AUBURN, Ala. — Kamryn Pettway was a fullback this time last year.

He was a bulky 245 pounds with no expectation of carrying the football in a game. The departure of Jovon Robinson, the leading rusher in 2015, changed all that.

Pettway moved from fullback to running back, battled Kerryon Johnson for carries throughout preseason camp and when the season arrived —well, nothing happened. He didn’t carry the ball at all against Clemson in the season opener and it wasn’t until Johnson succumbed to an ankle injury in early October that the Prattville native got his first big shot.

And, boy, did he take advantage. He rushed for 1,106 yards during a stretch of seven games, finished the season with 1,224 yards and led the SEC in rushing yards per game.

The big splash has led to a singular vision from Pettway: he wants to break Tre Mason’s school rushing record. You know, the 1,816 yards he recorded in 2013 to break the great Bo Jackson’s mark in 1985.

Yes, that one.

"Oh yeah, I know I've got some big shoes to fill,” Pettway said. “But with hard work, I think I can get it."

Pettway will not be tackled much in preseason camp as the Tigers look to keep their type running back healthy for the season opener against Georgia Southern on Sept. 2. Pettway suffered a quad injury in early November last season and was never quite the same again. He’s healthy now and, apparently, leaner and faster.

Pettway dropped five pounds in the offseason, weighs 240 and his body fat is now three points lower at 8 percent, the running back said.

“I do feel quicker, more explosive,” Pettway said. “I can’t really tell the difference in my figure but a lot of people tell me I look like I’ve slimmed down. So I take that as a good compliment.”

Pettway stands out from the crowed wherever he stands. The bulky running back is known across the SEC for bulldozing linebackers. Still, he’s not getting much love in the preseason. He was a second-team player in the media’s All-SEC poll, falling behind Georgia’s Nick Chubb and LSU’s Derrius Guice.

"I don't let that get to me,” Pettway said. “Those are some good guys, some good running backs. I just try to do what I can right now to work and just prove myself during the season."

Considering what Pettway did last season, and primarily achieving his numbers in only seven games, teammates hope to see a healthy Pettway carry the load throughout the season.

If so, Mason’s record doesn’t seem to impossible to beat.

“He didn’t play like half the LSU game, didn’t see the field at all Clemson game, barely played, had like 12 carries the Alabama game,” Johnson said. “You start looking into it, if you give him a full season, it could definitely happen. I hope it does. I really do.”

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