited to 54 yards on 21 carries during his freshman campaign, but he added a valuable receiving dimension to the backfield. The Olney, Md. native totaled 15 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown, leading the team with three receptions for 42 yards against Virginia Tech.
When I asked Levy about Dillon’s prospects as a pass-catcher, he joked: “[Dillon] definitely got hands, but I don’t know if they’re better than mine.”
A new face who has the potential to make an immediate impact is David Bailey, the No. 1 running back recruit from Maryland. At 6-foot-1, 245 pounds, the freshman is nearly as hard to tackle as the sophomore star ahead of him on the depth chart. Bailey has the talent to earn a share of the backfield, but with the new redshirt rule allowing players to remain eligible after four games, it’s hard to tell how Addazio will handle playing time for his true freshmen.
On the opposite end of the tailback spectrum are a pair of backs who could just as comfortably line up in the slot: Ben Glines and Andrew Strader. Glines spent last year primarily with the special teams unit, but also kicked in two catches for 14 yards and two rushes for eight yards. Strader did not play last year after redshirting in 2016. So far in camp, both have displayed the versatility to fill the role of a change-of-pace back who can also move out wide.
Glines, a former wide receiver who also spent time on special teams, has superb vision out of the backfield.
There’s nothing I want to see more in 2018 than John Fadule spiking a football in the end zone of Alumni Stadium. The senior fullback was tossed into an impossible situation as a freshman walk-on in 2013, forced to take the reigns of a dismal offense during the most disappointing season of the Addazio Era. Now, at a new position on what feels like an entirely new team, Fadule has finally found his place in the program as a gritty, bruising runner who can take care of the ball through the teeth of the defense.
As a unit, the running backs will have to assume their scariest form come Halloween this year. It’s then, during the most gruelling stretch of BC’s schedule against Miami and Virginia Tech, when the ACC’s elite will be separated from its growing middle class.
------------------------------------------------
What are your current Heisman power rankings?
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