Devine Redding hopes to become next great Indiana RB in the NFL
By Tyler Brooke
The Indiana Hoosiers have developed some legitimate NFL running backs recently. Devine Redding is hoping to join that list come late April.
After years of being the laughing stock of the Big Ten, the Indiana Hoosiers have developed into a respectable program over the past few seasons. One of the big reasons for that has been a plethora of talent at running back, including a pair of current NFL talents in Tevin Coleman and Jordan Howard.
Now, another running back out of Indiana is hoping to make his presence felt at the next level, and his name is Devine Redding.
Redding is entering the 2017 NFL draft after a junior season where he helped lead the Hoosiers to their second consecutive bowl game appearance for the first time since the 1990s. Although the Hoosiers weren’t able to win either bowl games, including a 26-24 loss to Utah in this year’ Foster Farms Bowl, Redding is proud of what his team was able to accomplish.
“We didn’t get the outcome that we wanted, but we got the results,” Redding told Saturday Blitz.
The talented Hoosiers running back is heading into the draft process after posting back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards. That’s even more impressive when you consider that Redding was playing behind a Pro Bowl running back in Jordan Howard during the 2015 season.
Indiana is quickly becoming “Running Back U” with all of these names coming out of the program, and Redding credits a lot of that success to Hoosiers running backs coach Deland McCullough.
“It’s part of the preparation that [Coach McCullough] instilled in us,” Redding said. “If it’s one thing coach knew how to do it was how to prepare us for years down the road. He plays a big part in what we wanted to do for ourselves.”
McCullough has been coaching running backs at Indiana for six seasons, with his players breaking 19 school rushing records over that span. He was a big reason current Atlanta Falcons running back Tevin Coleman was able to rush for over 2,000 yards in his final season with the Hoosiers, and his players can’t say enough about him.
“I always tell coach how I much I thank him for teaching me all of the things he knows and helping us on and off the field,” Redding said. “He’s one of the best RB coaches in the game. He’s one a kind.”
Now, Redding will be moving on to bigger things, but he’ll face an uphill battle in an extremely stacked class of future NFL running backs that includes names like Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook, D’Onta Foreman, Christian McCaffrey and countless others.
The 20-year-old still feels confident that he’ll get an opportunity at the next level, as he should be. Redding has solid size for a running back at 5-foot-10 and 208 pounds. While he’s not the most explosive player, Redding prides himself in his football IQ, which you can see on the field with his terrific vision, instincts and shiftiness in open space.
“I always liked watching Steven Jackson and Ricky Williams’ running style,” Redding said when asked about his style of play. “I never tried to mock their styles, but I’ve always tried to put my own spin on it.”
In the coming months, Redding is attempting to prove that he is more than just a runner in the backfield. The former Hoosier told Saturday Blitz that he plans on continuing to prove himself in pass protection and as a pass catcher out of the backfield.
The Indiana Hoosiers are quickly becoming an NFL pipeline, and with some big names coming out of the program as of late, Redding is excited for his opportunity to play at the next level. Regardless of when or if Redding gets drafted, he has one goal in mind, and that’s getting a chance to make an NFL roster.
“No matter what happens, I’m not going to give up on football,” Redding said. “I’m going to stay positive and level-headed as I go through this process.”