AUBURN, Ala. - When Larry Porter identities what he feels could be a great back. Then signs him.
Then adds his special dose of development and work…’until they are happy.’
That, more often times than not, leads to magical careers.
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“Well for me first and foremost, I try to identify what makes them - them,” Porter told the media Wednesday morning following practice. “What makes you special? What makes you who you are. Then I try to evaluate how they fit in. How does your skill set fit in our room? And then the question I’m always asking is if you are you better than (the current talent) as it relates to our room. Because anybody you try to put in your room you try to upgrade the room.”
Porter, one of the elite running back coaches in America, has done just that, developing a who’s who of proven rushers in his 29-year career.
At LSU (2005-09), it was Jacob Hester and Charles Scott, two 1,000-yard rushers, along with, get this, six NFL Draft selections: Joseph Addai, Hester, Scott, Quinn Johnson, Trindon Holliday and Stevan Ridley.
He coached three consecutive 1,000-yard running backs at Oklahoma State (2002-04) highlighted by Vernand Mordancy and Tatum Bell.
Jonathan Adams had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons under Porter’s tutelage at Arkansas State (1999-01).
Just two years ago, in his second stint at North Carolina, Porter developed Omarion Hampton into a two-time All-American and first-round NFL draft pick.
Basically, if you’re a running back and coached by Porter that means one of two things: you’re gonna rush for over 1,000 yards or go to the NFL. Or usually both.
Two of his career-best evaluations came in his time in Chapel Hill landing dogs out of the state of Florida. He signed Michael Carter, a lightly recruited back of Navarre (Fla.), in 2017.
Carter rushed for 3,403 yards as a Tar Heel, including that special night in Miami when he sliced Manny Diaz’s defense in half to the tune of 308 yards. Carter now plays for the Tennessee Titans in his sixth season in the NFL.
In his most recent final year at UNC, Porter inked Davian Gause out of Dameon Jones’ powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna program in Hollywood, Fla.
Gause, now a junior at NC State, is the talk of training camp for the Wolfpack, per a source.
Six of Auburn’s nine backs are in-state natives. Gause and Carter both hail from Florida.
Porter has also had success with running backs from Texas to Louisiana to Mississippi to Georgia to the Carolinas and all parts in-between. He noted that where they come from, the geography, is a key part, but there’s also more to it.
“Obviously (coming from) winning programs. That a big, big deal,” Porter said. “Whether it’s the program, the work ethic, what kind of students they are. What kind of character they have. All of that plays a part in it.”
Porter isn’t scared to listen to trusted high school coaches or contacts in his all-important evaluation process.
“As we try to make decisions to (see) who fits best we try to get as much information as we can,” Porter said. “You have to do your homework in this day and age.”
Then the real magic begins.
His current group at Auburn is headlined by Jeremiah Cobb, a future pro that earned All-SEC honors as a junior.
The stable also features talented backs like Bryson Washington, Alvin Henderson and Omar Mabson II, among others.
In the future, the group, given Porter’s track record, should only get better and better.
In January, the nation’s No. 1 size/speed running back - Myson Johnson-Cook (East St. Louis, Ill.) enrolls at Auburn.
He’s 6-foot-2, 240-pounds with verified 10.3-second speed. And could be the next superstar on Porter’s insane running back resume.
“The first thing is can you elevate this room from a talent perspective,” Porter said. “And then we go to work from there.”
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
