Continuing the Process
Mar 28, 2024 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
For years, Kansas State fans wondered what would've been possible if Josh Scobey had another year of eligibility. Scobey was a mighty fine running back, a built running back, the kind of guy you avoided on a football field. The 6-foot, 220-pounder rushed for 718 yards as a junior and 1,263 yards as a senior. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft.
Well, K-State fans might see something better than Scobey in the fall.
DJ Giddens is a 6-foot-1, 212-pound native of Junction City, who will likely enter his junior season on the Doak Walker Award watch list and receive votes for those Preseason All-Big 12 Conference teams. As K-State continues to groom its rebuilt offensive line, some questions remain, but offensive coordinator Conor Riley says that Giddens "is what I would consider to be one of the best in the country (at running back)," and running backs coach Brian Anderson says that "the sky's the limit for him," and assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach Van Malone says that "he's inflicting punishment on defenders," and will be a "much more physical runner" than in 2023.
It's about a process.
After rushing for 518 yards as a redshirt freshman while backing up Consensus All-American Deuce Vaughn in 2022, Giddens amassed 1,226 yards on 223 carries with 10 touchdowns while also catching 29 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns last season. Giddens, who forced 69 missed tackles last year (seventh among Power 5 running backs, according to Pro Football Focus), absorbed hits and kept on running. He rushed for 207 yards and four touchdowns against UCF. He had 151 rushing yards and one touchdown against NC State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, afterward merely smiling, because he didn't say much.
Giddens' actions spoke loudly last season, and they are speaking even louder here during spring practices, as Anderson says that Giddens is trusting his shoulder more to deliver hits on people, and that Giddens, who is a member of the team's leadership council, is speaking up more, which benefits the team.
More than once, Anderson has heard Giddens voice his opinion from the back of the room. Giddens is answering questions "more than ever before." And that pleases Anderson, who believes that Giddens knows that he has a role on his team, not only as a player but as a leader.
"That runs deep throughout our whole football team," Anderson says. "That runs deep in our locker room and throughout the whole building."
On the field, Anderson sees destruction.
"Well, what I see is guys don't want to get in front of him," Anderson says. "He packs a punch. Pound for pound, he's one of the strongest guys on the team. He has a great lower half, so he has great power in his legs, and we had his shoulder fixed last spring, so he's trusting his shoulder more to deliver blows on people. His development, his next step on the field, for me, is him not taking so many hits but delivering more hits on people."
On the field, Anderson also lauds Giddens for his willingness to learn how to run routes out of the backfield and also out of the slot. And there's a difference between the two.
"It's a different view in the slot from running out of the backfield because you have a safety, a linebacker and a corner inside-outside over the top of you, so now you have to understand your spacing," Anderson says. "He's done a really good job of understanding that and fine-tuning his route running."
Off the field, Giddens is elevating his football IQ. That entails further understanding defenses and aspects such as gap integrity, coverages and blitz pickups. For Anderson, it's all about growth in the classroom. It's about handling meetings and taking great notes.
"That's where you're going to see him continue to grow," Anderson says, "and his ability is going to get better as he goes through that process of getting better off the field."
Case in point, Anderson and Giddens watched film on Wednesday morning. Giddens recognized something was amiss and called himself out in front of his running backs coach.
"He challenges himself every single day," Anderson says. "We were watching film this morning. He had a couple runs yesterday where he didn't adjust right, and he knew right away. He said, 'Yep, I knew once I got the ball, I was too wide,' or, 'I have to see that better.' He can answer those questions. I'm sure he's watching practice right after practice. When a kid is doing that right now, he's taking those necessary steps to make himself a better player."
There's something that Anderson likes to do in his positional meeting room. He likes to show his players different inspirational videos. One day it might be Tom Brady. Another day it might be Michael Jordan. But these all-world athletes talk about the process, and how important it becomes to develop off the field and not just on the basketball court or between the white lines.
"As DJ is taking those next steps," Anderson says, "you're going to see a different guy."
It's about a process.
Scobey and Giddens are joined by size, strength and running style, but are a small lifetime apart. Still, there was always a segment of K-State fans who wondered what Scobey could've achieved with one more year. Hard to believe at times that Giddens is just entering his junior season. He is a 20-year-old with seemingly boundless potential and has received rave reviews from his coaches. And it's March. Crazy to think what Giddens, big body and all, could do next fall.
It could be something that K-State fans talk about for years to come.
