INDIANAPOLIS — Like others who saw Leonard Fournette's recent workout regimen via his Twitter account, Jaguars coach Doug Marrone was initially surprised to hear about his running back's unusual offseason plans.

Beginning late last week, Fournette started tweeting photos and videos of himself working out alone and alongside players at the University of Wyoming's football facility.

Yes, Laramie, Wyo.

No, not his hometown of New Orleans.

Yes, a small town more than 1,800 miles from Jacksonville.

Has Fournette, whose maturity and commitment have been justifiably questioned over the last year, seen the figurative light? Is Fournette, 24, ready to climb to the top of the NFL rushing table?

The Jaguars hope so. More importantly, they believe so.

"He has been working out, working hard," Marrone said this week at the NFL's Scouting Combine, "and then obviously when he told me about Wyoming, I was like, 'Wyoming?'

"He might be the first player ever — nothing against Wyoming — but the first player ever (to make that a workout destination). I was like, 'Wyoming? Why are you going to Wyoming?'"

Why Wyoming?

Well, Doug, it starts with Ben Iannacchione, whose title is director of sports performance for the school's athletics department.

As part of that role, Iannacchione is in charge of Wyoming football's strength and conditioning program. He was hired in January 2018 after working as an associate strength and conditioning coach at LSU during the 2016-17 seasons, according to his UW bio.

Fournette starred at LSU from 2014-16, and he and Iannacchione worked together and formed a close bond during his junior year. Fournette was chosen fourth overall by the Jaguars in 2017.

In a phone interview Thursday, Iannacchione said Fournette called him a few weeks ago asking to come work out with him in Wyoming because he needed to "get back to really training the way he did when he felt he was at his best."

Iannacchione checked with Wyoming coach Craig Bohl, who quickly green-lit the request. Fournette arrived and began working out with the team last week and "has been at every lifting group and running group so far this week," according to Iannacchione.

Iannacchione said Fournette has been lifting with the team's defensive tackles in addition to getting in individual work. The plan is for Fournette to remain in Wyoming for about another month before he returns to Jacksonville to rejoin the Jaguars.

"The Leonard I see now — and, again, I wasn't around Leonard last year, still followed his career, noticed he missed some games last year — but the Leonard that's here in Wyoming right now is very similar to the Leonard that I had at LSU," Iannacchione said.

"If he continues with this mindset and this work ethic, I think everyone in Jacksonville is going to be pleasantly surprised."

If that's true, the Jaguars would be downright giddy.

The Jaguars need the 2017 version of Fournette back and are hopeful his trip to Wyoming is proof that, like Iannacchione said, he is determined to return to that level of play after a dismal second NFL season.

"The only thing I can look at is the sole focus for himself," Marrone said. "To go out there and train and really get away. I believe him, and I am excited for him when he comes back."

To begin the offseason, it was unclear whether Fournette would be back in a Jaguars uniform, though it now seems more likely that will happen.

That's because his 2018 was a disaster in seemingly every way.

He was injured. A balky right hamstring forced him to miss six of the first eight games, and he sat out the finale nursing an injured ankle/foot. His lack of availability led to the Jaguars trading for Carlos Hyde in October, a move that has not worked out.

He was unproductive. After rushing for 1,040 yards as a rookie, Fournette totaled 133 carries for 439 yards — a measly 3.3 yards per attempt behind an offensive line that was crushed by injuries.

And he began to come off as a malcontent. Fournette was ejected from the Buffalo game for fighting defensive end Shaq Lawson, which resulted in a one-game suspension.

In the finale at Houston, Fournette (inactive) and teammate T.J. Yeldon (active) appeared so disinterested that front office chief Tom Coughlin felt compelled to release a rare statement ripping their "selfish" behavior.

Fournette's suspension resulted in the Jaguars voiding the guaranteed money remaining over the final two years of his rookie contract — about $7.1 million. Along with Coughlin's statement, it seemed to suggest the franchise was prepared to move on from Fournette, possibly through a trade or by releasing him.

But Fournette remains on the roster, and Marrone's outside-the-box hire of running backs coach Terry Robiskie — another New Orleans native who hadn't coached the position since the late '80s — seemed a last-ditch effort to get more from him.

Fournette is contesting the Jaguars's choice to void his guarantees, a situation that would seem to be messy. Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell said Wednesday that he didn't "want to get into that specific stuff right now. It's kind of a league issue, and I think that's between Leonard and the club and the league."

Asked more generally about his belief in Fournette, Caldwell painted an optimistic picture.

"I think Leonard is in a good spot," Caldwell said. "I know a lot was made out of the end of the season stuff, but he seems like he is in a good [place]. He is working out. I know he is taking his nutrition and his workouts seriously, and I think he is in a good spot.

"We'll see when he comes in April with the rest of the veterans and in the OTAs."

Assuming Fournette remains in the fold, he could head a new-look running backs room.

Yeldon is a pending free agent and is unlikely to return. Corey Grant, limited to five games last year because of a foot injury, will also hit the market. The Jaguars can save $4.7 million by releasing Hyde.

Marrone said he hasn't thought about what possible running back departures could mean for Fournette's usage. His focus is keeping him on the field.

"I just think of Leonard Fournette playing a major role in what we are trying to get accomplished," Marrone said, "and being a workhorse for us and feeding him the ball and making sure he is practicing as a three-down back."

That's what the Jaguars looked to have after Fournette's solid rookie season but came into doubt amid last year's troubles. It's probably not a total coincidence the Jaguars posted a 10-6 record and advanced to the AFC title game with a productive Fournette in 2017 but sunk to the bottom of the AFC South with a 5-11 mark as he struggled last year.

How Fournette responds going into Year 3 will set the course for the next stage of his career.

His time in Wyoming could be among the biggest factors in which way it goes.

"At the end of the day, he's the kind of guy that wants to be the best running back in the league," Iannacchione said. "I think he knows that he probably didn't meet his standards last year, so I see a hunger in him to get back on top of his game. Absolutely."

Phillip Heilman: (904) 359-4063