Texas A&M’s 2026 running back room took a hit on Thursday afternoon after coach Mike Elko revealed that redshirt freshman Tiger Riden Jr. will miss the regular season with an undisclosed injury, which was a surprise to all of us in the media, who recently saw the second-year back perform well this preseason, and was in line to win the No. 3 running back job behind Rueben Owens and Jamarion Morrow.
To avoid leaks, Elko and nearly every college football head coach keep injuries close to the vest weeks before the start of the regular season, but given the state of the running back room, Elko praised Rueben Owens’ improvement this offseason, who is in line to earn the starting job, while many, including myself, believe that this will be a running back by committee approach, given Jamarion Morrow’s rise as one of the best athletes on the roster.
Still, Owen’s contact balance issues have apparently, based on what we’ve seen/heard, been solved, giving the former five-star commit a clear edge to begin the season as the starter.
“What you have now is a healthy, mature version of him that is physically ready to take on the rigors of the SEC.”
“We’re excited for him to be able to go out and finally put out his absolute best, healthiest foot forward into a new season.”
“What you have now is a healthy, mature version of him that is physically ready to take on the rigors of the SEC.”
“We’re excited for him to be able to go out and finally put out his absolute best, healthiest foot forward into a new season.”
Even with Tiger Riden sidelined, Owens and Jamarion Morrow provide new OC Holmon Wiggins the 1-2 punch needed to improve the rushing attack after last season’s massive drop-off at the end of the season, and combined with freshmen KJ Edwards and Carsyn Baker, Elko is fully confident that Riden’s injury won’t derail the running back room’s depth.
“(Rueben Owens) and Jamarion (Morrow) have had strong games. We’re happy with what (KJ) Edwards and (Carsyn) Baker have done in camp. We feel good about the group we have.”
Enjoying this article? Support our work with a small crypto donation.“We certainly feel good and believe in what we have.”
“(Rueben Owens) and Jamarion (Morrow) have had strong games. We’re happy with what (KJ) Edwards and (Carsyn) Baker have done in camp. We feel good about the group we have.”
“We certainly feel good and believe in what we have.”
Edwards and Baker took another step this preseason and bring unique skill sets that should be utilized throughout the season, as the new 5-for-5 rule will essentially force coaches to play younger players who are too skilled to sit on the bench, especially with depth at nearly every position during the new nine-game SEC schedule.
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