Notre Dame's Autry Denson Keeps Running Backs Loose
As a star running back at Notre Dame from 1995-98, Autry Denson made a name for himself as as an elusive, instinctive runner who got the most out of his ability.
Now an assistant coach in charge of perhaps Notre Dame’s deepest position group, the 39-year-old Denson is putting his own mark on the current crop of Irish ball-carriers.
Most of the time, Denson does most of that work away from the football field.
“Our biggest strides that we take isn’t on the field, it’s off the field,” Denson said at media day. “The more time they spend in my house, the more time they spend bowling … we spend a lot of time together.
“For me the lines are blurred and we spend a lot of time working. My family and my work life are one in the same. The more time they can spend with me seeing me as a father, a husband and all of the different areas, the football is going to take care of itself.”
That formula has been effective in Denson’s short time as a Notre Dame assistant. In his first year leading the running backs in 2015, Denson helped guide C.J. Prosise to a breakout season. Prosise finished the season rushing for 1,032 yards on 156 carries and 11 touchdowns and 28 receptions for 308 yards and one touchdown.
Sophomore Josh Adams returns after he broke a Notre Dame freshman record set by Denson, tallying 835 rushing yards.
Add senior Tarean Folston — who missed all of 2015 with a knee injury — sophomore Dexter Williams and freshman Tony Jones Jr. to the mix and the Irish have talent across the board.
Brian Kelly said at media day the plan is to go with the hot hand.
"All three of them will get a chance to run in certain situations, but I still think we'll go with that guy that's really hot and feeling it from an offensive perspective," Kelly said.
The running backs get the job done on the field, and Denson said in meeting rooms and off campus the group has all sorts of personalities.
“By the nature of the position, I’m always going to have some characters,” Denson said. “It helps that I guess I was a character at some point, so it kind of takes one to know one. They’re some special guys.
“There is not a day when we don’t have fun as a unit. Like genuine fun. Our meetings are fun. We don’t dread anything. You’re seeing it collectively. It would be different if one person plays, but our goal is the power of our unit, from the top down is everybody has a skill set and everybody brings value.”
Denson said those off-the-field relationships carry over to the field. The Lauderhill, Florida, native, who spent four seasons in the NFL can relate to his players and the ups-and-downs they experience in everyday life.
Folston, Jones and Williams all hail from Florida, the state Denson now handles in recruiting. Building those relationships and sharing similar experiences makes coaching easier, he said.
“They know me as a person, I know them, and it allows me too to coach them more specifically,” Denson said. “I can be more detailed in my coaching because I have the backstory behind the story.
“A lot of times, and it’s just like this in general, a mistake on the field has nothing to do with a mistake on the field. It might be, ‘Hey, my mom’s in the hospital,’ and I know that. So many times, they’re just seen as athletes and for me, they know I see them for who they are as young men. I spend just as much time building them up as young men.”
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