ASU short on depth at running back with Isaiah Floyd intending to transfer

Michelle Gardner
The Republic | azcentral.com

Junior Eno Benjamin has proven to be one of the most durable running backs in the country the past two years. Now the Arizona State coaching staff has to hope that doesn't change.

The Sun Devils are down to three scholarship running backs with Tuesday's news that junior Isaiah Floyd intends to seek a transfer.

The situation isn't particularly new for the Sun Devils. Floyd, a compactly built 5-foot-7, 176-pounder, has been absent for weeks with ASU coaches only saying he was dealing with "personal matters."

Floyd becomes the third ASU player in as many days to enter the portal following junior quarterback Dillon Sterling-Cole and freshman linebacker Ely Doyle. Those departures came on the heels of junior place kicker Brandon Ruiz announcing his intention to leave two weeks ago.

Floyd came to the Sun Devils last season after a year at City College of San Francisco. He had an impressive spring and looked like a good option as a backup for Benjamin, but got just 11 carries for 47 yards in the first three games.

Last season as a sophomore, Floyd tallied 209 yards on 45 carries.

With Floyd officially gone, freshman A.J. Carter becomes Benjamin's understudy. He has played sparingly in the first seven games with 10 carries for 31 yards but has also been targeted in the passing game.

The other scholarship running back is freshman Demetrius Flowers, a product of Southern California power St. John Bosco, who has played in two games this year and can play only two more without losing a season of eligibility. Coaches have indicated they would prefer to redshirt Flowers, who is coming off an injury.

One of the contingency plans is to get senior wide receiver Kyle Williams some practice time in the backfield.

“You do have to be careful you’re not wearing Eno out and that’s why we’ve gotten (senior wide receiver) Kyle Williams some reps there," offensive coordinator Rob Likens said. "But A.J. (Carter) practiced really well so he’s improving and so we feel good about getting him into the game. So as long as Eno is OK and healthy it’s not a concern with me about the depth because we did move Kyle Williams over there for a period of time and let him learn everything. He could play running back.”

Benjamin has been solid with 633 yards and seven touchdowns on 140 tries. He is coming off an 104-yard effort against Utah, which boasts the second-ranked rushing defense in the country. He also has 19 receptions for 185 yards and two scores.

ASU's most recent signing class did not include a running back. It has one in the next signing class in DeaMonte Trayanum, a senior at Archbishop Hoban in Akron, Ohio, who is rated the fifth overall prospect in the state by 247Sports.

The Sun Devils are also heavily pursuing Daniyel Ngata out of Folsom, Calif., who is set to announce his decision on Sunday. Ngata, who has 23 offers, visited ASU in September. The four-star recruit has rushed for 504 yards and 10 touchdowns on 73 carries. Both 247Sports and Rivals have him headed to Tempe.

With the recent defections, ASU is down to 68 scholarship players, which is a historical low for the program.

ASU (2-2, 5-2) is preparing for Saturday's Pac-12 South Division contest against UCLA (2-2, 2-5) at the Rose Bowl. The Sun Devils are coming off a 21-3 loss at Utah while UCLA is coming off a 34-16 road win over Stanford.

Reach the reporter at Michelle.Gardner@Gannett.com or 602-444-4783.  Follow her on Twitter @MGardnerSports.

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