Halfway through the 2012 season it seemed inevitable that running back/cornerback Travon Van would not be wearing Kelly Green in 2013. According to the Missoulian, that is indeed the case as Van will be playing in Big Sky country next year for the Montana Grizzlies.
Van started the 2012 season as the number one tailback for The Herd but only started three games and played in four carrying the ball 39 times for 116 yards. With a deep stable of young running backs and the emergence of Kevin Grooms, Steward Butler and Remi Watson, the Marshall coaching staff decided to move Van to the defensive side of the football and utilize his athletic abilities as a cornerback. However, that move never really panned out.
On September 22, Van played a series as a defensive back against Rice but that would be the last time he’d see any action in 2012. Van reportedly asked for his release following the Rice game.
“He’s a really good coach and we saw eye-to-eye, and he said he’d help me get to a school where they’d let me play offense,” Van told the MIssoulian. “That’s where Montana came into the picture.”
There was no doubt Van longed to be the feature tailback for The Herd but carries became a precious commodity with a stable of very talented runningbacks. The “baby backs” as they were nicknamed, Kevin Grooms, Steward Butler, and Remi Watson began to carry the load and all are returning in 2013. Plus Marshall expects to have 2011 leading rusher Tron Martinez back from injury next season. That’s already four very capable running backs all fighting for carries and playing time.
“My goal in life was to play offense in college,” Van said of his decision. “They had a change of heart and I decided to transfer.”
Van could see the writing on the wall and knew his days a ball carrier in Huntington were numbered. If he were to have continued to play offense he would have been third on the depth chart, if he were lucky. Kevin Grooms was named the C-USA Freshman of the Year with eight touchdowns and 737 yards rushing. Steward Butler averaged five yards a carry on his way to 538 yards rushing. Remi Watson, Tron Martinez and then Van would have all been fighting for the third spot on the depth chart.
Like so many other highly touted recruits, Van never lived up to the potential that surrounded him when he arrived in Huntington. Now, he hopes he can showcase the skills that had schools such as Florida interested in him, with one of Marshall’s former FCS rivals.