​We are now seven weeks from Northwestern football’s season opener against South Dakota State, and Inside NU is counting the days with a position preview series. Each week, we’ll break down a different position group and what to expect from them heading into David Braun’s fourth season at the helm.Here are the position previews we’ve already published:AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement7/6, Quarterbacks: https://www.insidenu.com/northwestern-football/68591/northwestern-football-position-previews-quarterbacksToday, we will look at running backs.Returners: Daniel Anderson (R-Fy.), Caleb Komolafe (R-Jr.), Joseph Himon II (Gr.), Ronny Johnson (R-Fy.)Losses: Cam Porter (graduated), Albert Kunickis III (transferred to Butler), Dashun Reeder (transferred to UConn)Newcomers: Gavin Sawchuck (Gr., transferred from West Virginia), Mar’Kel Porter (R-So., transferred from Bowling Green), Sean Morris II (Fy.)Despite seeing three spots worth of change during the offseason, Northwestern’s running back room should feel pretty familiar to most ‘Cats fans. There was little change at the top of the depth chart outside of Cam Porter, who missed most of 2025 with an injury anyways, and Robby Preckel, who carried the ball 42 times for 149 yards last season, but isn’t listed above because he’s technically a tight end.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe position’s leader will be Caleb Komolafe, the redshirt junior who was vaulted atop the depth chart early last season after Porter suffered a season-ending injury. In his new role, Komolafe had an incredible breakout campaign, leading all Northwestern rushers with just over 1,000 all-purpose yards and 12 total touchdowns.Backing up Komolafe will be Joseph Himon II and Florida State transfer Gavin Sawchuk.Himon II also slid up a spot in the depth chart last year following Porter’s injury, carrying the ball 99 times for 486 yards. The Little Rock native, who is relatively small at 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, was also the ‘Cats’ standout receiving back, with 21 receptions for 118 yards.Meanwhile, Sawchuk joins NU as a three-star transfer who carried the ball 109 times for 486 yards and eight touchdowns last year at FSU. Sawchuk, who started his career at Oklahoma, brings one-cut explosiveness to the backfield, which has allowed him to rack up seven carries over 30 yards during his four-year college career.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe ‘Cats also managed to retain both Daniel Anderson and Ronny Johnson, at least based on what has been publicly reported, who both redshirted their first-year seasons last year. Both Anderson and Johnson were hardly involved in NU’s 2025 running attack, though Anderson did carry the ball three times for nine yards.To round out the depth chart, Northwestern added Mar’Kel Porter, a three-star transfer from Bowling Green who rushed for 93 yards on 31 carries with two touchdowns as a redshirt freshman, and Sean Morris II, a three-star recruit from Orang