Tide's Trent Richardson has big shoes to fill

TUSCALOOSA – Yes, a Heisman Trophy winner was missing from the front of the line as Alabama’s running backs worked through individual drills during Monday’s practice.

Mark Ingram is gone, but there is great potential in this unit again being the strength of the offense. This spring, the others are lining up behind Trent Richardson.

“We’re big back there,” Richardson said after the first of Alabama’s 15 practice sessions this spring. “We’re just trying to figure out who’s going to fill in that spot.”

Richardson, who was second behind Ingram last season with 700 yards and six touchdowns on 112 carries, is taking nothing for granted.

“I still haven’t started yet,” he pointed out, noting his two starts in 11 games last year came as Ingram rehabbed preseason knee surgery. “I’ve got to fight for my position, too.”

But even Richardson knows that more is expected from him, both on the field and as a leader. The rising junior said his approach has changed.

“Right now, I see myself or my teammates see me as one of the main running backs,” he said. “Mark’s not here so I’ve got to take a bigger role. I’ve got big shoes to step into.”

He noticed a change just stepping onto the field Monday.

“He’s been here since Day 1 since I was being recruited,” said the running back, who also caught 23 passes for 266 yards and four touchdowns last season. “It’s kind of different, him not coming in here leading the group out every time. Me just follow behind him. Now I’ve got to know what I’m doing, make sure I’m doing everything right and set an example for everybody, too.”

He takes that very seriously, particularly helping true freshman and early enrollee Dee Hart get acclimated.

“He’s just like me with Mark when I came in,” Richardson said. “He’s the youngest dude in the group right now. So I’ve got to make sure that he’s on top of his game.

“I don’t want him to fall back behind because I didn’t teach him. Or something he didn’t know that I knew but was being selfish. I don’t want to be that type of person. Roy Upchurch, Terry Grant, Mark, Demetrius Goode, they never did me like that, so I can’t be selfish.”

Sophomore Eddie Lacy improved tremendously during last season. Demetrius Goode is again healthy and primed for his senior year. Sophomore Jalston Fowler is a bruising back and redshirt freshman Corey Grant has breakaway speed.

If he is going to get the lion’s share of carries, like Ingram, Richardson said somebody is going to step up and take the load off of him.

“I’d love to see somebody step in,” said the standout from Pensacola, Fla. “I don’t want to be the only one getting pounded, just out there running all the time. We need more than one. To be a championship team you’re going to need more than one running back.”

Hart could factor into the rotation. Richardson laughed when asked about the freshman wearing the No. 1 jersey. He said it’s a bull’s-eye.

“I wore No. 1 in high school. So it’s kind of like, ‘Ah, OK, he’s got the number,’” the junior laughed. “We’ll have to see what he’s going to do with it. … You gotta be the man wearing No. 1.”

Asked if he thought about taking No. 1, Richardson, who now shares No. 3 with incoming freshman linebacker/safety Vinnie Sunseri, shook his head.

“Nah, I’ve got a number so I’m going to stick with it.”