Stanford's Kelsey Young eager to run with opportunity

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After playing mainly as a wide receiver during his first three years at Stanford, including a redshirt year in 2011, Kelsey Young heard what was music to his ears.

Head coach David Shaw called Young into the office before spring ball and asked him if he'd like to go back to being a full-time running back.

"I told him that's one of the best questions I've heard in a long time," Young said. "That was my more natural position."

Young rushed for 3,775 yards over his last two years at Norco High (Riverside County), where he was coached by the father of Toby Gerhart, Stanford's former record-setting rusher.

As the No. 11 Cardinal prepare to open their season against UC Davis on Saturday at Stanford Stadium, it looks as if they indeed will operate a tailback-by-committee system.

At the moment, Young is committee chair. He knows it's not a tenured position.

"I'm No. 1 on the depth chart right now, but that can change at any moment," he said. "As soon as I relax and think that the competition is won, that can change."

Stanford's Kelsey Young carries the ball against Oregon last year at Stanford Stadium. Young enters the season atop the team's depth chart at running back. Stanford's Kelsey Young carries the ball against Oregon last year at Stanford Stadium. Young enters the season atop the team's depth chart at running back. Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Stanford's Kelsey Young eager to run with opportunity 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

There are no fewer than four other tailbacks itching to get the ball - Barry Sanders, Ricky Seale, Remound Wright and freshman Christian McCaffrey.

Stanford tailbacks have enjoyed banner seasons during the program's "smashmouth era under Jim Harbaugh and Shaw. The top four rushing seasons in school history have all come in the past five years.

Gerhart led the way with 1,871 in 2009. Tyler Gaffney had 1,709 last season, and Stepfan Taylor had 1,530 in 2012 and 1,330 in '11. Taylor also had 1,137 (seventh best) in 2010, and Gerhart had 1,136 (eighth best) in 2008.

Because there doesn't appear to be a workhorse-type back in the current stable, it's unlikely that any tailback will join that echelon this year. The five backs range from 192 pounds (Sanders) to 204 (Wright), giving away about 20 to 40 pounds to their predecessors.

Young followed Gerhart to Norco High and played for Gerhart's dad, Todd. When Young was ready to enter Stanford, he said, Toby Gerhart (now with the Jacksonville Jaguars) gave him advice on "what it takes to be successful. He told me to 'be accountable for yourself. Know your job and know it well so you can execute at 100 percent and not really think about it.' "

In addition to being sterling runners, Gerhart, Taylor and Gaffney were all adept at pass blocking, a vital job since Stanford loves play-action passes.

"Just watching film on them and seeing their pass protection techniques helped me be successful," Young said.

The main drawback to the committee approach, he admitted, is that it may be harder to get a feel for the game if you only carry 10 or 15 times.

"As a running back you want to really get a rhythm," he said. "I definitely have the mentality that I want to get as many carries as possible. But if it fits for our game scheme to have five running backs rotating, so be it - whatever helps us win."

He also promised that Stanford's "smashmouth philosophy of inside running will continue even though the backs are smaller.

"My high school prided itself on smashmouth football as well," he said. "I have no problem running up the middle or anything like that."

Briefly: Wright, a redshirt junior, is back in Stanford's good graces after being suspended for the second half of spring drills and the first two weeks of training camp for an undisclosed violation. "It's a personal issue," was all the tailback would say about the suspension, which might have cost him a chance to start. "I've learned a lot of things during my time away," Wright added. "Not all of them pertained to football. I guess they were personal." ... Junior Aziz Shittu, who was competing with Blake Lueders for the starting defensive end job, will not play Saturday because of a sore toe.