Who will be Arkansas' starting running back...in 2020?

Yes, 'Let's get through the 2019 season before we get ahead of ourselves...' But it's a pertinent question right now still because there is a player on Arkansas' roster who is turning heads daily but will not be eligible this season in Arizona State running back transfer Trelon Smith. The two backs in camp who have drawn the most praise thus far through 12 practices are junior starter Rakeem Boyd and Smith. In fact, sources close to the program suggest Smith could actually be the best back on the roster.

Whether or not it's Smith or Boyd as the best back, if Boyd stays healthy he'll almost certainly rack up over 1,000 rushing yards, and as a fourth-year junior he would be a good bet to turn pro a season's end. Top backup Devwah Whaley will be gone as this is his senior season, and that leaves Smith with 2020 seniors Chase Hayden and TJ Hammonds, along with 2019 signee A'Montae Spivey and the one or two backs they'll sign in the Class of 2020. Coaches love Smith's work ethic and passion for the game.

"He is just an absolute pro," Arkansas running backs coach Jeff Traylor said following Thursday's practice. "It’s not even his words, it’s his actions. In the scrimmage Saturday, a couple of the backs went down -- not the top three -- and he literally had a chance for 118 graded opportunities, and he had 107 ‘pluses.’ That means he played about 58 snaps in the scrimmage, which is a lot of plays in the heat.

“He is like a Navy SEAL when it comes to his mental toughness. He goes every rep full speed as hard as he can. He graded out higher in the scrimmage than all the other backs and he has been here the least. That just shows you how he pays attention to detail."

Smith served a two-game suspension to open last season at ASU, what first-year head coach Herm Edwards called a "coach's decision," but was reported by SunDevil Source as a 'violation of program rules.' He actually did not return until the fourth game of the year but ran eight times for 45 yards (5.6 yards per carry) and had three catches for 16 yards in a 27-20 loss to No. 10 Washington.

A late fumble in Washington territory may have cost him future playing time as he received just one carry in each of the next three games. It wasn't an ideal start under a new regime, so Smith took a redshirt after that fourth game he played and opted to transfer. He had the redshirt available because the 4-game redshirt rule was not enacted back in 2017. Smith's redshirt was burned that year as a freshman with just a single carry in the season opener. Sometimes players just need a fresh start...

"He loves football. He just loves football,' Traylor said. "I was at another university when he was coming out, so I didn’t recruit him as hard, but coach [Joe Craddock] had recruited him hard when he was at SMU, so they had a relationship. I knew of Tre’ just from being at another university watching him, but when I went back and watched his high school video, it just screamed how much he loved football. And Coach Craddock had recruited him and on him, so he knew how much he loved football, as well. Some kids are really good at football, they don’t necessarily like football. He really loves football. When he’s not out there with us, he’s watching it, he’s talking about it. It’s just what he loves to do."

So he does what he is supposed to do, he doesn't miss assignments and he loves football. There plenty of players who fit that mold, but it's rare to find them with the talent to match. So what is the talent evaluation on Smith? What kind of back is he at 5-foot-9, 184 pounds?

"He's like water," junior linebacker Hayden Henry said after Saturday's scrimmage. "He slips through the cracks every play. He's a very dynamic back. He breaks tackles, he jukes people, he's got great acceleration. Too bad he has to sit out this year because he could be a really good player for us. He did some really good things, absolutely."

For more on Smith's scrimmage performance and what others have to say about him, click here. As a recruit out of Houston's Cy Ridge High School, Smith was ranked the No. 9 all-purpose back and the No. 79 overall prospect in the state of Texas from the Class of 2017. He ran for 2,270 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior and produced 1,807 yards with 17 touchdowns as a junior.