Keith Bhonapha, known around the Michigan State program as “KB,” officially arrived in East Lansing in December 2023, bringing with him over 15 years of coaching experience and a reputation for developing elite running backs.

He joined the Spartans as assistant head coach, co-special teams coordinator and running backs coach, following head coach Jonathan Smith after working together at Oregon State in 2023.

Bhonapha also worked with Smith during previous stints at Washington and Boise State as well. Bhonapha’s résumé also includes a stop as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Hawai’i to begin his coaching career from 2003 through 2005.

While at Oregon State, Bhonapha helped guide running back Damien Martinez to a Doak Walker Award semifinalist campaign in 2023. His track record also features a strong list of NFL players he's coached, including Doug Martin, Jay Ajayi and Myles Gaskin. The goal now is to continue that development pipeline in East Lansing.

After practice on Tuesday, Bhonapha discussed the mindset and progress of his running backs room heading into the final days of spring ball.

“The thing you’re always trying to do is develop — develop depth, develop talent,” Bhonapha said. “Even with depth, I think about that ‘dependable depth.’ Who’s going to take the reins of it (the room) and be the lead dog?”

That question has driven much of the competition this spring. According to Bhonapha, “It’s been fairly competitive,” and he noted that part of the challenge lies in youth and inexperience within the group of running backs.

“I think a lot of the time, you’re dealing with some guys who don’t know what they don’t know, and they don’t have as many reps as some of the other guys that have been through a second spring,” he said.

Bhonapha highlighted second-year running backs Makhi Frazier and Brandon Tullis as two players starting to separate themselves through consistency and growth. Both earned limited offensive snaps in 2024 and contributed on special teams — Frazier played in nine games, Tullis in eight contests — and their familiarity with the speed and pressure of live action has made a difference.

Bhonapha explained that their reps last year weren’t just situational — they were strategic.

“Getting guys 12 valuable snaps if you can, especially when they’re young … just so they can get that feeling of going into the game, going into a big crowd, (learning) the speed and pace of the game,” Bhonapha said. “Even when we simulate that (in a practice), some of the competition stuff, there is nothing like playing on Saturday.”

To bolster the room, the Spartans brought in running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver from Sacramento State via the transfer portal this winter. Tau-Tolliver rushed for 950 yards and seven touchdowns last season en route to All-Big Sky honorable mention honors, despite playing behind a banged-up offensive line.

Tau-Tolliver also recorded a career-high 38 receptions for 317 yards and two touchdowns in 2024.

“What stood out to me about Elijah is how hard he ran," Bhonapha said about Tau-Tolliver. "Even with what was going on (with his offensive line), he was still able to break tackles and make things happen.”

He added that Tau-Tolliver’s maturity, attention to detail and leadership presence have made him an ideal addition to the running backs room.