Indiana running back coach Mike Hart is excited about the talent he gets to coach this season. The Hoosiers have a pretty strong group occupying the backfield this fall, probably the best Hart has seen during his time in Bloomington.

Hart, who has been the running backs coach for the Hoosiers since 2017, told the media on Tuesday that he believes this year’s group of backs is “the most sound” he’s coached in his four seasons.

The Hoosiers will be led by Stevie Scott out of the backfield, with plenty of depth behind him. Sampson James, Tim Baldwin and Ahrod Lloyd account for a strong running back position, one that should be more productive in 2020 than it was a season ago.

Part of that is because of the amount of talent and experience in the backfield, while the other is based on the improved offensive line play that is expected this fall.

Scott has been the leading rusher in Bloomington for the last two seasons, racking up 1,137 yards and 10 touchdowns as a freshman in 2018 and 845 yards and 10 more scores in 2019. Last year, James backed up Scott with 275 yards and 3 touchdowns on 81 touches.

Because of the struggles on the offensive line, as well as Kalen DeBoer’s new offense, the Hoosiers weren’t quite as efficient running the football as they would’ve liked. But there’s a really good chance that changes in 2020.