Competition in crowded backfield led C’Bo Flemister from Notre Dame to Pitt
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After he decided to leave Notre Dame, running back C’Bo Flemister put Pitt at the top of his list of potential transfer destinations.
Doing due diligence, he sat down and watched video of Pitt’s top three returning running backs. What he saw was the best of Izzy Abanikanda, Vincent Davis and Rodney Hammond Jr., who ran for a total of 1,748 yards (4.7 per carry) last season and while gaining the respect and trust of assistant Andre Powell.
Flemister knew rules permit only one football on the field at a time, but he never worried about getting lost in a crowded backfield. He wanted to go to Pitt.
While the three-tiered competition might have scared others away, Flemister said the wealth of talent at running back is one of the reasons he decided two months ago to enroll.
“It’s all up to me,” he said Monday after practice. “I get as much playing time as I earn. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.
“I watched their film, and I saw how good they were and, I’ll be honest, that made me happy. I feel like I’m a good back. I need to be around good backs to be even better.
“I could have gone somewhere and been the guy right away. But that wasn’t exactly what I wanted. I’m a competitor at heart. I feel I wouldn’t have been doing myself justice to go somewhere where I just stepped into a role where I’m automatically the man. There’s not as much substance there.”
Flemister arrived on campus in late July, a few days before the start of training camp, after working out and conditioning on his own for nine months. He had left Notre Dame before the end of the 2021 season.
Flemister, who graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in anthropology, spent four seasons with the Irish after gaining 3,321 yards and 43 touchdowns at Polk County (Ga.) High School.
In 25 games at Notre Dame, he rushed for 471 yards and 10 touchdowns on only 110 carries. He amassed 127 yards against South Florida in 2020. That same season, he scored a touchdown against Pitt in the visiting Irish’s 45-3 victory.
“We really beat them pretty badly,” he said. “They had their third-string quarterback in. But on the flight back, all we could say was, ‘We’re sore, and that team beat us up.’ ”
Two years later, Pitt’s defense is expected to be much better.
“The defense that I go against every day, that defense is going to make me better, is going to take me to levels I never could have even reached,” he said. “The athletes out here are just different. And that’s coming from Notre Dame. I played with the best athletes, the top athletes.”
Pitt’s proximity to an NFL team also played a role in his decision.
“There is just a pro atmosphere going on (at Pitt),” he said. “That was part of the reason why I chose Pitt. Not only is it a prestigious school and a historical school, we’re sitting right here by the Steelers.
“There is a level of maturity that they have. I really look at it as a prequel to where I want to be.”
The transition has been smooth, especially after reuniting with linebacker Shayne Simon, who also transferred to Pitt from Notre Dame and is setting a good example, Flemister said.
“I look at things he’s doing, doing this extra work, coming into the building way earlier than everyone, staying later than everyone. Things like that it takes to be a pro,” he said.
Flemister said, however, he doesn’t like to compare himself to his backfield teammates.
“I’m definitely feel I’m not as fast as Izzy. That boy has wheels,” he said. “I do feel that I’m really well-rounded.
“Coming back, now that I’m starting getting my legs back, I can still make those cuts. I will still run through someone. I got a little burst, not Izzy’s speed.”
He isn’t trying to brag when he says, “I don’t lack in any area.”
“But I don’t think any of us lack in any area. It’s hard to just say something about myself when all the guys are really, really good.”