Toren Young is the only junior representing Iowa at Big Ten media days this year.

Last year, quarterback Nate Stanley held that honor, accompanying head coach Kirk Ferentz and seniors Matt Nelson and Parker Hesse.

Now, it’s Young’s turn as he prepares to make the trip with Stanley and senior cornerback Michael Ojemudia.

But when fall comes around, and the season turns into playing instead of talking about playing, Young might not be the running back gaining the bulk of the carries.

That could be Mekhi Sargent, the junior from Key West, Florida, who came on strong at the end of 2018 after transferring from Iowa Western.

Sargent finished the season with 745 yards on 159 carries, scoring 9 touchdowns. His best game came against Nebraska in the regular-season finale — he ran for 173 yards and a score and caught a touchdown as well.

Young, more of a power back to Sargent’s all-around style, ran for 637 yards and 5 scores.

Both held the starting slot at running back at different points in the season, as did Ivory Kelly-Martin, a speedster with big-play ability who struggled with staying healthy.

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The stacked backfield serves as an advantage for the Hawkeyes; while they may not be able to spread the ball around as much as they would like, they have plenty of options for certain play styles or if one goes down with an injury.

The injuries played a big role last season.

Kelly-Martin earned the starting role early, but injuries turned his season into something unwanted.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz harped on the benefit of having a deep backfield last season, and the reason showed as the season played out. Without Sargent and Young ready to step in, Iowa wouldn’t have a starter such as Sargent heading into the season.

The ability of the backfield gets boosted even more when looking at an offensive line that includes two potential first-round NFL Draft picks in Tristan Wirfs and Alaric Jackson.

Wirfs and Jackson could be one of the most dynamic tackle combos in the Big Ten — or the nation — next season, and the Hawkeyes have posted successful campaigns previously with solid running-back and offensive-line groups.

Yet there’s a long way to go for the core of the Hawkeyes’ ground game. Iowa didn’t have a 100-yard rusher until Sargent gained 121 yards on the ground against Illinois in the penultimate game of the regular season on Nov. 17, 2018. Young and Kelly-Martin combined to reach the 90-yard mark twice, but neither one topped 100. The need for improvement is there.

The bowl game victory over Mississippi State on Jan. 1 didn’t offer much hope, either, as the trio combined for a total of 4 yards on 15 carries.

But after figuring things out toward the end of the regular season, the potential is also there.

With three backs who have each experienced the starting role and lives as backups with playing time, Iowa could have some success in the running game come August.