Ten most important players for 2012: #6 Cierre Wood - Examiner.com

Nearly halfway through this list of the top ten most important players for Notre Dame in 2012, we move onto #6, senior running back Cierre Wood. Last season I rated wood as the 4th most important player and he produced a 1000 yard season and combined with Jonas Gray to give the Fighting Irish their best 1-2 running back tandem since the Lou Holtz era. This year, Wood is just as important, maybe even more so with the youth at the skill positions this year.

Cierre Wood always had the potential, but after not playing in 2009 and a glut of talent ahead of him, we were wondering if he'd get his shot. Enter Brian Kelly and a position switch for Theo Riddick later, Wood had his shot. His sophomore season was solid racking up 603 yards rushing and three touchdowns to go with 20 receptions for 170 yards and two more scores. Finally, last season he became the featured back and, almost quietly, became the 13th player in Notre Dame history to record a 1000 yard season going for 1,102 yards and nine touchdowns. Add in another 27 catches for 189 yards and Wood clearly staked his claim as an elite back.

What's maybe even more impressive about Wood so far has been his 5.1 per carry career average. Any time you give Wood the ball you can almost count on him gaining five yards. That's a huge number that could get even larger this season.

Wood will once again be the featured back in 2012. Of course guys like Riddick, Amir Carlisle, and George Atkinson III will get some carries too, but Wood will be the main back. Another big season from him will certainly help out the entire Irish offense. As Notre Dame sorts out their quarterback and receiving issues, Cierre Wood may be called upon to lead this offense. It's a great thing to have an elite running back to take the pressure off of a skill player set that is young and inexperienced.

The good news is Cierre Wood won't have to do everything alone, but as the best and most experienced running back who now has a history of great play, his contributions this year will be of vital importance to a team and an offense that needs all the experience they can get.