Miami Hurricanes Travis Homer ranked 26th best RB by Athlon

Miami Hurricanes running back Travis Homer was ranked 28th in the country in a list of the top 50 backs according to Athlon. He was ranked fifth in the ACC.

Homer is coming off of a season in which he had over 1,000 yards of total offense. He became the Miami Hurricanes starter after four games. The Hurricanes lost star running back Mark Walton for the season with an ankle injury in the Florida State game.

Homer had to carry the load last season after Walton went down. The Miami Hurricanes were very thin at running back in 2017. Trayone Gray was the third-string, but he was only given seven carries last season. Head Coach Mark Richt switched DeeJay Dallas to running back from wide receiver to give Homer some help.

After becoming the starter in week five against Georgia Tech Homer averaged 15.3 carries for 84.3 yards per game. That included just seven carries for 12 yards against Pittsburgh.

In conference games, Homer finished eighth in the ACC in rushing yards per game with an average of 72.5 yards per game. In games he started against ACC opponents last season, Homer averaged 86.8 rushing yards per game. That would have moved him up one spot in the conference. He also had 18 receptions for 219 yards and a touchdown last season.

Homer will have competition for carries this season. That should prove to be a good thing to keep him Fresh. The passing game will also have to improve to keep teams from keying on stopping the run.

Dallas will have a full offseason under him to learn playing running back. The Miami Hurricanes also bring in five-star Freshman Lorenzo Lingard and four-star Camron Davis. Redshirt Freshman Robert Burns is coming off an injury-riddled season and could contribute.

Homer will be a big part of the Miami offense both on the ground and in the passing game in 2018. He’s a versatile player who was an ace on special teams before he became the starting running back. Athlon likes his prospects for an outstanding season.

"“Homer assumed the No. 1 role in Miami’s backfield after Mark Walton was lost with a season-ending injury against Florida State. The Florida native was impressive in his first extended action with the ‘Canes, rushing for 966 yards and eight touchdowns on 163 carries.Homer could rank higher on this list by the end of the 2018 season. However, he will have to hold off touted freshman Lorenzo Lingard and DeeJay Dallas for the starting job.”"

Homer could challenge for All-ACC this season. Athlon has Homer third-team All-ACC. The four ACC running backs ahead of Homer on their top 50 list are Georgia Tech’s Kirvonte Benson at 27, Clemson’s Travis Etienne at 16, Florida State’s Cam Akers at seven and Boston College’s A.J. Dillon who is second in the nation.

Miami plays Florida State, Boston College and Georgia Tech this year. They do not play Clemson unless both teams repeat as ACC Division Champions.

Akers and the Seminoles group game shredded Miami last season. Jacques Patrick who is ranked 31st on Athlon’s list had 91 yards on 11 carries. Akers ran for 121 yards on 20 carries. The Miami defense was able to keep both out of the end zone.

Etienne had six carries for 24 yards and a touchdown in the ACC Championship game against the Hurricanes. The Tigers didn’t need him much as they built a 21-0 lead at halftime and stretched it to 38-0 after three quarters. Clemson won the title 38-3.

Benson teamed with Georgia Tech quarterback TaQuon Marshall in the Yellow Jackets triple option attack. They both ran for over 1,000 yards. Benson ran for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns last season. Miami held Benson to 40 yards on seven carries and kept him out of the end zone.

Miami did not play Boston College in 2017. Dillon was sensational. He ran for 1,533 yards and 14 touchdowns. At 6’0 240 pounds, he’s tough to bring down. Dillon had seven games rushing for over 100 yards last season and two of 200 or better. His best game came against Louisville. Dillon ran for 272 yards on 39 carries with four touchdowns.

Next: How would a CFB ACC-Big 10/SEC Challenge affect Miami?

Homer is one of the most versatile backs in college football. He produced last season in the passing game and on the ground. Homer led Miami in rushing and was fourth in receptions. He is a vital part of the offense. He will have a lot more help this year in the running game. That should help the Miami offense be more proficient.