Over the next five weeks we will be previewing each position on the 2014 Wayne State University football team with each position coach highlighting their respective units.  Paul Winters, head coach and running backs coach, is featured in this segment.

WSU returns three tailbacks with collegiate experience to make up for the loss of Toney Davis, who concluded his four-year Warrior career second in both rushing touchdowns (52) and scoring (324 points), third in rushing yards (3,933) and fifth in all-purpose yards (4,129).

Senior tailback Desmond Martin, a three-year letterwinner, returns having played in 37 games during his Warrior career.  He was Wayne State's second-leading rusher in 2013 with 665 yards on 139 carries and has 1,213 yards and a 5.4-yard per carry average in three seasons overall.

"We're going to give him all the reps with the 1's that we can so we can get him ready to be the guy we can really count on and depend on," Winters said of Martin prior to spring ball. "We expect him to be a great player for us this year."

Backing up Martin at tailback are junior Chris Burks, senior Jay Hayes, who is set to return this fall for his 10th semester, and redshirt freshman Romello Brown.

"(Chris) is a smaller, quicker guy that can give us some more speed on the field," Winters said. "Brown is really picking things up and we're very excited about what he's going to be able to do for us."

Hayes can run the ball, catch a pass out of the backfield and is slated to be the primary kickoff returner in 2014.

Junior Rabeah Beydoun and Ferris State transfer Demetrius Stinson provide additional depth, while recruit Deiontae Nicholas (L'Anse Creuse North) is a multipurpose offensive runner who used his great speed to make big plays in high school.

Fullback Sean McAuliffe returns for his senior season having played in 31 games during his Warrior career.

"He's done a lot of good things for us, we know we can count on him," Winters said of McAuliffe.

Backing him up at fullback are redshirt freshman Jason McCauslin, walk-on Garrett Wiska and veteran Al Saad.

Past Position Previews: Quarterbacks, Defensive Backs