West Virginia’s top 2021 Runningbacks

2020 was a crazy year for everyone that is without a doubt. No one, however, had it tougher than these seniors of 2021. The recruiting scene was out of the ordinary, to say the least. We feel here at Prep Redzone that it is our duty to help bring exposure to some of the well-deserved athletes who may not have been given a fair shot at an entire season this year. We hope to bring them exposure, as they did not get to showcase their talents as much as they should have been able to this past season due to COVID. So we have highlighted a few RBS who we have ranked on our list of 2021 RBS list. If you like this article and would like to show your support for these seniors, re-post. or re-tweet this article and tag us in it <em>@PrepRedzoneWV</em> and<em> @LoboRecruits</em> on Twitter. <span style="font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="58653" first="Naieem" last="Kearney"]</span> <hr /> <div class="css-901oao r-jwli3a r-1qd0xha r-1b6yd1w r-1vr29t4 r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="auto">Naieem is an all-purpose back who is arguably one of the best running backs in the state who recently committed to the University of West Virginia. He is helped lead his team to three state championships and is a very bright student-athlete with a 4.0 GPA. Naieem handles business both on and off the field. His character helped in his recruitment. He is usually one of the fastest players on the field, or so it seems by his burst of speed and agility. He shows the ability to make solid cuts and make defenders miss in the open field. He almost reminds me of NFL players Darren Sproles or a Maurice Jones-Drew type of player. At 5'9 he is a little below average height as a runningback but that doesn't mean he won't lower his shoulders and run some people over or just hurdle them.</div> <div class="css-901oao r-jwli3a r-1qd0xha r-1b6yd1w r-1vr29t4 r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="auto"></div> <div dir="auto"></div> <div dir="auto"></div> <div dir="auto"></div> <div dir="auto"></div> <div dir="auto"></div> <div dir="auto"></div> <div dir="auto"></div> <div dir="auto"></div> <div dir="auto"></div> <div dir="auto"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="58655" first="Kevon" last="Warren"]</span></div> <div dir="auto"> <hr /> </div> <div class="css-1dbjc4n r-xoduu5 r-1mlwlqe r-1d2f490 r-1udh08x r-u8s1d r-h9hxbl r-417010" aria-label="⭐️"></div> <div aria-label="⭐️">A two-sport athlete in track in field and football. Kevin is one of the most versatile players on this list. He can run, block, and catch the ball out of the backfield or lined up at receiver. He has great top-end speed and uses his burst of acceleration to hit open holes on the offensive line. His low center of gravity and balance give him the ability to rack up a bunch of yards after contact. His play is very exciting and I could watch his tape all day. He shows the patience to let blockers get out in front of him and then can take it into the end-zone. He runs a 4.6 40 yard dash, bench presses 260 lbs., and has a 415  lbs. squat max according to his hudl account.</div> <div aria-label="⭐️"></div> <div aria-label="⭐️"></div> <div aria-label="⭐️"></div> <div aria-label="⭐️"><img class="" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ET6I691WoAUWUFI?format=jpg&amp;name=medium" alt="Image" width="430" height="287" /></div> <div aria-label="⭐️"></div> <div aria-label="⭐️"><a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EkqBU"><strong>Film:</strong> http://www.hudl.com/v/2EkqBU</a></div> <div aria-label="⭐️"></div> <div aria-label="⭐️"></div> <div aria-label="⭐️"></div> <div aria-label="⭐️"></div> <div aria-label="⭐️"></div> <div aria-label="⭐️"></div> <div class="css-1dbjc4n r-18u37iz r-1wbh5a2"></div> <div> <div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1awozwy r-18u37iz r-dnmrzs"> <div class="css-901oao r-jwli3a r-1qd0xha r-1b6yd1w r-1vr29t4 r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="auto"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="58669" first="Jakob" last="Caudill"]</span></div> </div> </div> <div> <hr /> </div> <div> Jakob is a downhill runner and one tough back for defenders to try and bring down. At about 5'10 213 lbs, he is used at the fullback position in a flexbone type of offense. He has the capability on every play to pick up 5 to 10 yards per carry. A very tough physical runner who makes up a lot of yards after contact. He is a 2-time All-State player and a great student-athlete as well with a 3.5 GPA. He currently holds offers from <span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Pikeville University and West Virginia Wesleyan. </span> </div> <div title="Orange circle" aria-label="Orange circle"></div> <div title="Orange circle" aria-label="Orange circle"></div> <div title="Orange circle" aria-label="Orange circle"></div> <div title="Orange circle" aria-label="Orange circle"><a href="http://iframe%20src='//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/10028058/5dcd6c0bd21af50d08978a64'%20width='640'%20height='360'%20frameborder='0'%20allowfullscreen/iframe"><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/10028058/5dcd6c0bd21af50d08978a64" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></a></div> <div title="Orange circle" aria-label="Orange circle"></div> <div title="Orange circle" aria-label="Orange circle"></div> <div title="Orange circle" aria-label="Orange circle"></div> <div title="Orange circle" aria-label="Orange circle"></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div><span style="font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="58698" first="Hunter" last="Patterson"]</span></div> <div> <hr /> </div> <div></div> <div>Average size player with an athletic build. This is a receiver type of back who can take handoffs in the backfield and or line up at the slot position. He was utilized best on jet sweep plays and out of the wildcat formation because of his dangerous speed and agility. Hunter is good on his route running ability and is able to break away from defenders.  