Some would say West Virginia's No. 1 tailback has been, well, a shell of his former self since high school.
Back in the day, Rushel Shell was simply The Man at Hopewell High in Pennsylvania.
He was a USA Today first-team All-USA selection. Sports Illustrated and ESPN had him as an All-America selection. Name it and Shell won it. The kid set a national record with 39 consecutive 100-yard games - eclipsing that of ex-Oklahoma back Billy Sims. You might have heard of him.
Of course, Shell started his college career at Pitt, where he had 641 yards as a freshman.
Then, as a redshirt sophomore in Morgantown he had 788 yards.
Last season, starting but three games, he had 708.
Uh, not bad, but ...
"With him everything had been set in stone that he'd be a three-and-out kid," said WVU running backs coach JaJuan Seider. "You go set all those records and you're related to Tony Dorsett; you go to Pitt and have success. Then stuff starts to crumble."
Oh yeah. In some way, Shell is related to Dorsett, the former Pitt and Dallas Cowboy legend. (Shell doesn't know how exactly.) But Shell's high school exploits once even drew Dorsett out to a game.
This is what the former NFL great told SportsRadio 93-7 in Pittsburgh about Shell back in 2011:
"He's a physical specimen. Watching him play, I left there impressed. But there were a few nuances I think he needs to improve on. He's overpowering and big and strong. He's taking a lot of hits, though, I don't think he needs to be taking. ... He's putting more demands on his body.
"I haven't seen him run between the tackles, but I've seen speed. Some guys had angles on him and he had a 50- or 60-yard touchdown. He's got a great upside."
Ah, there's that word: upside. It's followed Shell, now a redshirt senior, since 2012 like an albatross to an ancient mariner with a cross bow.
"I would say that," Seider said. "I've told him that here you get what you work for. I mean that. Every year we've had a guy here that got beat out. He's been on both ends. With Dreamius [Smith], Rus took the job. Then, last year, Wendell [Smallwood] stole the show."
Indeed, Smallwood ran with the opportunity all the way to the Philadelphia Eagles camp. (Smith played for the San Diego Chargers last season.)
But now it's time for WVU coach Dana Holgorsen and Seider to maximize Shell's talent. Much is on the line this season - for Holgorsen, Shell and WVU.
He's a key. Just understand I didn't write he's THE key. That's because Holgorsen and staff have hedged their bets. They've brought in running back talent like junior college standout Justin Crawford and freshman Kennedy McKoy. If Shell doesn't produce, he'll likely relive 2014.
Seider, though, has confidence.
"He's in a good place," said the coach. "He sees the guys around him. I tell him all the time, 'You want to play on Sundays? Well, this is what the NFL is like. You have to compete every day. Nothing is guaranteed. And this is your last year. You're playing for a contract.' "
Seider paused.
"I hate to say that with kids because there's school too, but, really, for that kid, he's playing for a contract."
The coach is going on his fourth year around Shell.
"He needed to get away from the city [of Pittsburgh] because everything was too easy for him there," Seider said. "I got a lot of respect for the kid because he walked on and paid his own way before he got a scholarship. Then he busted his butt. He came in out of shape but then worked."
In his first game, Shell went against Alabama and had 38 yards on 10 carries, but showed a flash with a gain of 14.
"We thought he'd be two years here and gone," Seider said. "Same expectation as everybody else. Then he got an ankle sprain."
The flashiness became more difficult to find.
"I don't think Rus did anything wrong," Seider said. "Maybe he was protecting himself because he was thinking of going [to the NFL] early. There was the distraction of having a baby early in life. And then, hey, we've been pretty good here in the running back room. For three years we've had guys go to the NFL."
Indeed, there was Smallwood, Smith and Tampa Bay Buccaneer Charles Sims.
"He was in a situation here where he couldn't relax - and he kinda did," Seider said.
The coach added that Shell has never had a bad attitude. He's hosted recruits. He's been a good ambassador for the school.
The back just wants to play well.
"I see a kid that's very determined," Seider said. "He's a people pleaser. He wants people to like him. He wants to reach those expectations.
"I told him, 'You can't worry about criticism. You have to block that. You just go be Rushel Shell. You can't be Rushel Shell the hero. Then good things will happen for you.'
"I think that's where he's at now. This is the hardest he's practiced."
It's imperative with Crawford and McKoy, let alone freshman Martell Pettaway, pushing the senior.
"All three [Shell, Crawford and McKoy] are going to play," Seider said. "When you go recruiting, you look for a couple things. First, can that kid run? Is he quick-twitch? Can he make people miss? Then I ask how they finish going forward. Right now, we have guys that check every one of those boxes. Kennedy McKoy for a freshman has the best forward lean I've ever coached. That kid is always going forward. And Justin is always go, go, go."
The fastest?
"I don't know how fast Crawford is because we don't test them in the 40," Seider said. "I've never seen him be caught from behind. Kennedy has that long stride like Jarrett Brown had. But Rushel had the fastest times this summer."
Best hands?
"It's debatable, but if you make me pick who to throw a ball to right now, it's Rushel," Seider said.
So Rushel Shell is scheduled to start this coming Saturday, probably with Crawford No. 2.
"In Rus today, I see the kid that played in the Alabama game," Seider said. "I see the kid running that was hungry and pissed off like he had something to prove. I think that's a testament to what he went through last year."
Seider smiled.
"Also, these other guys we have are pretty good," he said.
Contact Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827 or mitchvingle@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MitchVingle.