The game of football is like a relationship for Shontrelle Johnson.

After a season-ending neck injury his sophomore year followed by a season-ending ACL tear last season, the senior running back has realized how much playing football actually means to him, just like a relationship would mean to someone.

“If you really love it, you fight for it and if you really love somebody, you fight for it,” Johnson said. “I love the game of football and I’m not going to let two injuries or something hold me back from doing something I love.”

While Johnson isn’t able to participate in spring football for the second-straight year, the ISU football team has perhaps more depth and athleticism at running back going into the fall than it ever has.

Running backs coach Ken Pope said there is “no doubt” this is one of the more athletic groups he has been involved with since joining Iowa State in 2009.

“The most explosive as well because I’ve got about four guys that can really, I think, stretch the field,” Pope said. “I think we have great speed, I think we have great guys that can make guys miss in space and that’s real exciting.”

The Cyclones are bringing back redshirt seniors James White and Jeff Woody as well as redshirt sophomores DeVondrick Nealy and Rob Standard. The backfield is also adding junior college transfer Aaron Wimberly to the lineup, giving Iowa State experience returning in the backfield.

Pope said Iowa State will play with a “running back by committee” mentality and if a player has a hot hand, feed them the ball. For White, that could be any one of them.

“I’ve seen a lot of speed and quickness all over the field,” White said. “We all are pretty much veterans so we all pretty much know the plays and picking up on things — fast-paced offense, no-huddle — and that’s what we need to do in order to be better in the fall.”

With the arrival of offensive line coach Chris Klenakis, the Cyclones have included more pistol offense formations in their playbook. The pistol allows the quarterback to stay in the shotgun and have the running back line up directly behind him.

“I just think with the lineup, the guys in the pistol alignment give us the opportunity to hit the vertical crease a lot quicker and see seams a lot quicker in the defense,” Pope said. “So I think as this offense unfolds, it will give us a little added advantage as far as speed and quickness.”

The pistol formation is an offense that allows the play call to be more disguised until the ball is handed off. It is something that White has really embraced this spring.

“What I like about the pistol is that the defense can’t read it, can’t pick up on what are we doing,” White said. “To the left side of the quarterback, they can have stunts by the ends and stuff like that. So being in the pistol, that keeps the defense honest.”