His career stats as a rusher are eye-opening at 2, 335 yards rushing, 31 rushing touchdowns and 57 total TDs ( <a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/hunter-patterson/vaN-F3uMEeeT-Oz0u-e-FA/football/stats.htm"><em>according to MaxPreps</em></a> ).</div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div><span style="font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="58723" first="Kieshawn" last="Cottingham"]</span></div> <div> <hr /> </div> <div></div> <div>At 5'9 170ilbs Kieshawn won't wow you with his physic but he will with his play. He has plenty of time to size up in college. He shows he is a physical runner who can run between the tackles and has enough speed to take the ball all the way to the end-zone. He is a great blocker out in space, very physical at the point of contact, and takes pride in his blocking abilities. He is also used to line up at the slot receiver position and shows the ability to run good routes and has good catching ability. West Virginia Wesleyan has shown interest in Kieshawn.</div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div><span style="font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="58731" first="Noah" last="Brown"]</span></div> <div> <hr /> </div> <div></div> <div>If you are looking for a big physical runningback , look no further. Wrestler and football player at 6'3" 220 lbs. , this runningback has the ability to plow over people at will.  His career numbers impress with over 3,400 yards rushing and 34 touchdowns. Three-year varsity player, who has the adequate speed for his size but could use improvement at the next level. He is best utilized on a flexbone type of offense or a pro-style, which is what he is accustomed to in high school. Noah would make a great tight-end in college, as he shows the ability to both block and run routes. Overall terrific athlete, and would be a strong player for a division II or III school looking to add some size to their roster.</div> <div></div> <div><img class="" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_banners/861050754064408576/1570977919/1500x500" alt="Image" width="437" height="146" /></div> <div> <em><span style="font-size: 8pt;">Photo:@NoahPerrinBrown</span></em> <div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1adg3ll r-15d164r"> <div class="css-1dbjc4n"></div> </div> </div> <div></div> <div></div> <div><a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2E3Jyf">Film: http://www.hudl.com/v/2E3Jyf</a></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div><span style="font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="58734" first="Caleb" last="Bower"]</span></div> <div> <hr /> </div> <div></div> <div></div> <div>Average size runningback at 5'10 185 lbs. In his junior year, he was 1st team all-state and rushed for over 2,000 yards and 26 touchdowns with an 8.3 yards per carry average. He runs a 4.6 4-yard dash and 4.03-Shuttle time with a 29 inch vertical. A one cut back, who has great speed. He shows the ability to be able to run in between the tackles and hit open holes with a burst of speed. 3</div> <div></div> <div></div> <div><a href="http://iframe%20src='//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/4229852/5d9b3d41b3d3330c60840940'%20width='640'%20height='360'%20frameborder='0'%20allowfullscreen/iframe"><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/4229852/5d9b3d41b3d3330c60840940" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></a></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div> <div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1awozwy r-18u37iz r-dnmrzs"> <div class="css-901oao r-jwli3a r-1qd0xha r-1b6yd1w r-1vr29t4 r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="auto"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="58745" first="Steven" last="Felton"]</span></div> <div dir="auto"> <hr /> </div> </div> <div class="css-1dbjc4n r-18u37iz r-1wbh5a2"></div> </div> <div>Steven is one of the fastest fullbacks on our list. He has dangerous speed and agility for a fella his size. He can play both sides of the ball well at linebacker but he is a dominating offensive presence on the field. The offense he is in is more of a spread type of offense usually featuring two running backs in the backfield along with the quarterback. He shows the ability to be a physical blocker as you would hope a fullback would be, chip blocking the defensive end and reaching the next level to the backers. He can pancake people with half of his strength, he delivers a devastating punch, that can send opponents flying through the air. He can easily bench press 225 lbs 18 to 20 times, I have seen it personally. Currently holds offers to Concord University. Otterbein University &amp; Denison University have shown interest.</div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div><a href="http://iframe%20src='//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/9809181/5fa08abaf327b50378200ba5'%20width='640'%20height='360'%20frameborder='0'%20allowfullscreen/iframe"><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/9809181/5fa08abaf327b50378200ba5" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></a></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div><span style="font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="58706" first="Devin" last="Gaines"]</span></div> <div> <hr /> </div> Devin is an every-down type of back that you could feed the ball to all game. He is a tuff physical runner who runs violently and shows the ability to gain yards after contact. He is accustomed to running in between the tackles and his vision as a ball carrier is excellent. His speed is adequate and has good lateral speed as well. Overall, this could be a great Division II or III player who could be a strong contributor on any offense. <span style="font-size: 8pt;"><em>Photo:@DevinGaines15</em></span> <div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1adg3ll r-15d164r"> <div class="css-1dbjc4n"></div> </div> <a href="http://iframe%20src='//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/9962947/5d8109db578dcd0e68ab84f8'%20width='640'%20height='360'%20frameborder='0'%20allowfullscreen/iframe"><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/9962947/5d8109db578dcd0e68ab84f8" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></a>