After a rocky junior season, Illinois running back Donovonn Young had more troubles at the beginning of the offseason.

After starting in 10 games as a sophomore, Young was a starter for two games last season and recorded single-digit carries in eight of the team’s 12 games as sophomore Josh Ferguson took advantage of increased carries. Young didn’t touch the ball on Oct. 26 against Michigan State after back-to-back weeks with a fumble against Nebraska and Wisconsin.

Young tallied career-lows with 376 rushing yards, 4.0 yards per carry and three total touchdowns in the 2013 campaign.

Rumors of Young leaving the team after his demotion on the field hit fever pitch in December when the Chicago Tribune posted a story, citing a “source close to the situation,” saying that Young intended to transfer from Illinois. There were no schools listed, but the source claimed that Young was looking into five schools for his final season.

The report caught both Young and the Illinois coaching staff by surprise.

“All I hear is people calling me, sending me Snapchats of my name on the news,” Young said. “It was out of hand. I don’t know how the information got spread, but it was out of hand.”

“It was surprising because Donovonn has always been very straightforward,” head coach Tim Beckman said. “He is very expressive in how good he wants to be, so it was kind of a shock that he didn’t tell me. I just took it as just being a rumor.”

Four days later, head coach Tim Beckman refuted the Tribune’s report and said Young would remain on the team.

“It was a thought, but I never actually took measures to make that move to another spot,” Young said. “It was just a personal thought.”

The senior is now back to bolster a thin running back position for the Illini.

Outside of Ferguson and Young, backup running backs for the Illini have a combined 10 carries in their careers. Ferguson, listed at 5-foot-10, 195 pounds and reserve Devin Church, 5-foot-8, 185 pounds, provide speed and mobility out of the backfield in the receiving game. But Illinois needs the power complement of the 6-foot, 220-pound Young for short yardage, grind-it-out situations.

“It’s huge, we’re very thin there,” Beckman said. “They’re going to have to (complement each other). LaKeith Walls and Kendrick Foster have to get better and we moved Devin Church there, too, to try and get some opportunities. That’s what we’ve got. We’ve got to play with what we’ve got.”

Now that Young is back on the team for his final season, he hopes his struggles are behind him.

“Donovonn Young is a good football player,” Beckman said. “His game is all in front of him, even more and getting better. I’m excited the way that he’s playing.”

Stephen can be reached at [email protected] and @steve_bourbon.