“He’s come in, and he’s just worked,” Harbaugh said. “You’re seeing his true leadership. … My expectation for him is that he’s going to contribute, that he’s going to help us. I love his feet. I love his power and his vision.”
Holdover Jordan Nubin (559 rushing yards last year), Bangura (1,982 rushing yards in three years at Ohio), Mangham (6-2, 235 pounds) and true freshman Fame Ijeboi are in the backfield mix, too, Fleck said.
“I really like the depth of the room from the top with Darius all the way down, and we brought in a lot of guys for that position, a lot of guys who have played big-time college football, and then some other guys that have been young have really come on strong,” Fleck said. “We knew we had to emphasize the running back position, and the competition has been really good.”
Safety Koi Perich was named to the preseason true freshman All-America team by On3. Perich, of Esko, Minn., is the top-ranked Minnesotan in the 2024 recruiting class. He has worked at second-string safety and on punt coverage and punt return teams during training camp.