The top 5 running backs Duke football must face in 2024 season

As if the Miami offense wasn't going to be explosive enough with the portal addition of Washington State QB Cam Ward, the Hurricanes recently added another key former PAC 12 star in former Oregon State running back Damien Martinez.

The bruising 6-foot, 232-pounder rushed for 1,185 yards and nine TDs last fall. That came one season after he put up 982 yards and seven scores as a true freshman.

There are a lot of miles on Martinez' tires, though. In just two seasons, he's run the ball 355 times. That includes 194 carries a season ago.

This year, he likely won't see the type of workload in Miami that he was used to at Oregon State. The Hurricanes will want to ask Ward to use his arm to generate tons of big plays so Martinez won't have to be as much of a workhorse.

Still, he's one of the nation's best running backs and he's coming off of a 1,000-yard season. He'll be a focus of the Duke defense when the Blue Devils travel to Miami on November 2.