Although they've only known each other for a few weeks, NAU's running backs are already developing family bonds.
The Lumberjacks' football team welcomed three freshmen running backs to this year's roster: Jonathan DeWitt and Jamaal Perkins out of southern California and Zach Bauman, who played at Arizona state high school champion Chandler Hamilton. Each is becoming familiar with the others, to say the least, despite competing for carries.
"This is my nephew," Bauman joked, while introducing Perkins. Perkins then said he's Bauman's father.
DeWitt wasn't left out. Sophomore Giovannie Dixon is claiming he's DeWitt's uncle.
"He's a son of a wide receiver, who's my brother, named Austin Shanks," Dixon said, referring to the NAU junior.
DeWitt, though, opted for something a little less confusing to describe the freshmen trio's immediate kinship.
"We're like the Three Musketeers, he said. "We're just playing games and having fun with it."
Joking aside, the position is one of the bigger questions the Jacks face heading into the 2010 season. The young group is replacing Alex Henderson, who was NAU's second all-time leading rusher with 3,462 career yards, and the four are mostly untested in the college setting. Dixon, who played as Henderson's backup last year, has 39 carries in his collegiate career after he transferred as a redshirt freshman from Arizona State.
The freshmen, despite going through the typical hiccups while acclimating to the college level, are feeling more comfortable as the Sept. 2 matchup against Western New Mexico approaches. They've adapted to the faster pace of college and had their heads wrapped in their playbooks for most of the month.
"Once you learn the plays and know what you're doing, everything flows," DeWitt said.
With so many new faces at the position, it's fitting that running back coach Jimmy Beal, who recently took over the position from Chris Taylor, is new to the program too.
"It's lucky for me that I came in with no bias. I'm just looking at everybody for who and what they are with their individual talents and their production on the field," Beal said.
While he's been impressed with his backs, Beal can't say how the depth chart is shaping out just yet. Each has made his case for playing time and their coach imagines everyone will get a share of carries once the season starts, depending on how things go.
"They really want to try hard and do everything right. They're all backs that can play right now. They've definitely showed me some great things that, natural-talent wise, make a coach just happy to coach," Beal said. "I cannot pick which one's going to be that guy. Giovannie did really well in the spring and got a lot of time last fall but, man, those freshmen are good too."
Beal described DeWitt and Perkins as "burners", meaning they're speedy guys who can torch the field while Bauman and Dixon are shifty, change-of-pace runners. There's not a lot of variance with their body types, though, as each stands at 5-foot-9 or 5-10 and weighs between 185 and 200 pounds.
Offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren is pleased with their development, but one thing in particular needs work: Pass blocking, which is something high school running backs almost never have to do.
"That's the biggest transition from the high school game to the college game, being able to step in there and pick up a blitzing linebacker," Lindgren said. "We've got a really talented group of guys, it's just (a matter of) getting them experience."
As close as the group can be, there's definitely signs of a friendly, sibling-like rivalry. Although Bauman deferred to his teammates, the other three were at odds as to who's the fastest.
Perkins claimed he was, though they've yet to race because of their perpetual soreness.
"He thinks he is," DeWitt said. "I could get him."
The freshmen's elder statesman, however, doesn't see any of them out-running him.
"None of these little kids getting me, so I ain't worried about it," Dixon said.
Jacob May can be reached at jmay@azdailysun.com or 556-2257.
