2021 Rankings: Running Back Breakdown

Our prospect rankings are available to our subscribers only! Now is a great time to subscribe! Not only will you get all of our prospect content, you’ll get new content every day until the end of the 2020 season. And we can help you save! Enter <strong>Knight25</strong> in the coupon code area for 25% your first billing cycle! <a href="https://prepredzone.com/oklahoma/rankings/2021-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TOP 150 PROSPECTS IN THE 2021 CLASS. </strong></a> We’ve updated our prospect rankings for the 2021 class here in Oklahoma. You can now check out the top 150 seniors in Oklahoma. Continuing today, we’ll have more breakdowns on some of those top seniors in the state. This post will take a look at five of the best running backs in the current senior class. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="38488" first="AJ" last="Green"] - Union</strong> At the time that we’re writing this breakdown, Union has won their last three games after an 0-4 start. One of the biggest keys to the Union turnaround has been the running game. Union has been one of the top rushing attacks in the state during the last three weeks. Leading the way has been senior and Arkansas commit [player_tooltip player_id="38488" first="AJ" last="Green"]. The dynamic running back has been lights out over the last few weeks and has shown why he’s considered one of the top offensive weapons in this 2021 class. Green has shown flashes over the last few years of being the best running back prospect in the state. Over the last month, he’s shown that every week out. Green hasn’t put up some of the numbers that the other backs on this list have but make no mistake about it, when it comes to being a college prospect, Green is the top guy in this senior class. We’re excited to see how Green and this Union rushing attack finish the season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="38616" first="Christian" last="Houston"] - Lawton</strong> Lawton running back <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prepredzone.com/player/christian-houston/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="38616" first="Christian" last="Houston"]</span><span class="info-box"><span class="player-img"><img class=" lazyloaded" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/IMG_9007-150x150.jpg" data-src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/IMG_9007-150x150.jpg" /></span></span></a> has been a bright spot for the Wolverines on offense this season. Houston uses the ability to run with great vision and burst all night long. Houston is often underrated because he is just under that 5’10 threshold for running backs coming in at 5’9. However, what he may lack in size, <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prepredzone.com/player/christian-houston/"><span class="name-pointer">Houston</span><span class="info-box"><span class="player-img"><img class=" ls-is-cached lazyloaded" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/IMG_9007-150x150.jpg" data-src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/IMG_9007-150x150.jpg" /></span></span></a> sure makes up with his vision and ability to make tacklers miss in the open field. Lawton is battling for a playoff spot this year and they’ve been somewhat out of the headlines over the last two seasons. That has certainly been a negative for Houston when it comes to his recruitment. However, over the last season and a half, he’s been one of the top running backs in 6A-D2. And 6A-D2 has a wealth of talent at the running back position. But you have to have Houston in that conversation as one of the better backs. With a big finish to the season, Houston could see his stock go up fast. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="38487" first="Javion" last="Hunt"] - Carl Albert</strong> Out of the five running backs we’re looking at here, Carl Albert’s [player_tooltip player_id="38487" first="Javion" last="Hunt"] is certainly an interesting prospect to watch. Now, he does play both sides of the ball and it’s still up in the air of what he’ll be at the next level, running back or defensive back. But watching him run the football is an absolute delight. As opposed to other running backs, Hunt is methodical with his decision making. There are times where he actually looks slow in the backfield. But that’s for a specific reason. He’s not just going 110% right into the line of scrimmage. He takes the hand off and waits for his moment and strikes. Hunt certainly plays the game with a high IQ and knows what works for running backs. We mentioned that he waits for his moment and then strikes. When that strike happens, there aren’t many players in Oklahoma that will be able to catch up with the Arkansas commit in the open field. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="38521" first="Qwontrel" last="Walker"] - Stillwater</strong> If you read our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/10/2021-rankings-quarterback-breakdown-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>2021 QB Breakdown</strong></a>, you read about Bixby’s [player_tooltip player_id="38531" first="Mason" last="Williams"] and how he’s being overlooked because he’s a 5’10 quarterback. Basically everything we wrote about Williams can be copy and pasted for Stillwater running back [player_tooltip player_id="38521" first="Qwontrel" last="Walker"]. He’s been one of the best running backs in the state for three seasons now. If Stillwater played a full season and didn’t have games get cancelled, he would of had an opportunity to break the state’s all time rushing record. He’s put up numbers against every team that the Pioneers have faced. Even teams with multiple players on their defense that have D1 offers. And yet, Walker is one of the top remaining prospects in the 2021 class because he’s 5’7. It’s the ugly truth about recruiting in football. However, Walker has proven over the last four years that size does not matter whatsoever in his game. Some school will take a chance on him and it’ll pay off immediately. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="38550" first="Sanchez" last="Banks"] - Broken Arrow</strong> One of the top breakout players from the 2019 season was Broken Arrrow senior [player_tooltip player_id="38550" first="Sanchez" last="Banks"]. As the Tigers were hit hard by injuries, it was Banks that stepped up halfway thru the season and had a strong campaign. Fast forward to this year and Broken Arrow has one of the best running back duo’s in the state. Similar to Carl Albert with Hunt and junior [player_tooltip player_id="38684" first="Buddy" last="Bizzell"]. Broken Arrow features the senior Banks and junior [player_tooltip player_id="38672" first="Maurion" last="Horn"]. While Horn is more of a flashy runner, Banks is a hard-nosed between the tackles runner. Banks and Horn compliment each other nicely and having Horn in the backfield has allowed Banks to not have to be that absolute work horse who carries the ball 20-30 times every single week. Banks is certainly a power runner who has breakaway speed when he gets into the open field. While most of the big plays have come from Horn, Banks is more than capable of getting into the opening and going the distance.