He’ll likely join Elijah Young, Michael Cox, BJ Harris, Taj Butts and Tavorus Jones in the running back room next year. Regardless, I think we’ll eventually see Roberts on he field for the Tigers. It simply means there might be more of an adjustment period than there would be if he were playing against a higher level of competition at a more consistent basis in high school. It’s an incredibly small sample size, and it does not mean Roberts won’t have success at the next level. Louis Post-Dispatch, Roberts was held to four carries for just five yards in Saint Mary’s biggest test of the season against Naperville Neuqua Valley, a team that made it to the quarterfinals of playoffs last year in Illinois’ biggest class. Saint Mary’s won the Missouri class 3 state title last year, blowing away its competition in the playoffs. When he’ll play: If there’s a concern with Roberts, it might be the competition he faced in high school. If I had to make a one-for-one comparison in recent years, it’s probably Damarea Crockett. Roberts’ running style is more similar to Larry Rounree’s than it is Tyler Badie’s. This is a really rare size and speed combo, especially at Missouri. The only other Mizzou running back commit who made it to campus in the last 15 years to stand at least 6-foot and weigh at least 200 pounds was Nate Strong. He’s much more of a one-cut and go type of runner than some of the recent running backs we’ve seen at Missouri. Where he fits: Jamal Roberts is listed as an “athlete” by Rivals, but he’s a running back in every sense of the position.

Another word for running back