Back Healthy and Pushing Forward

When you enter a program as a walk-on running back coming off a knee injury which kept you off the field your senior season in high school, there are no promises.

When you're entering your redshirt sophomore year at running back coming off a spring camp knee injury which kept you off the field last year, there are no promises.

Keegan Holles has never asked for one. He just keeps returning to the field to see what he can earn.

"He's an anomaly in the world of football. He's a running back who's been through two different knee injuries," Colorado State running backs coach Jeremy Moses said. "We all know that's a long process that has to take some mental toughness, so to be able to do that twice and still be able to come back out here and still be able to run the football fearlessly, you give a lot of credit to the kid and what's between his ears."

Moses' running back room was bitten by the injury bug over and over in 2023. Kobe Johnson was limited to just four games by a wrist injury. Avery Morrow appeared in nine, limited by a knee injury. Step by step, somebody was elevated. Vann Schield led the team with 90 carries and 389 yards, and by the end of the season, he wasn't at full strength. It opened the door for freshmen Damian Henderson II and Justin Marshall at the end of the season to get carries, with Marshall averaging 103.7 yards per game over the final three contests.

Experience is great, but coach Jay Norvell frequently says the best ability is availability. Most of Moses' backs were unavailable most of the season. Not this fall camp, which is proving to be a rather competitive one for the group.

And if they learned anything from last season, always be ready.

"Everybody in there has got some kind of playing time. Everybody has their own edge, and everybody is in there competing," said Morrow, who led the team in rushing in 2022 with 834 yards and five 100-yard outings. "Obviously everybody is trying to get that spot, but we're all making each other better. I mean, if you don't want that spot, then why are you here? We're all here to get better and play as a team, but everybody wants that starting role.

"Anything can happen. I wasn't expecting to tear my knee the third game and be out for four weeks. I didn't plan that. Same thing with Kobe, he wasn't planning on being out the whole season with a wrist. Everybody needs to know what to do and be on your P's and Q's because you never know when your name is going to be called."

All Holles has ever wanted was to be healthy enough to have his name be an option.

In 2022, he worked his way to a point where the coaching staff not only trusted him but created some packages for a young man with great speed, setting the 100-meter record at Cherry Creek High School. When he walked on, he was a year removed from his prior game. But he worked his way into the plan, even if it was limited to just 10 carries.

But he was on a path, one which ended with a second knee injury the following spring.

"It's challenging. It's definitely a big mental battle every day," he said. "The weight staff has really gotten me and kept me in good spirits the entire way. I can't thank them enough to get me where I am right now. I was determined. I felt like I was doubted still and still had something to prove. I had a chip on my shoulder, for sure, coming in the building every day.

"This spring, it took me about a month to get back and feeling like I'm a running back. Coming into this fall, I feel like I'm picking up where I left off from the spring."

Moses is a bit surprised at the progress he's seen. Early in spring camp, he had to challenge Holles to be more aggressive. He responded. Then he continued to do so with the speed and strength work in the summer.

The payoff showed in the first fall scrimmage, where on his first carry, Holles broke a tackle. It was a necessary run, not just for the running back, but his coach. As the day progressed, Holles was back to sticking his foot in the ground with authority and showing off his speed to get to the outside.

"He is fearless. He shows up every day ready to work, runs his butt off; he empties the tank every day," Moses said. "He's doing everything he's supposed to be doing in order to flash. With his weight room numbers in the offseason, he's one of the most explosive guys we have in the program as far as a vertical jump, a broad jump, his times through 10 yards. He's still got explosiveness to him that's better than most. It's intriguing how athletic he is after those injuries."

Still, no promises. He has to compete in a room where both Johnson and Morrow have plenty of experience, Marshall and Henderson II have shown promise and freshman Jalen Dupree is not ready to take a back seat.

Moses said the first week, he wouldn't have trust issues using the newcomer out of Arkansas because he's already up to speed with the playbook and his ability in pass protection.

Finally, the room is full and holds plenty of variables. Holles is just glad to be part of the conversation, a universal feeling amongst those he battles with every day.

"Man, I'm so proud of that dude. When he got here, he'd already had a knee injury," Morrow said. "Then he hurt the other one. To see him face adversity, face it in the eye and conquer it – I've had my own knee injury and understand what it's like to regain that confidence and find the you after. It's not easy planting and driving. Seeing him grow and mature from my first year here to now, I'm really proud of him. I like the direction he's going."

So does Moses.

He much prefers his backs on the field, not in the training room. He's a fan of having options on game days, a host of ball carriers he trusts. More importantly, he likes to see them go after a job every day, one each and every one of them wants.

"It's as thick as our room has ever been, and the beauty when it comes to that is there's great competition in the room," he said. "All of those guys work well together, they push each other. Whoever is the starter come week one is going to be sharpened by the other guys in the room. They all know they have to show up every day and compete at a high level or they're going to get exposed."

So, no promises. For any of them.

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Jalen Dupree

Damian Henderson II

Keegan Holles

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Vann Schield

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