2020 Players to Watch – Running backs

This story is the second in a series of stories we will be doing – highlighting some of the top seniors' to be who will be lacing up their cleats this fall. Obviously, I have not been able to see each of the players on these lists live but have taken what I have seen from last season, what college programs are saying based on offers and invites and highlight packages – always taken with a grain of salt - the players have put together and put online. <strong>Demetrius Marshall Minneapolis Southwest </strong> Marshall has FCS offers from NDSU, SDSU, Northern Iowa and UND. He has game day opportunities from South Dakota, SDSU, NDSU, and Minnesota as well as an Iowa junior day invite. Marshall has excellent balance and speed. He isn't a power back, but arm tackles don't often get the job done against him. His vision and ability to set up his blockers is a strength. He can catch the ball out of the backfield and could also have some position flexibility as he is comfortable lining up at receiver and running more routes than a simple flat route. Marshall also has the hands to go with the route running ability. <strong>Quintcy Suggs Eastview </strong> Suggs has had multiple DI junior day/game day invites, including North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Iowa, and Minnesota. Solid one cut and go runner. Suggs has good speed in the open field, and while isn't a scat back, he can make people miss in the open field. He has good vision and can run multiple routes and catch the ball out of the backfield. <strong>DeAndre Hill Big Lake</strong> Hill has multiple DI game day invites including Norte Dame, Michigan State, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa State. Hill is a tall, long-striding running back. His height can be deceiving. He is a physical runner who can not only outrun defenders to the corner but can make a move in the open field or lower his shoulder and drive through would-be tacklers. He is patient with the ball and lets his blocking develop in front of him before exploding into the line. <strong>Christian Vasser Wayzata </strong> Vasser has multiple junior day or spring practice invites – including Iowa State, Iowa, and Minnesota. He has good agility for a bigger back. At 6'1" 210 pounds, he makes good initial cuts to get upfield quickly. He is willing to lower his shoulder to get extra yards and shows good power in short yardage situations. <strong>Riley Wingert PEM</strong> Wingert has junior day invites SDSU, South Dakota UND and a handful of DII schools. Wingert is another tall running back who looks less physical than he really is. While he can lower his shoulder to pick up the tough yards, Wingert is one of those backs who never seems to give defenders a squared-up target to hit. Because of that, he can bounce off tacklers and even when he is tackled – because he rarely gets hit head-on – always is falling forward. Wingert is also a threat in the passing game and not just as a last option in the flat. <strong>Isaiah Smith Benilde-St. Margaret's </strong> Smith has junior day invites from South Dakota, North Dakota and some DII programs. Smith is one of the better open field runners in the state. While he will break tackles and grind out the tough yards when needed, Smith's game is quickness. He has great feet and uses those feet to find space. When in the open, he has the speed to exploit the space he creates with his quick feet. Adding in his vision, Smith is a handful when he has the ball in his hands. <strong>Isaiah Thompson Detroit Lakes</strong> Thompson is a classic deep I formation tailback. He is quick to the line but patient when finding a running lane. When he sees the hole, he has excellent explosion through the hole. He has solid open field speed, and his cutting ability and vision in the open field are strengths. While he doesn't often look to run through people, his overall strength makes him extremely tough to wrap up and keeps defenders bouncing off him. He has FCS junior day invites from SDSU and North Dakota. <strong>Alexander Flucas Mayer Lutheran</strong> Flucas has multiple FCS and DII junior day invites including SDSU, South Dakota, Minnesota-Duluth, Bemidji State, and Moorhead. While he has nice feet, can make people miss and has decent speed to get to the corner, if Flucas is anything, he is a power back. He is built more like a linebacker – which he also plays – than a running back, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a future on offense. Not only is he a punishing runner who defenders have to tackle low or with numbers, but Flucas can also catch the ball out of the backfield – usually on screens or passes in the flat. <strong>JJ Mucha-Owens Albert Lea</strong> Mucha-Owens has FCS junior day/spring practice invites to SDSU and UND. He is one of those running backs that is greater than the sum of his parts. While he didn't blow me away with his speed, he can run away from people. He doesn't cut on a dime, but his feet are good enough to make people miss. While not a power runner, defenders still need to put a solid hit on him to get him down. Mucha-Owens is at the very least good at everything thing which makes him a great high school running back. <strong>Kedrik Osuorah St. Cloud Tech</strong> Osuorah has a junior day invite to UND. He is comfortable in the tailback position, in the spread or taking the snap in the Wildcat formation. He has good balance and sets up his blocks well. Osuorah runs with a low center of gravity and is tough to knock off his feet. He can also catch the ball out of the backfield and is dangerous in open space.