For years, Kansas State fans wondered what would've been possible if Josh Scobey had another year of eligibility. Scobey was a mighty fine running back, a built running back, the kind of guy you avoided on a football field. The 6-foot, 220-pounder rushed for 718 yards as a junior and 1,263 yards as a senior. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft.
Well, K-State fans might see something better than Scobey in the fall.
DJ Giddens is a 6-foot-1, 212-pound native of Junction City, who will likely enter his junior season on the Doak Walker Award watch list and receive votes for those Preseason All-Big 12 Conference teams. As K-State continues to groom its rebuilt offensive line, some questions remain, but offensive coordinator Conor Riley says that Giddens "is what I would consider to be one of the best in the country (at running back)," and running backs coach Brian Anderson says that "the sky's the limit for him," and assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach Van Malone says that "he's inflicting punishment on defenders," and will be a "much more physical runner" than in 2023.
It's about a process.
After rushing for 518 yards as a redshirt freshman while backing up Consensus All-American Deuce Vaughn in 2022, Giddens amassed 1,226 yards on 223 carries with 10 touchdowns while also catching 29 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns last season. Giddens, who forced 69 missed tackles last year (seventh among Power 5 running backs, according to Pro Football Focus), absorbed hits and kept on running. He rushed for 207 yards and four touchdowns against UCF. He had 151 rushing yards and one touchdown against NC State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, afterward merely smiling, because he didn't say much.
Giddens' actions spoke loudly last season, and they are speaking even louder here during spring practices, as Anderson says that Giddens is trusting his shoulder more to deliver hits on people, and that Giddens, who is a member of the team's leadership council, is speaking up more, which benefits the team.
More than once, Anderson has heard Giddens voice his opinion from the back of the room. Giddens is answering questions "more than ever before." And that pleases Anderson, who believes that Giddens knows that he has a role on his team, not only as a player but as a leader.
"That runs deep throughout our whole football team," Anderson says. "That runs deep in our locker room and throughout the whole building."
On the field, Anderson sees destruction.
"Well, what I see is guys don't want to get in front of him," Anderson says. "He packs a punch. Pound for pound, he's one of the strongest guys on the team. He has a great lower half, so he has great power in his legs, and we had his shoulder fixed last spring, so he's trusting his shoulder more to deliver blows on people. His development, his next step on the field, for me, is him not taking so many hits but delivering more hits on people."
On the field, Anderson also lauds Giddens for his willingness to learn how to run routes out of the backfield and also out of the slot. And there's a difference between the two.
"It's a different view in the slot from running out of the backfield because you have a safety, a linebacker and a corner inside-outside over the top of you, so now you have to understand your spacing," Anderson says. "He's done a really good job of understanding that and fine-tuning his route running."
Off the field, Giddens is elevating his football IQ. That entails further understanding defenses and aspects such as gap integrity, coverages and blitz pickups. For Anderson, it's all about growth in the classroom. It's about handling meetings and taking great notes.
"That's where you're going to see him continue to grow," Anderson says, "and his ability is going to get better as he goes through that process of getting better off the field."
Case in point, Anderson and Giddens watched film on Wednesday morning. Giddens recognized something was amiss and called himself out in front of his running backs coach.
"He challenges himself every single day," Anderson says. "We were watching film this morning. He had a couple runs yesterday where he didn't adjust right, and he knew right away. He said, 'Yep, I knew once I got the ball, I was too wide,' or, 'I have to see that better.' He can answer those questions. I'm sure he's watching practice right after practice. When a kid is doing that right now, he's taking those necessary steps to make himself a better player."
There's something that Anderson likes to do in his positional meeting room. He likes to show his players different inspirational videos. One day it might be Tom Brady. Another day it might be Michael Jordan. But these all-world athletes talk about the process, and how important it becomes to develop off the field and not just on the basketball court or between the white lines.
"As DJ is taking those next steps," Anderson says, "you're going to see a different guy."
It's about a process.
Scobey and Giddens are joined by size, strength and running style, but are a small lifetime apart. Still, there was always a segment of K-State fans who wondered what Scobey could've achieved with one more year. Hard to believe at times that Giddens is just entering his junior season. He is a 20-year-old with seemingly boundless potential and has received rave reviews from his coaches. And it's March. Crazy to think what Giddens, big body and all, could do next fall.
It could be something that K-State fans talk about for years to come.
Players Mentioned
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