The 4A Watchlist: Running Backs

The 4A Watchlist is where I list out my top 75 football players coming into this season in Class 4A. This year, I have 9 players who primarily played RB last season that are worth noting heading into the 2020 season.   Dayson Clayton, Fort Dodge, SR Being a starter since his freshman season, you can expect Dayson Clayton to be someone you should pay attention to in 2020. Although he only played the first half of his junior season due to injury, Clayton managed to gain 579 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns in those six games. At 6’0, 195 lbs, Clayton certainly has the size to make it to the college level, but he isn’t all power, he can make some cutbacks and jukes too. Oddly enough, it doesn’t seem like he even has a single offer coming in, but don’t expect Dayson to be without an offer for long.   [player_tooltip player_id="23967" first="Colin" last="Kadolph"], Ankeny, JR [player_tooltip player_id="23967" first="Colin" last="Kadolph"] had a breakout sophomore season for the Hawks in 2019, taking over incumbent RB [player_tooltip player_id="23845" first="Cael" last="Boyd"]’s offensive role in the process. Kadolph rushed for exactly 1000 yards and 16 touchdowns in a pretty impressive start to his varsity career. Most of his runs last season started from the inside of the line, which showed how good he is at escaping from tackles and driving his feet to pick up some extra yards. Since he’s only a junior, he’s most likely not going to see any offers yet, but you can certainly expect some colleges are going to take a look at him this season anyway.   [player_tooltip player_id="23832" first="Jaden" last="Koger"], Des Moines Roosevelt, SR A keystone piece of last year’s surprise playoff team, [player_tooltip player_id="23832" first="Jaden" last="Koger"] returns to lead Roosevelt’s rushing game. A first-year starter last season, he rushed for 1225 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2019. Once he gets a run off the edge, he’ll turn on the jets and get a nice gain for himself. So far, no offers have come his way. But if he gets another season like 2019, expect some offers to roll in.   [player_tooltip player_id="23991" first="Kael" last="Kolarik"], Indianola, JR Kael had a good start to his varsity career in 2019. Rushing for 1002 yards and 17 touchdowns, to go along with 281 receiving yards as well. He’s got good size at 6’0,183 lbs, which allows him to not only fight through tackles, but he can also cut back and make a defender miss as well. Currently, he has no offers, but he should see some offers coming in soon from not only football but baseball too.   [player_tooltip player_id="23836" first="Cain" last="McWilliams"], Dubuque Senior, SR [player_tooltip player_id="23836" first="Cain" last="McWilliams"] had a solid season as a two-way player in 2019. Cain rushed for 1014 yards and 8 touchdowns to go along with 26 receptions on offense. On defense, he made 32 tackles and got 1 interception as a cornerback. He’s got some nice speed to him, along with some juke moves that’ll keep any defender on their toes. Currently, he has only two D-3 offers from Loras and Simpson coming into the season.   Tim Nimely, Muscatine, SR A consistent presence on the Muskies offense since his freshman season, Tim Nimely returns for one more season in Muscatine. Last season was a little bit down statistically, rushing for 927 yards, and 8 touchdowns, down from his 1163 yard sophomore campaign. At 5’9, 175 lbs, Tim can use his size to his advantage by squeezing through the middle of the line and accelerate past the interior for a big gain. While Nimely has one football offer from Grand View, he can look at other sports like wrestling as an option too. At the state tournament, he placed 5th in the 170 lb class   [player_tooltip player_id="23841" first="Ryan" last="Ostrich"], Cedar Falls, SR Cedar Falls always turns out solid running backs, and [player_tooltip player_id="23841" first="Ryan" last="Ostrich"] is no exception. Last season he came in as a backup to Bo Grosse, but due to injuries, He took the starting role and managed to carve up an 1185 yard campaign with 18 rushing touchdowns. Ostrich could very well be just as fast as his animal counterpart, as he has lightning-quick acceleration; and with the benefit of a strong o-line around him, those big holes they make should make his job even easier. His only offer right now is from D-2 Northern State out of South Dakota.   [player_tooltip player_id="23862" first="Nick" last="Pearson"], Prairie, SR [player_tooltip player_id="23862" first="Nick" last="Pearson"] is the latest tailback to break out under Prairie’s single-wing offense. In his first varsity season, Pearson rushed for 1654 yards and 22 touchdowns for the Hawks, leading both categories for returning rushers this season. Nick isn’t relying on a confusing offense to get his yards either, as he has shown his run style of pounding through the middle of the line, escape a couple of tackles, and end up with a big gain has worked out fairly well for him in 2019. There are no offers for him yet, but if he has another season like his junior year than expect him to become a highly sought after prospect for the area.   [player_tooltip player_id="23814" first="Jayden" last="Williams"], Valley, SR After sharing carries with Creighton Mitchell last season, [player_tooltip player_id="23814" first="Jayden" last="Williams"] looks to be the primary RB for a Valley team with high hopes in 2020. Last season, Williams rushed for 1043 yards and 12 touchdowns in 13 games while helping Valley reach their first state title game appearance since 2011. He’s got the right amount of speed and power that’ll make him a nightmare for opposing defenders. In late January, Jayden announced he was committing to Kansas State, which says something because you never see a K-State recruiting pipeline running through Iowa. The closest I can think of a Kansas State-Iowa connection is Darren Sproles, who was born in Waterloo but raised in Olathe, KS, and that’s a bit of a stretch to call that a connection. So with a player like Williams committing to a Power-5 school not bordering Iowa that never scouts here, you know he has to be someone to look out for in 2020.   Other notable names [player_tooltip player_id="23983" first="Titus" last="Christiansen"], Southeast Polk, JR Josh Jenkins, Des Moines Lincoln, JR [player_tooltip player_id="23860" first="Tyler" last="Johnson"], Ankeny Centennial, SR [player_tooltip player_id="23879" first="Alex" last="Linquist"], Waukee, SR