Being able to feature more than one running back is a luxury. But four backs?
With Shamari Brooks entering the season with a chance to be Tulsa's career leader in rushing, the Golden Hurricane also has Corey Taylor, T.K. Wilkerson and Chris Lovick who could all lead the team in rushing on a given day.
Brooks, Taylor and Wilkerson showed that ability last year. But even Lovick, who didn't get many carries last year, could have a breakout season.
"I think we have more than three, to be honest with you," Montgomery said about how many running backs could excel for TU this season, including Lovick in the group.
Brooks, unquestionably, is the headliner, however, and should be. The former Union High School standout rushed for 1,046 yards and six touchdowns last season, and needs 1,218 yards to surpass fellow Tulsa native D'Angelo Brewer as Tulsa's career leader in rushing.
Brooks, who is already fifth in TU history with 2,700 rushing yards along with 23 touchdowns, was good from the start at TU, and has gotten better every year. He rushed for 697 yards and 10 touchdowns in nine games as a freshman, and gained 847 yards and had seven touchdowns as a sophomore.
"As we come back after the four-month delay, Shamari looks unbelievable." Montgomery said. "He's running extremely well, he's very fit, really locked in, talking more than I've ever heard him talk. I'm really excited about what the season holds for him."
Brooks isn't big, standing 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds, but runs like he thinks he is. He is just as likely to run over a defender as elude him. His style leaves nothing left on the field, and it would be deserving if Brooks gets the TU record.
"Shamari, and what he's been able to accomplish in his career here, at the end of the time, he could walk away from here and be the all-time leading rusher," Montgomery said. "We expect great things from him."
Brooks is excited about the prospect of the record.
"That would be a really important accolade to achieve," Brooks said of the record. "It would be really big, especially for my family."
But it isn't even the rushing record that is foremost on Brooks' mind lately. Being a more complete back, especially in catching the ball, has gotten his attention. Brooks caught nine passes for 49 yards and a touchdown last season, and has 16 catches for 84 yards in his college career.
"I've tried to work on my speed and catching the ball out of the backfield," Brooks said. "I just worry about catching the ball, that's all I've worked on. Hopefully, we can assess that in the games and get a few catches in here and there."
Complementing Brooks is Corey Taylor, a 5-10, 215-pound senior from Holland Hall. Taylor rushed for 461 yards and six touchdowns in 2019, and has 1,498 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns for his career, including 846 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2018.
"Corey is in great shape," Montgomery said. "He is a little lighter than he has been, but physically, he's still just as strong and he's going to carry that weight even better."
Tall for a running back, T.K. Wilkerson is someone who has looked like he has deserved more carries ever since his first carry of his career, a 79-yarder as a true freshman. The 6-2, 229-pound Wilkerson rushed for 220 yards and six touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2019.
"T.K. really got in there and showed some flashes last year," Montgomery said. "T.K. is different than the other three. He's a guy who can really run downhill, he's got speed about him, but he's just so big. It's just a different beast when he's carrying the football.
Chris Lovick has been an intriguing talent since signing with TU. The 5-9, 188-pounder from Tomball, Texas, is someone who arrived at TU with the reputation for being a terrific receiver out of the backfield as well as a runner.
"I think you can also add in there Christian Lovick, who played very little last year, but we were able to redshirt him. He's a really dynamic back," said Montgomery of Lovick, who rushed for 36 yards on nine carries in 2019.
"Christian reminds me a lot of Shamari in some senses. He's electric with the football in his hands. He's one of the fastest guys we have on the team, especially from zero to ten, he's got a terrific burst."
With Brooks, Taylor, Wikerson and Lovick, Tulsa's ground game is in terrific hands.
"You roll all those guys in together, as you never know what the season is going to throw at you, especially as we are dealing with some new areas, I think we've got four guys we feel really confident about,” Montgomery added. “And I think we've got a couple of others that have a little more learning to do, but are very talented. I feel good about where we are at with running backs, that is for sure.”
The embarrassment of riches at running back doesn't end there for TU. Also on the roster are two talented transfers from SEC schools in Anthony Watkins from Missouri and Deneric Prince from Texas A&M. Watkins rushed for 19 yards on six carries for Mizzou as a true freshman last year, and Prince rushed for 21 yards on two carries for the Aggies as a true freshman in 2018. UPDATE: Both Watkins and Prince have had waivers approved by the NCAA and are immediately eligible to play at Tulsa.
