FSU Football: Is Cam Akers really a top 10 running back nationally?

FSU Football knows that if thing want to turn around after last season, much of it is going to fall on the legs of the junior running back in 2019.

Two years ago, the FSU football team had plenty of high hopes with their newest freshman running back – and Cam Akers lived up to many of them as the five star recruit from the state of Mississippi finished the season with over 1,000 yards, the most ever for a back in their first season with the Noles.

Year two was a much different story – as the combination of a new offense under head coach Willie Taggart and offensive coordinator Walt Bell along with injuries and an awful offensive line saw Akers finish the season with a good handoff more than 700 on the year during the first losing season in over four decades.

Now, as the Seminoles prepare for the 2019 season and Akers gets ready to take the field for year number three, there is growing questions as to which version of the running back will show up for FSU football this season – and according to one outlet, it’s going to be closer to option number one.

Florida State Seminoles Football

College Football News recently ranked Akers as the ninth best running back in the entire country despite having a 2018 season where three carries defined his season.

"Eventually he’ll show off all he can do. He has yet to work behind a strong line, and last season he wasn’t healthy enough to overcome the offense’s issues…he’s a great receiver, has the talent to be the star of the attack, and has all the skills to finally put it all together."

Now, I am the first person to put blame where it needs to be in the fact that the offensive line for the FSU football team has been God awful for the past three seasons – but let us also be honest with ourselves about Akers over the course of last season.

Stats wise, Akers finished the year with 706 yards on 161 carries for an average of 4.4 yards per run – however, when you take away his three biggest runs (85 yards vs. Va. Tech, 58 yards against Wake and 55 against Boston College), the numbers plummet to 508 yards on 158 carries for an average of 3.2 yards a carry.

You never want your star running back to be averaging less than 10 yards on three carries, but that’s the problem the Seminoles had last season. If Akers can get his feat back under him and average over five yards a carry like his freshman season, than being called top 10 is more than appropriate.