SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Tarean Folston isn’t too far removed from being benched for the second half of a pivotal game last year.
The junior running back was held out for the final two quarters at Arizona State last November as Notre Dame’s furious comeback effort fell short in what turned out to be a 24-point loss. Coach Brian Kelly was unhappy with Folston’s pass protection effort, so he gave most of the second-half snaps to senior Cam McDaniel.
Folston responded well to his benching and by all accounts made significant strides as a pass blocker over the season’s final weeks. Now entering his junior year, Notre Dame is confident it has a running back that’s able to excel at everything expected of him.
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“He's going to be called on this year to carry a larger load for us as a featured back,” Kelly said. “But what we like about him is we know what we have there, and he is an established, national caliber running back, and that is a strength for any football team going into the season. We know what he can do coming out of the backfield and catch the football. He's excellent now — he struggled at times, but later in the year he showed himself to be very strong in our protection.”
Folston had at least 20 rushing attempts in four of Notre Dame’s final seven games and was hardly one of the reasons for his team’s freefall to an 8-5 record. He’s not a home run hitter — his longest carry last year was 26 yards — but he’s a steady, reliable presence next to Malik Zaire in an offense that should be more run-oriented this fall.
In his two years at Notre Dame, Folston has 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns on 263 attempts (5.2 yards per carry). He’ll share carries with converted slot receiver C.J. Prosise (who’s currently sidelined with a hip flexor and is expected to return to practice later this week) and possibly converted receiver Justin Brent and one of Notre Dame’s freshmen running backs (Dexter Williams and Josh Adams) this fall.
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“I’m getting a better feel for the game, keeping my feet moving on contact,” Folston said. “I still have a lot to work on, but I feel like my game is getting gradually better.”
Kelly and running backs coach Autry Denson have limited Folston’s reps during preseason practice in an effort to keep the Cocoa, Fla. native fresh for the grind of a season in which he’ll have an expanded role. But then again, the expectation is Notre Dame’s running game will have a more prominent place in the offense, and Folston wants to be the leader of that push.
“I’m definitely confident in myself as far as carrying the ball 30 plus times a game,” Folston said. “But it’s up to the coaches. We have a great running back room. I wouldn’t be surprised if we all got a lot of touches this year.”