Top 2021 Running Back Prospects in Louisiana

Louisiana’s 2021 running back class hasn’t featured the name-brand star power of standouts such as Leonard Fournette, Pooka Williams and John Emery Jr. But this year’s seniors do offer at least half a dozen prospects who appear to be reliable bets to make impacts in their Power Five or Group of Five offenses for years to come. And considering the college production of players such as Travis Etienne and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who didn’t always receive as bright a spotlight, there’s plenty of reason for programs to be excited about these seven names: <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/logan-diggs/">[player_tooltip player_id="63560" first="Logan" last="Diggs"]</a> — 6-0, 190 RB — Archbishop Rummel</strong> One of the few headline names returning from a dominant state championship team a year ago is also Louisiana’s top running back prospect for the 2021 recruiting class. Diggs showed enough flash and promise to earn opportunities alongside veterans as a sophomore. And now, as he has muscled up to at least 190 pounds — if not still pushing closer to 200 — he has added all the more force to his always-aggressive running style. The Notre Dame commitment has the ability to quickly cut his way up field and put his 4.5 speed to work, or bounce violently through and off would-be tacklers. And he is also, as is the case with most of this year’s top backs, a comfortable and confident pass-catcher out of the backfield or lined up in the slot. "On film, looked pretty good," said one coach whose team faced Rummel this season. "In person, he was incredible. He was an animal." <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/ketravion-hargrove/">[player_tooltip player_id="63570" first="Ke’Travion" last="Hargrove"]</a> — 6-0, 180 RB — Ruston</strong> The young man nicknamed "Big Bull" for his powerful running ability in youth ball has actually developed into maybe this year’s speediest running back prospect. The fast-accelerating track sprinter with the 4.5-second 40-yard dash joins Diggs as seemingly the clear top two athletes at the position in this class. And, like his counterpart, Hargrove is a great option in the passing game capable of providing a quarterback an electric receiving weapon out of the backfield or lined up in the slot. Louisiana Tech appeared poised to secure a hometown steal with a commitment earlier this year before a Florida State offer and some interest from LSU sparked him to reopen his recruitment and continue weighing his option. But a recent MCL injury has thrown a curveball in his hopes of adding an impressive senior campaign to his highlight reel. <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3m7rQV1IAA4" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63580" first="Kendrell" last="Williams"] — 6-0, 190 RB — Carencro</strong> The third running back in the class is where the debate opens wide, with a handful of viable candidates. And while [player_tooltip player_id="63580" first="Kendrell" last="Williams"] doesn’t seem to get as much spotlight as the group in the New Orleans area, he has a strong case as the next man up. The hometown Louisiana (Lafayette) commitment is one of the bigger backs in the group with patience and strength to bowl his way ahead for yardage in Carencro’s once-again deliberate and methodical Wing T attack. But the Class 4A track state champion with the 48.97-second 400-meter boasts a 4.5-second 40-yard dash that allows him to break away when the space presents itself. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63582" first="Terrence" last="Williams"] — 6-1, 215 RB — Many</strong> As much as [player_tooltip player_id="63580" first="Kendrell" last="Williams"] gets overlooked down I-10 in Lafayette, he might not even be the state’s most underrated senior running back with his last name. [player_tooltip player_id="63582" first="Terrence" last="Williams"], the big back at Many, a Class 2A powerhouse in rural north Louisiana, often flies under the radar. But some colleges are viewing him as potentially one of the top three prospects at the position. His size and physicality makes him a different back to slow down and tackle from a power standpoint, especially in his Tigers’ classification. But he runs with decent speed — with a 4.6-second 40-yard dash — and worked extensively during the offseason on his quickness, footwork and receiving and looks remarkably smooth in those areas for a player his size. His athleticism and skillset would also translate well to the next level as a linebacker. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">3-0 feels great, but we are far from done‼️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/godspeed?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#godspeed</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UnfinishedBusiness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UnfinishedBusiness</a> <a href="https://t.co/JrvGYfvl3k">pic.twitter.com/JrvGYfvl3k</a></p> — [player_tooltip player_id="63582" first="Terrence" last="Williams"] (@Twill_01) <a href="https://twitter.com/Twill_01/status/1317636229664473088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63583" first="Montrell" last="Johnson"] — 5-11, 200 RB — De La Salle</strong> The Arizona commitment exploded onto the scene as a sophomore with a 345-yard performance to pick up the slack for an injured senior teammate and has been among Louisiana’s most productive rushers ever since and one of the state’s top prospects at his position. Pushing a legitimate 6-foot and 200 pounds, the workhorse back boasts ideal size and good enough speed — with an 11.9-second 100-meter for his high school’s track team — to average 21.4 yards per carry early in his senior campaign. Johnson has rushed 26 times thus far for 556 yards and six scores. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63587" first="Iverson" last="Celestine"] — 5-10, 195 RB — Fontainebleau</strong> No prospective Division-I running back in this class made a name for himself earlier or more steadily than the Fontainebleau standout. Celestine became one of the north shore area’s most well-known weapons as a freshman with 1,058 yards, then followed debut effort with 1,680-yard sophomore season before showing more of his versatility as a junior with 1,167 yards rushing and more than 500 yards receiving in just nine games. Celestine has a thick, strong frame   with good balance, footwork and decisiveness to employ his spin moves and jump cuts that have frustrated Louisiana defenders for years. <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/jaden-handy/">[player_tooltip player_id="63597" first="Jaden" last="Handy"]</a> — 5-10, 195 ATH — Holy Cross</strong> The Holy Cross standout appears most likely to live in the backfield at the next level, where he is committed to hometown Tulane. But, as viable of pass options as many of these backs are, Handy has actually spent a considerable amount of his time in high school playing wide receiver. He’s comfortable putting his head down and battling for tough yardage despite being one of the smaller athletes in this group. But his versatility as an offensive weapon stands out as much as maybe anything else — particularly in a Green Wave class featuring two of Louisiana’s top running back options.