The 4A Club Midseason Player Rankings: Running Backs

Every four weeks I like to take a look at the landscape of Class 4A football and come up with my own player rankings based on statistics. How I come up with my ratings is a system based on pro-football-reference.com’s "Approximate Value" system of ratings they use for overall performance during a season. For this article, I’m taking a look at my top 20 Class 4A Running Backs, and as a bonus, I’m going to give out my top 5 Fullbacks here too. &nbsp; *Stats are up to Week 4* &nbsp; #1. Dayson Clayton, Fort Dodge, SR - 21.647 Rushing: 107 att, 842 yards, 9 TDs Receiving: 3 rec, 82 yards, 2 TDs Highest Offers - N/A Analysis: He’s been a starter all four seasons, but Dayson Clayton hasn’t had this great of a start in either of his previous three campaigns. He’s a bulldozer when he gets the ball, and that showed during the first two weeks, as he would rush for 325 and a school-record 354 yards in back-to-back weeks. Somehow Dayson has zero offers, but with the start he’s had, it should be any moment before a school pulls the trigger and offers him. &nbsp; #2. [player_tooltip player_id="23841" first="Ryan" last="Ostrich"], Cedar Falls, SR - 18.683 Rushing: 104 att, 781 yards, 6 TDs Receiving: 3 rec, 54 yards, 1 TD Highest Offers - D-2 (Northern State) Analysis: Ostrich has had an excellent start to the 2020 season. He’s got very quick acceleration to get through the gaps his o-line makes, and he can break out a well-timed juke or spin to get away from tacklers. Right now he’s got an offer from D-2’s Northern State and D-3’s Loras, but with the performance he’s had so far, you could expect his stock going up and bigger schools calling. &nbsp; #3. [player_tooltip player_id="23823" first="Tucker" last="Langenberg"], Urbandale, SR - 11.861 Rushing: 76 att, 721 yards, 11 TDs Receiving: 2 rec, 41 yards, 1 TD Highest Offers - FCS (Eastern Illinois, North Dakota, Northern Iowa, South Dakota, Western Illinois) Analysis: While I initially listed him as a "player to watch" as a linebacker, [player_tooltip player_id="23823" first="Tucker" last="Langenberg"] has emerged as a really good running back too. He isn’t afraid to take a couple of hits if it means getting the first down. &nbsp; #4. [player_tooltip player_id="23832" first="Jaden" last="Koger"], Des Moines Roosevelt, SR - 11.792 Rushing: 52 att, 409 yards, 7 TDs Receiving: 9 rec, 69 yards, 1 TD Highest Offers - JuCo (Iowa Western) Analysis: While his season is likely over and I can’t tell if he’s looking to transfer elsewhere, Koger’s put up some excellent stats in two games. He’s a very quick and slippery runner who weaves through defenses with ease. &nbsp; #5. [player_tooltip player_id="23836" first="Cain" last="McWilliams"], Dubuque Senior, SR - 10.327 Rushing: 85 att, 502 yards, 5 TDs Receiving: 10 rec, 40 yards, 0 TDs Highest Offers - D-2 (Sioux Falls) Analysis: Cain is a very quick and athletic rusher with great vision to see the holes his line makes. Expect to see some more D-2 schools to come calling by the end of the season. &nbsp; #6. [player_tooltip player_id="23967" first="Colin" last="Kadolph"], Ankeny, JR - 9.996 Rushing: 33 att, 307 yards, 5 TDs Receiving: 4 rec, 32 yards, 0 TDs Highest Offers - N/A &nbsp; #7. TJ Hayes, Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln, SR - 9.632 Rushing: 50 att, 528 yards, 7 TDs Receiving: 2 rec, 13 yards, 0 TDs Highest Offers - N/A &nbsp; #8. [player_tooltip player_id="23983" first="Titus" last="Christiansen"], Southeast Polk, JR - 9.213 Rushing: 69 att, 443 yards, 5 TDs Receiving: 7 rec, 74 yards, 2 TDs Highest Offers - N/A &nbsp; #9. [player_tooltip player_id="23862" first="Nick" last="Pearson"], Prairie, SR - 8.702 Rushing: 59 att, 473 yards, 6 TDs Receiving: 0 rec, 0 yards, 0 TDs Highest Offers - N/A &nbsp; #10. [player_tooltip player_id="23991" first="Kael" last="Kolarik"], Indianola, JR - 7.071 Rushing: 71 att, 306 yards, 4 TDs Receiving: 5 rec, 10 yards, 0 TDs Highest Offers - N/A &nbsp; #11. Caden Kipper, Pleasant Valley, SR - 6.960 Rushing: 59 att, 483 yards, 4 TDs Receiving: 1 rec, 20 yards, 0 TDs Highest Offers - N/A &nbsp; #12. Kyler Peterson, Sioux City East, SR - 6.275 Rushing: 48 att, 245 yards, 3 TDs Receiving: 8 rec, 96 yards, 2 TDs Highest Offers - N/A &nbsp; #13. Trey King Jr., Iowa City West, SR - 6.015 Rushing: 23 att, 175 yards, 2 TDs Receiving: 5 rec, 57 yards, 0 TDs Highest Offers - N/A &nbsp; #14. [player_tooltip player_id="23879" first="Alex" last="Linquist"], Waukee, SR - 5.320 <strong>(incomplete stats)</strong> Rushing: 85 att, 436 yards, 0 TDs Receiving: 5 rec, 33 yards, 0 TDs Highest Offers - N/A &nbsp; #15. [player_tooltip player_id="23814" first="Jayden" last="Williams"], Valley, SR - 4.995 Rushing: 59 att, 198 yards, 2 TDs Receiving: 3 rec, 64 yards, 1 TDs Committed - Kansas State (1/31/20) &nbsp; #16. Josh Jenkins, Des Moines Lincoln, JR - 4.448 Rushing: 24 att, 147 yards, 1 TD Receiving: 1 rec, 35 yards, 0 TDs Highest Offers - NAIA (MidAmerica Nazarine, Northwestern State) &nbsp; #17. Aidan Lovan, Des Moines Lincoln, JR - 4.352 Rushing: 14 att, 77 yards, 1 TD Receiving: 2 rec, 87 yards, 1 TD Highest Offers - N/A &nbsp; #18. Malik Haynes, Marshalltown, SR - 4.220 Rushing: 51 att, 351 yards, 3 TDs Receiving: 0 rec, 0 yards, 0 TDs Highest Offers - NAIA (Graceland) &nbsp; #19. Zach Schwager, Dowling, SR - 4.148 Rushing: 59 att, 264 yards, 4 TDs Receiving: 2 rec, 12 yards, 0 TDs Highest Offers - N/A &nbsp; #20. Kie Glosser, Ottumwa, SR - 3.971 Rushing: 66 att, 321 yards, 3 TDs Receiving: 2 rec, 13 yards, 0 TDs Highest Offers - N/A &nbsp; Top 5 Fullbacks &nbsp; #1. [player_tooltip player_id="23811" first="Jaden" last="Harrell"], Urbandale, SR - 6.079 6’3, 230 lbs Rushing: 36 att, 282 yards, 4 TDs Receiving: 5 rec, 32 yards, 0 TDs Team Rushing YPG: 295 YPG Committed - Iowa (7/28/19) &nbsp; #2. Patrick Landeros, Marshalltown, SR - 3.255 Rushing: 40 att, 246 yards, 3 TDs Receiving: 1 rec, 9 yards, 1 TD Team Rushing YPG: 171.25 YPG Highest Offers - D-3 (Hamline, Simpson) &nbsp; #3. Nolan Recker, Muscatine, JR - 2.301 6’3, 215 lbs Rushing: 0 att, 0 yards, 0 TDs Receiving: 6 rec, 68 yards, 0 TDs Team Rushing YPG: 219.25 YPG Highest Offers - N/A &nbsp; #4. Ethan Breyfogle, Sioux City East, SR - 2.058 6’2, 208 lbs Rushing: 0 att, 0 yards, 0 TDs Receiving: 6 rec, 68 yards, 0 TDs Team Rushing YPG: 104.75 YPG Highest Offers - N/A &nbsp; #5. Cale Gochenour, Dowling, JR - 1.427 6’1, 220 lbs Rushing: 0 att, 0 yards, 0 TDs Receiving: 0 rec, 0 yards, 0 TDs Team Rushing YPG: 110.75 YPG Highest Offers - N/A &nbsp;