Ademola Adeniji hasn’t played for the Panthers since the 2004 season.

He was academically ineligible to play for last season’s Ohio Valley Conference-championship team.

But he said this year is going to be different.

“I’m putting pressure on myself to prove I can go the whole way with the boys,” he said. “I’m excited to be a part of this.”

Adeniji will be part of a group of running backs that head coach Bob Spoo called “as good a crop as I’ve had in my 20 years.”

Senior Vincent Webb Jr. is the starter once again but sometimes a team’s depth is called upon and Adeniji, Norris Smith and Travorus Bess could see plenty of playing time, Spoo said.

“I was at Purdue and one year we went through four tailbacks,” he said. “We had to take a guy off defense who had been a tailback in high school to finish out the year. Those guys get dinged up pretty fast sometimes.”

Webb was held out of spring practices after undergoing ankle surgery in January.

He rushed for 1,129 yards last season and is sixth in the program’s history with 2,828 career rushing yards.

Webb said the competition the younger guys have offered has helped him get better.

“It creates that competitiveness,” he said. “They’re working hard to push me. I appreciate that.”

Another benefit will be seen if Webb gets hurt, he said.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen the first game or the last game,” Webb said. “(But) if I go down, I know they can step in.”

Smith will be the team’s No. 2 running back after moving up the depth chart during fall camp.

Eastern’s strong running game will be a greater benefit because of a 12-game season and no bye week, Spoo said.

“It is going to take its toll,” he said. “It’s good to have a good stable of competent running backs. All of them can make certain things happen out there and that’s a plus.”

Adeniji was the team’s second-leading rusher in 2004 with 545 yards.

That was more than 200 yards better than last season’s No. 2 rusher, Bess, who rushed for 318 yards.

Adeniji and Smith both give Eastern a chance to contrast Webb’s speed-running back style. Adeniji is a power runner and called Smith “a bowling ball” on the field, combining a power game with the ability to dart in and out of defenders.

Webb said the contrast is a weapon the Panthers will use.

“It’s good to have the different styles,” he said. “We can keep the defenses off balance a little bit. Down the stretch, if we have to mix it up, we have that ability.”

Adeniji said the backups have to be ready to spell Webb if an injury sidelines him for any period of time.

“Webb’s our leader,” he said. “But anything can happen to him. We never know when our turn will be called. We consider ourselves a three-headed monster.”