After a hand-off Friday on the first day of full-contact practice, Garden City Community College running back Maurice Greer blasted through a hole in the offensive line and cut sharply to the left, leaving the Broncbuster linebacking corps in his wake.

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Garden City Community College tailback Maurice Greier, center in white jersey, bangs his way through defenders in a drill Friday afternoon during football practice at Tangeman Sports Complex.

As Greer accelerated into the secondary the coaching staff blew the play dead, most likely as a kindness to the defensive backs about be left in Greer's dust.

Amazingly enough, though, Greer isn't even the starter -- yet.

As the Broncbusters start their first phase of preparation for their season opener against Trinity Valley (Texas) Community College on Aug. 25, one thing seems abundantly clear.

This year's team is absolutely stacked at running back.

"We're multi-talented at the skill positions," said co-offensive coordinator Brian Hill. "You're going to see a quick tempo offense. We're going to find a way to get the ball to our offensive weapons."

Ironically, the Broncbusters might be stronger at the tailback position after losing their leading rusher from last year. Jeff Blanchard, who gained 1,039 yards on the ground last year, decided to transfer to Florida Atlantic University in the offseason. Fortunately for first year coach Lucas Aslin and Hill, the Busters have more than enough talent to fill the void left by Blanchard.

At the top of the list has to be Greer, who graduated from high school in 2005 ranked as the 10th best running back in the nation by Rivals.com. After signing a letter of intent with the University of Colorado, Greer failed to become academically eligible and enrolled at GCCC.

Greer rushed for over five yards per carry in his freshman year with Garden City, but ended up sitting out the entire 2006 season as he battled testicular cancer.

Now, back to his former playing weight of 220 pounds, Greer looks ready to challenge for the starting job.

"It feels good after taking a year off," said Greer of being back in full pads. "Its just like I'm trying to get back into the groove."

Despite an intensive rehab and going over a year without taking a snap in full-contact drills, Greer's coaches say they haven't noticed any hesitation in his running style or willingness to take hits.

"I haven't seen him be tentative. I haven't seen any of that," said Hill. "What I see is a young man that is happy to continue to play football and that is making the best out of his chances."

In order to move to the top of the depth chart, however, Greer must first get by current starter Nick Allen.

A standout at Kansas powerhouse Holton High School, Allen enrolled at Fort Hays State University directly out of high school.

After redshirting his freshman year, Allen made the decision to transfer to Garden City.

"After redshirting my first year, I decided to come down here," said Allen. "I guess I wanted to get a little more playing time."

Allen's stellar performance in non-contact drills earlier in the year earned him the top spot on the depth chart going into camp.

Despite not even taking a snap at the college level, Allen's experience at Fort Hays has made him an excellent teacher for some of the younger players in the running back corps.

"We're just trying to help out and teach the younger guys," said Allen of he and Greer's role. "And the younger guys have taught the older guys a lot as well."

Also vying for a spot at the top of the depth chart is sophomore Josh Johnson. In 2006, Johnson graduated from high school in Oklahoma as a heralded prep star with a rare combination of strength and speed.

Immediately after signing with Iowa State University, the hype started to surround Johnson as he was voted a "preseason impact freshman" by Rivals.com, before even taking a snap.

Unfortunately, Johnson failed to live up to the early season hype. In the 2006 season he saw the field only four times for the Cyclones, carrying the ball 23 times for 60 yards.

In the offseason, Johnson transferred to Garden City after first-year Iowa State coach Gene Chizik kicked him off the team, citing "repeated violations of team rules."

Despite the intense position battles in the backfield, the Busters' running back corps shows no signs of animosity or rivalry.

"Right now, it's like 'do your part'," said Greer. "It's our first day of camp, everyone just needs to go out and try hard. We just want to win."

Meanwhile, Hill and the coaching staff have decided not to set a permanent starter at tailback this early into camp.

"Everyone is getting an equal amount of reps right now," said Hill. "Then we'll start divvying up the reps to the guys that earn them."