Cincinnati Bearcats Football: 5 Candidates to Replace Running Back Isaiah Pead

As former Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead prepares for the NFL combine later this week, his old team is searching for somebody to replace him.

Pead was a do-it all back, particularly in his final two seasons at Cincinnati.

He rushed for 1,259 yards and 12 touchdowns last season en route to earning Big East Offensive Player of the Year honors.

As a junior, he was equally impressive, rushing for 1,029 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 6.6 yards per carry.

No doubt, replacing him will be a difficult task and head coach Butch Jones has all spring and summer to figure out who he wants to replace Pead.

Despite the departure of running back Akise Teague and star recruit Dennis Norfleet deciding to sign elsewhere, Cincinnati still has a lot of depth at the running back position.

Here are the five leading candidates to replace Isaiah Pead in 2012.

Buckley is the highest-rated recruit in the Cincinnati class according to Rivals.com and even though he is coming out of high school, he has a chance to earn some serious playing time if he impresses the staff in the coming months.

Despite being only 5'9" and 195 pounds, Buckley is rated the No. 34 running back in the country. While it is unlikely that he'll start immediately, being a freshman with more experienced people around him, he could see the field sometime during the season. 

Ralph David Abernathy IV starred last season as a kick returner and had perhaps the biggest return of the season when he took a kickoff to the house to put Cincinnati ahead for good in the fourth quarter of the Liberty Bowl against Vanderbilt.

He came in as a small scat back and saw very limited action on the offensive side of the ball, but could see his role expand in 2012. He had 14 carries for 38 yards last season, serving as the No. 4 running back for most of the year.

At only 5'7" and 160 pounds, Abernathy IV may not have what it takes to be an every-down back, but chances are he will see a little more time on offense next season.

Harris is also a first-year Bearcat heading into 2012, but what puts him slightly ahead of Buckley is the fact that he is a junior college player.

He has 4.4 speed and his 6'0" and 200-pound frame give him a real chance to be an every-down back.

With the combination of size and speed Harris possesses, it would not be a surprise if he saw some serious action next year for Cincinnati.

George Winn served as the primary backup for Isaiah Pead last season and had a huge 69-yard touchdown to put Cincinnati on the board in the Liberty Bowl against Vanderbilt.

Winn will be a senior next year and has the most experience of any running back on the roster. He finished last season with 40 carries for 219 yards and two touchdowns.

At 5'11" 200 pounds, Winn has as good a shot as anybody to earn the starting job at the beginning of next season.

Poteat was the big name in the 2011 Cincinnati recruiting class. He is the only 4-star recruit Cincinnati has gotten in the past two seasons according to Rivals.com and saw limited action last year as a true freshman.

Poteat finished the 2011 season with 108 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. After seeing action in each of the first five games for Cincinnati, Poteat did not receive a carry in any of the final eight games, including all Big East action.

While Winn may seem like the front-runner heading into 2012, Poteat has a chance to improve from his freshman season and be a huge go-to running back for Cincinnati over the next three years.