Class 5A RB’s to Watch

<strong>Noel Aponte, 6', 160, Sterling, SR</strong> Aponte is a taller back with great vision and patience. He’s a natural hands catcher out of the backfield and makes defenders pay in space. I think he certainly has the potential to break into our top 20 RB rankings with another big season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20868" first="Kaleb" last="Brown"], 5'11, 190, St. Rita, JR,</strong> The state’s best back, regardless of class. Brown has an elite mixture of pure speed and wiggle that only comes around every few years. He’s the states number one Junior, and now that [player_tooltip player_id="20193" first="J.J." last="McCarthy"] has left, it could be debated he’s now the states #1 overall prospect, regardless of class, despite only being a junior. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20202" first="Mar’Keise" last="Irving"], 5'9, 180, Hillcrest, SR</strong> Irving, to me, is the most exciting player in all of Illinois. This guy is so shifty and could make someone miss in a phone booth. Don’t be mistaken, what he may lack in size, he more than makes up for in brute strength. This kid is a special talent, and the Minnesota Golden Gophers got a good one <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20239" first="Tajheem" last="Lawson"], 5'11, 185, Marian Catholic, SR</strong> This is an explosive back with great balance. The Northern Illinois commit burst onto the scene as a junior and played all over the field in 2019. Lawson is a natural with the ball in his hands and has the versatility to split out in the slot and create a mismatch on LB’s. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20872" first="Trevor" last="Burnett"], 5'8, 180, Glenbard South, JR</strong> Burnett is an intriguing prospect because some project him as an RB at the next level, while others project him as a WR. Burnett’s burst is second to none; once he sees a seem, he hits it and is off to the races. He’s got track speed that helps him get to the edge and outrun defenders angles. &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20877" first="Jacque" last="Walls"], 5'10, 170, Fenwick, JR</strong> Walls has an innate ability to stop on a dime and make a cut. He excels running between the tackles and will lower his shoulder on 2nd and 3rd level defenders. Fenwick did a great job in 2019 of finding ways to get him the ball out of the backfield in the passing game. <strong>Danny Kent, 5'8, 175, Fenwick, JR</strong> An electrifying return man who did it all for Fenwick in 2019. Kent excels at the jump-cut and rarely gets brought down by the first tackler. He’s a major name to watch in 2020 and will be vying for a spot in our prep-RedZone RB rankings. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20243" first="Alex" last="Sweetland"], 5'9, 180, Sacred Heart-Griffin, SR</strong> Sweetland is so much fun to watch on film and constantly breaks long touchdown runs. He’s a natural hands catcher and gave LB’s fits when running wheel routes out of the backfield. I believe he’s one of the most underrated backs in the state and has FBS type ability. <strong>Jonathan Tucker, 5'8, 170, Marion, SR</strong> Tucker just came onto my radar of late, and I’m glad he did, because this kid can play. Tucker’s speed is what sets him apart; on film, the pull-away separation between himself and the defender is evident. Tucker could be in the running for IL’s best return man too. <strong>Jacob DuRocher, 6', 190, Rochester, SR</strong> In 2019, DuRocher had tremendous production running for 1853 yards and 30 touchdowns. DuRocher is an absolute workhorse of a back who can handle a beating between the tackles. I think he can make the transition to WR at the next level if need be. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20875" first="Jordan" last="Anderson"], 6'3, 210, Joliet Catholic, JR</strong> Anderson is a big back who does a fantastic job letting his blocks set up in front of him. He features a punishing stiff-arm that put plenty of defenders in the dirt in 2019. I think he’s more of an athlete and could transition to quite a few different positions at the next level. <strong>Ja’Arie Mack, 6'2, 210, Joliet Catholic, SR</strong> Mack is another big RB prospect, who does a great job of running behind his shoulder pads. For a guy who is 6’2, he has exceptional acceleration and often surprises defenders on film. He is a phenomenal route runner and has the potential to play WR at the next level. <strong>Aveon Pittman, 5'8, 175, Kankakee, SR</strong> At 5’8, Pittman does a great job using his size to his advantage. Often, he’s patient waiting for his blocks to set up, and defenders will lose him behind the LOS. Then, he will burst into the open and defenders will be playing catchup. This kid is fun to watch and could have a breakout 2020 season.