2020 Hillsborough County under the radar Running Backs

<h2 style="text-align: left;">With the 2020 season upon us, I wanted to go in-depth about some guys that are under the radar right now in Hillsborough County, Florida. These players are all extremely talented and have college-level abilities. Some of these players have a few offers and with the help of big senior seasons, I can foresee all of them playing college football at some level.</h2>   Kohl Robertson-Sickles 5'10 180lbs 2019 Stats 101 carries 581 yards 8 Touchdowns 16 rec 159 yards 1 Touchdown Kohl Robertson currently has no offers, but with a big year that I anticipate he's going to have the offers will start coming in. Kohl is a back that possesses above-average vision, outstanding hands out of the backfield, runs with power, and can be used on all 3 downs. Kohl Robertson is a slasher that has good speed and acceleration and shows some lateral burst. He's going to be a big key in Sickles offense this year. If Sickles is going to have a big year this year, I believe Kohl is going to be the Workhorse that helps them get over the hump.   Jayden Mendez-Gaither 5'10 160lbs 2019 Stats 38 carries 234 yards 1 Touchdown 35 Rec 582 yards 5 Touchdowns KO Ret 28.1 avg Punt Ret 20.5 avg 1-Offer Bethune-Cookman Jayden Mendez doubles as a running back and wide receiver, and Return man. Jayden is one of the most explosive and dynamic athletes in Hillsborough County. Anytime he touches the ball there's a chance he's going to take it to the house. Jayden is an all-around athlete with top-level speed, quickness, acceleration, and has a unique ability to make people miss. He's got tremendous vision and great run after the catch ability; he lines up all over the field which makes it hard for the defense to game plan for him. Gaither does an outstanding job in the way they use him. I expect Gaither to go deep into the playoffs this year and Jayden will be one of the main cogs in their season.   Antony Guzman-Chamberlain 5'9 175lbs 2019 Stats 126 Carries 839 yards 8 touchdowns 10 receptions 135 yards Antony Guzman is one of the best running backs in the county. He has amazing acceleration with the burst to get through the hole and eliminate angles in the open field. He also possesses really good hands in the passing game. He has outstanding balance and quickness. One of the best traits he has is he gets to top-end speed in a heartbeat. He will be the main focal point on offense this year for Chamberlain, who again will be pushing for another playoff run.   Malik Mazion-Jefferson 5'10 182lbs 2019 Stats 36 carries 307 yards and 2 touchdowns 3 catches 50 yards 1 Offer- Otterbein University I believe Malik is poised to have a huge senior season. He's overlooked in a sense because of his teammate Jeremiah Burnett who's being recruited by FBS and FCS schools, but Malik with a strong senior season could have FBS and FCS offers, in my opinion. Malik is a classic slasher, he runs with power, vision and is able to consistently get to the second level. He doesn't have a ton of make-you-miss moves, but has enough wiggle to set defenders up for long runs. He runs extremely hard and generates a lot of yards after contact. I'm excited to see Malik build on his solid Junior season.   Lonel Gappy- Durant 5'8 170lbs 2019 Stats 76 carries 556 yards 6 touchdown 3 catches 36 yards Lonel plays a lot bigger than his size, he plays fullback in the Durant triple-option offense. He possesses acceleration and quick feet through the hole, and vision to bounce runs outside for long gains. He runs with a low pad level and surprisingly doesn't take a lot of big hits. He runs with a low center of gravity and has a good ability to bounce off would-be tacklers.   Jack Arnone- Newsome 5'11 185lbs 2019 Stats 52 carries 428 yards 4 touchdowns 2 catches 17 yards 1 Offer- Valparaiso University Jack is a dynamic two-way player. I'm going to focus on his running back abilities in this article, but he is a legit prospect at strong safety as well. Jack has a rare combination of incredible strength and speed (recently ran 4.54) at his age. He runs with a low center of gravity and consistently bounces off tacklers. He's a one-cut runner that has the ability to take it to the house at any moment. He reads blocks extremely well and fights hard for yards after contact. He reads the field quickly and consistently picks up positive yards and gets to the edge quickly on the outside runs.   Raphael Ekechi- Tampa Catholic 5'10 190lbs 2019 Stats 61 carries 510 yards 2 Touchdowns 2 catches 10 yards 3 Offers- UT Martin, Tennessee State, Albany State Tampa Catholic as a three-headed monster at running back and Ekechi leads the way. Ekechi has tremendous start-and-stop ability and consistently makes the right reads to bounce his runs outside to the numbers. He runs with power and has the ability to take it the distance after breaking tackles. He darts in and out of his runs and gets up to top speed quickly. I'm super excited to see Tampa Catholic this year and especially seeing the growth that Ekechi will make!   Duke Smith- Chamberlain 5'8 165lbs 2019 Stats 51 Carrie 306 yards 6 Touchdowns 2 catches 6 yards Duke Smith is a player that came on the scene last season for Chamberlain High School. He's a scat-back that has great elusiveness and burst to the hole. He shows patience in allowing his blocks to set up, he's a smooth and fluid runner with incredible vision. He shows amazing feet in the hole, and vision to pick his spots and slither through. Smith and Guzman are going to be a handful to stop this year for Chamberlain as they march towards another playoff run.