Considerable attention this Alabama offseason went to who's throwing the ball. Historically, there's more public outcry around here to just run it.

That makes at least part of Mike Locksley's job easy.

The Crimson Tide's new offensive coordinator has plenty of options when it comes time to run it in 2018. Making his only trip to the interview room Saturday, Locksley called the running backs "probably the strength of our offensive unit."

There's no shortage of experience with Damien Harris making a return from consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for a rare senior season.

Then there's Najee Harris.

Once among the top recruits in the nation, his arrival in the Birmingham airport made news in January 2017 when there were rumblings he might head to Michigan

He ran 61 times for 370 yards as a freshman playing behind Damien Harris, Bo Scarbrough and occasionally Josh Jacobs.

There's more to the job and that's where he focused in the offseason.

"The biggest thing for young running backs that tends to be the toughest thing is the pass protection aspect of the position," Locksley said. "I know Najee, with the intricacies that you see with the blitzes from teams and even when we practice against our guys, the one thing that I've seen the most improvement is his knowledge and understanding of our pass protection concepts."

That's not uncommon for star recruits as they transition to the college game. Before winning a Heisman Trophy in 2015, Derrick Henry got just 35 carries and 382 rushing yards as a freshman in 2013. Looking back on it, Henry said he had a lot to learn about pass protection since it wasn't a big part of his high school assignment.

And like Henry, there were offseason stories about frustrations Najee Harris had in his first-year opportunities.

"He was like 'I just thought they were going to give me a shot,'" Harris' hometown trainer Marcus Malu told AL.com in April. "I said they're always going to give you a shot but you have to understand it's part of the business. It's a business now. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't like it if Saban brought in another five-star without having to prove himself."

Harris himself told the San Francisco Chronicle his freshman year "was the worst feeling" and "mentally challenging."

He was expected to be available for Saturday's 15-minute player interview session at media day, but was not on the field in that window.

Only Scarbrough departed from last season's backfield as Damien Harris' return was regardless as at least a moderate surprise. Including sophomore Brian Robinson, the four top returning Alabama running backs averaged at least 6.0 yards per carry.

"I'd be an idiot to not find ways to get those guys involved in our system," Locksley said.

For Henry, production hit another level as a sophomore in 2014. Playing alongside T.J. Yeldon, Henry ran for 990 yards on 172 carries in an offense that highlighted Amari Cooper in the passing game.

Nick Saban noted Najee Harris' production late in the year when asked about him Saturday. In the closing moments of the fourth quarter in the title game, the freshman was on the field for the potential-game winning drive that ended in a missed field goal. He ran for a first down on an 11-yard gain on the possession's second play.

"He got more confident in what he was supposed to do, how to do it, how to run the plays, how to read the plays, understanding the pass protections better and being a more effective guy in the passing game," Saban said Saturday. "And I think that progress has continued over the spring. And we've only had one practice so far, but he hasn't done anything to disappoint. I just think that he has more maturity, more confidence and a better understanding. And I think that should help him be more productive."

Michael Casagrande is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.