One year ago, an untested James White was described as the hardest-working player on the team.

Eight touchdowns and 743 rushing yards later, White has emerged as the undisputed starter at running back for the ISU football team.

“He’s older, so he understands what we’re asking of him right now,” said ISU running backs coach Kenith Pope. “He’s a guy that every day, he goes out there, and he tries to give you a good day’s work. I really feel like James White gives it up whenever he’s out there on the practice field.”

Pope said the biggest difference from last season is the experience and maturity emulated from White and redshirt junior Jeff Woody. The duo combined for more than 1,000 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns in the backfield last season.

“I just try to slow the game down,” White said of his biggest change from last season. “I just try to read my keys even more, scan the field, scan the defense. Last year, I was just making plays, but now I’m trying to be more patient.”

Another hopeful change heading forward, Pope said, is to get the running backs more involved in the passing game. Quarterback Jared Barnett said this creates more options for him when receivers are covered.

“Getting them out in certain routes, getting them over the middle of the field for whenever we spread the whole defense out, they can just sneak out underneath the linebackers and be wide-open,” Barnett said. “It’s so easy for them to catch the ball and get up field because they’re all such great runners. We have to be able to get it to them in space and down the field.”

Redshirt freshman DeVondrick Nealy is one of the up-and-comers who has found himself taking reps with the first-team unit this spring.

“His biggest asset really is he’s fast-twitch,” Pope said of Nealy. “He can stick his foot in the grass and make a quick movement. That’s what’s going to make him the type of player we need to play for us next fall.”

The running back corps is without Duran “Duck” Hollis, who was dismissed from the team in February due to “failure to comply with the expectations and policies of this program,” said ISU coach Paul Rhoads on Feb. 1.

However, not having Hollis — who rushed for 213 yards and scored two touchdowns last season — is not a problem with Nealy and Rob Standard emerging from redshirt seasons.

“He’s a lot more explosive [than Hollis],” Pope said of Nealy. “The fast twitch is a thing you like about him because he can see a crease and get through it as fast as he can.”

Shontrelle Johnson, who began last season as the starter at running back, has “kind of surprised” Pope in his recovery from a season-ending neck injury on Oct. 1.

Pope said Johnson, who will be a true junior this season, went through drills at the team’s high school coaches clinic last week.

“He had fresh legs,” Pope said of Johnson. “He really looked good, he had his fastest twitch [than] ever before. If we get him back — and I hope we get him back — he’ll be a pleasant surprise for us.”