Will Florida football running backs maintain success in 2023? We break it down

Florida football will look to rely heavily on establishing the run again in 2023 after a successful first season under head coach Billy Napier.
The Gators ranked fifth in the SEC in rushing offense last season (200.2 ypg) and third in the league in yards per carry (5.51 ypg). Florida rushed for 29 touchdowns last season, with nine coming from departed quarterback Anthony Richardson, who was taken fourth overall in the NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
Questions remain as to whether UF's ground game will have similar success with a less mobile quarterback — either Graham Mertz or Jack Miller — under center.
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“They did an outstanding job last year, but last year is last year," Florida running backs coach Jabbar Juluke said. "We have to turn the page and get into a new focus, because now you have different hurdles to climb, right?
"Because now that you have had success, how do you handle it? Are you going to be the teammate that you need to be all the time? Or are you gonna just say, ‘I did what I did last year, and it’s OK.’ So we’re constantly challenging the guys in the room, and they constantly challenge each other as they go.”
Here's a look at UF's running backs entering the 2023 season:
Florida football running back starters
Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne were an effective one-two punch last season. The duo combined for more than 1,500 yards and 16 TDs last season, with the 5-9, 213-pound Etienne providing speed and big-play ability and the 5-foot-11, 217-pound Johnson grinding out the tough yards between the tackles.
Johnson rushed for 841 yards on 5.4 yards per carry, with a long of 62 yards on a touchdown run against USF.
Etienne rushed for 719 yards and 6 TDs on 6.1 yards per carry, showing breakaway ability in the ground game as well. Etienne rushed for an 85-yard touchdown in The Swamp against South Carolina and a 45-yard touchdown run against rival Florida State.
Juluke said Etienne proved his maturity as a true freshman in being able to step in and play at a high level in the SEC.
"Nothing phases him, man," Juluke said. "He’s fearless."
The newcomers
Cam Carroll, a grad transfer from Tulane, brings another change-of-pace back out of the backfield with pass catching ability. Carroll displayed his athleticism in hurdling over a defender in UF's spring game and finished the game with 9 carries for 39 yards, with a long of 12 yards.
The 6-0, 231-pound Carroll missed most of the 2022 season with a leg injury but in 2021 rushed for 516 yards and 3 TDs while adding 17 catches for 198 yards and 3 receiving TDs.
Florida added JUCO transfer Ja'Kobi Jackson (5-11, 205 pounds), a Pensacola native who rushed for more than 1,200 yards and 14 TDs in three seasons at Coahoma (Miss.) Community College.
The future
True freshman Treyaun Webb (5-11, 213 pounds) was impressive in UF's spring game, rushing 11 times for 53 yards for the Blue Team in UF's spring game. Webb, from Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville, enrolled early to gain a grasp on the offense. Juluke said Webb is still learning all the responsibilities that come with being a college running back, including pass protection.
"He’s a very smart kid," Juluke said. "He had a 4.2 grade-point average coming out of high school so he understands it. He understands football and I think once he gets the grasp on it, he’ll be a lot better at doing it."