As the days without football linger on, RebelGrove.com will break down Ole Miss' 15 most important players heading into 2012. A new spot will be revealed each weekday leading up to the first practice.

At times, we'll cheat and combine a couple names into one spot, but it's our list, so we'll do what we want. The list focuses just on the upcoming season - not future career performance.

We continue the countdown with a pair running backs that will have every opportunity for significant snaps this season.

Name: I'Tavius Mathers

Class: Freshman

Height: 6-0

Weight: 195

Hometown: Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Position: Running Back

Career Stats: N/A

2011 Stats: N/A

Name: Jaylen Walton

Class: Freshman

Height: 5-foot-8

Weight: 164

Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.

Position: Running Back

Career Stats: N/A

2011 Stats: N/A

Depth has been a buzzword a lot lately, and there's no position where it's more of a concern than running back. Jeff Scott is the only returner with experience, and this is the Southeastern Conference where you need a stable to make it through the season. Last season with Brandon Bolden and Scott the primary ball-carriers, Ole Miss was 10th in the SEC in rushing offense, averaging 129.6 yards per game and 3.4 yards per carry. The yards per carry were just better than Tennessee inside the league. With Bolden gone, the season will hinge on productive outings from Nick Parker or one of the freshman running backs. Devin Thomas could also play a factor in his final year of eligibility.

Jaylen Walton and I'Tavius Mathers are completely different backs, but they could quickly both find a place in the Ole Miss running game this season. Redshirts would be nice and likely helpful, but that luxury probably isn't possible right now - especially for Mathers. He's more of the all-purpose back with size and quick feet, while Walton is built in the Scott mold and uses his speed and agility to elude tacklers.

Mathers committed to Ole Miss last August but opened things back up after Houston Nutt was fired. He re-committed to the Rebels on January 8 and stayed solid until National Signing Day. He won back-to-back Tennessee Player of the Year honors, even though his senior season was somewhat hampered by a toe injury. As a senior, he rushed for 2,253 yards and 27 touchdowns, a year after rushing for 2,614 yards and 31 touchdowns. Mathers was a four-star prospect according to Rivals.com.

Walton had a quiet recruiting process, giving Ole Miss a verbal commitment in early summer and holding firm the rest of the way. Walton had more than 15 Division I offers and was rated No. 8 nationally at his position by Rivals.com. Walton rushed for more than 2,000 yards as a senior, as Ridgway finished the year 9-4. Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze sent Walton an Arkansas State offer early in the process, so there is familiarity between the two sides.

Walton and Mathers can easily be seen as the future of Ole Miss' running attack, but that future may start pretty soon. Even with Scott staying completely healthy all season, depth and versatility will be needed. Mathers will have every opportunity to be a significant part of the rushing attack immediately, and Walton can find a role among the Ole Miss skill positions. It's important to also factor in Freeze's offense. With 80-plus plays per game, conditioning and depth are elevated. There's plenty of snaps to go around if the freshmen are ready to take the ball.

While Freeze is known for throwing the ball around and moving it downfield, running backs play a vital role in his offensive scheme. They need good hands out of the backfield, as short passes are sometimes used as run plays. The offense is built to simply put the ball in playmakers' hands, so running back definitely isn't a decoy. Also, in the SEC, some semblance of balance is required. A solid running game is the best compliment to an offense that likes to pitch it around.

Click Here to view this Link.