Heart Over Height: 2021 RB’s

As we previously discussed in our last, "Heart Over Height" coverage, we find it to be very common for smaller players to be overlooked in the game of football. With the game being dominated by bigger prospects, who typically have the prototypical height, weight, and length that college programs are looking for, a great amount of smaller, talented individuals are overlooked. While many of these prospects are developmental players, college programs are often skeptical, and critical when it comes to their evaluations and projections of these player’s abilities to pan out in the long run. Despite the doubt, RB happens to be a position where we have seen many players that managed to rise above the skepticism in their size, and make a name for themselves. For those who love to root for smaller RB’s like Tarik Cohen, Darren Sproles, and Dion Lewis, you will enjoy getting to read this piece. Here, we will shed light on some little known RB prospects in the state of Georgia who play way larger than their actual size.   [player_tooltip player_id="33770" first="Greg" last="Daniel"]- 5’10 177 Calvary Day 2021 prospect [player_tooltip player_id="33770" first="Greg" last="Daniel"] has been catching our attention for quite some time. Perhaps our favorite on this list, Daniel plays way bigger than his size. He has a combination of unique vision, allowing him to change direction well at the line of scrimmage, as well as a burst that allows him to explode out of his cuts. His ability to do this is very deadly, thus allowing him to take off into a straight line speed that has shown to be hard for defenders to stop at times. While we would like to see him move laterally more, we feel he is a good slasher. With the ball in his hands, Daniel runs behind his pads, and at a good level, which helps him gain some good yards each time he carries the ball. While he may not be the fastest RB out there, we feel that he’s an effective runner for the style of ball that he plays. We expect him to continue to rack up some more smaller offers, and possibly even a few Group of 5 schools during his senior year. [player_tooltip player_id="33797" first="Amir" last="Harper"]- 5’10 210 Shaw High [player_tooltip player_id="33797" first="Amir" last="Harper"] may be the most raw RB on this list, but he manages to make plays for his team despite his unpolished ability. He displays a small burst, and always finds ways to finish his runs, and turn them into points or big gains. He is a bit tight hipped at times, and we would like to see him change direction more cleanly, but his ability to make a difference for his team is undeniable. During his junior year, he totaled 1,500 yards, thus proving to be effective despite his smaller height and frame. As of now, he has an offer from Gardner Webb, but we are hoping to see him pick up a few more smaller schools during his last high school season. Damozzio Harris- 5’9 185 Jenkins When Damozzio Harris runs, you can notice that his feet and eyes are tied together. This is a very desirable trait among RB’s, especially if they are smaller. The smaller the RB is, the better they have to perform to give themselves an opportunity at the next level. Harris has done just that. At this time, he has offers from schools such as Navy, and Mercer. If he continues to play at a high level, displaying his ability to finish runs, run powerfully, and keep a good center of gravity, programs will continue to consider taking a chance on him. Going into his senior year, you can expect his short area quickness will continue to help him gain yards, and score points for his team.