Report: Tarean Folston Will Not Return For Fifth Season
Senior running back Tarean Folston has opted to prepare for the NFL Draft rather than return for a fifth season of eligibility at Notre Dame in 2017, as first reported by Irish Sports Daily.
The 5-9, 215-pound Folston was the lead back for the Fighting Irish from the second half of his freshman season in 2013 through his 2014 sophomore campaign. However, an ACL tear early in the 2015 opener versus Texas sidelined him the duration of that campaign, and his playing time as a 2016 senior waned while he finished third on the team in rushing with 334 yards and 4.3 yards per carry.
After opening the season with a 54-yard run on his first carry in the loss at Texas, Folston admitted in November that the 2016 campaign wasn’t anything near what he expected, especially carrying only 59 times the final 11 games for 246 yards.
For the year, Folston took 209 snaps compared to sophomore Josh Adams’ 495 (Adams led the Irish in rushing with 933 yards). Another sophomore, Dexter Williams, had 126 and was trending upwards, along with redshirted freshmen Tony Jones Jr. and Deon McIntosh. Those four return, while C.J. Holmes is an early enrollee who will participate in spring drills.
Numerous Notre Dame running backs under eighth-year head coach Brian Kelly have made NFL rosters in recent years without getting drafted: Armando Allen, Robert Hughes, Jonas Gray, Cierre Wood and George Atkinson III. Those who were drafted — Theo Riddick (sixth round) and C.J. Prosise (third round) — were shifted from other positions for their senior years.
A native of Cocoa, Fla., Folston in 2013 was named Notre Dame’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year after he totaled the sixth-highest rushing yardage total by an Irish freshman (470 yards on 88 carries). It was highlighted by 140 yards on 18 carries in a hard fought 38-34 win versus Navy in which he scored the game winning touchdown with 3:47 remaining.
As a sophomore in 2014, Folston’s 889 yards were 600 more than anyone else on the team, and he averaged 5.1 yards per carry while adding six touchdowns. They were the most yards rushing by a Notre Dame sophomore since 2005, when Darius Walker had 1,196. Folston also snagged 18 passes for 190 yards and another score.
However, his junior year took a negative turn when on his third carry of the season he tore his ACL, opening the door for the senior Prosise, Adams and Williams to lead a rushing attack that averaged 207.6 yards per game, the most at Notre Dame in 17 years when including bowls.
Folston finished his career with 1,712 rushing yards on 343 carries (4.99 yards per carry) and 11 touchdowns, and added 31 catches for 291 yards and a score.
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