Iowa State's Eli Sanders has chance to be a 'dangerous back' as competition gets underway

AMES – It’s only been a few days since Iowa State’s running back competition hit the field for fall camp, but position coach Nate Scheelhaase is already cataloguing the strengths each back is showing early on. 

“They’ve all had a day or even moments when they’ve popped off the film,” Scheelhaase said this week, “and that’s what makes you excited.” 

One of those moments came for redshirt freshman Eli Sanders on Monday. 

“He caught about an 80-yard touchdown out of the backfield,” Scheelhaase said. 

It was something of a contested touchdown with Iowa State not yet in full contact and with defensive back Darien Porter, a contender with Sanders for fastest on the team, in full pursuit. 

“I just came out of the backfield, left side, and Darien was on the other side,” Sanders recalled, “Got it to a foot race. Got it probably back to the five (yard line), and he was on my hip.” 

Who else is competing to replace Breece Hall? 

Jirehl Brock, who is in his fourth season at Iowa State, is the leader to take over starting duties in the backfield after spending last season as All-American and future New York Jet Breece Hall’s backup. 

Scheelhaase, coordinator Tom Manning and head coach Matt Campbell will not simply hand Brock the job, though. Sanders, redshirt freshman Deon Silas and true freshman Cartevious Norton are all in the mix as well. 

“That’s what we were excited about coming into camp,” Scheelhaase said. “We felt like there was going to be not only great competition every day but seeing those guys and what they do really well.  

"We have confidence it’s going to be somebody. We’re just excited to see who those somebodies end up being.” 

More:Can Iowa State football replace Breece Hall? Don't bet against Matt Campbell to do so.

How does Iowa State's Eli Sanders play? 

Sanders came to Iowa State as a four-star recruit out of Chandler, Ariz. He had just nine carries as a true freshman, appearing in four games to preserve his redshirt. The limited experience on the field, though, didn’t limit Sanders’ ability to learn at the feet of one of the best running backs in school history. 

“It was great just watching his pregame, how he studies film, how he practices,” Sanders said of Hall, who was a second-round pick in this spring’s draft. “It’s really exciting to see at that level what it takes. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication and motivation and love of the game.” 

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Sanders’ explosive speed is what has stood out early. 

“He is a guy that can make big plays, explosive plays,” Scheelhaase said. “Not only catching the ball out of the backfield, but hit some runs, run the ball downhill, finding creases in between the tackles, which is good to see.  

“He’s got a lot that he’s done already, and he’s starting to feel that comfort on the college level.” 

Sanders, though, needs to continue to work on making simple plays and his pass protection, Scheelhaase said. 

“We feel confident running the ball, I think we feel confident in the passing game,” he said, “the consistency in pass protection, the consistency with play after play, even when big runs aren’t there, he’s able to cram it and get two, three yards on plays where he’s not trying to make a play and losing us two yards.  

“When he does that and does that at a consistent level, he’s going to be a really dangerous back. He’s been showing that already in camp. He’s taking the two- to three-yard gains, and when the 50-, 60-yard plays show up, he’s ready for it as well.” 

Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or  (515) 284-8000. Follow him at @TravisHines21.