2023 Rankings: Running Back Breakdown

<em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em> Here in the month of June, we’re updating all of our prospect rankings as the 2021 season gets closer and closer. For the 2023 class, we went from a Top 50 to a Top 100 as this class continues to get deeper and deeper. The margin between the ranked players is very close and this class has a chance to be fairly deep from top to bottom. You can check out the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/06/updated-2023-oklahoma-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Top 100 Right Here</strong></a>. Throughout the week, we’ll be adding some analysis on the players that have stood out in the 2023 class with positional breakdowns, newcomers, and even prospects on the border of being ranked this time around. Stay tuned for next week when we update the state’s 2022 class. For now, we take a look at five running backs who find themselves in our top 100. The list includes few names most should know by now along with a couple of newcomers. [player_tooltip player_id="91049" first="Erik" last="McCarty"] <strong>- McAlester (#1 RB - #8 Overall)</strong> At this point most coaches, players, fans, recruiters, you name it, should be familiar with [player_tooltip player_id="91049" first="Erik" last="McCarty"]. The 6’2" Junior exploded onto the scene in 2020, running for nearly 2000 yards as a first-year starter for the Buffs. Soon after his debut season, McCarty received offers from both Pittsburgh and Kansas State within roughly a week of each other. Since then, McCarty has done a tremendous job of improving as a receiving option out of the backfield and was often used in the slot while playing for C4 7v7 this spring where he was constantly making big plays. He was already one of the most electrifying players in the state a season ago primarily as a runner, so it’s scary to imagine what he could look like this upcoming season now that he is expected to be more of a true dual-threat back. [player_tooltip player_id="57158" first="Emmanuel" last="Crawford"] <strong>- Grove (#5 RB - #36 Overall)</strong> We have written time and time again on here how Crawford is one of the most underrated backs in the state and that statement still rings true at the moment but it may not be the case much longer. Crawford is one of the fastest RBs in this class when it comes to pure straight-line speed and he is one of a few that have the ability to take it the distance every time he is afforded a semi-clean lane and can make the first defender miss at the second level. If he can improve on what he showed in 2020 this fall, it would truly be shocking to not see a few schools offer him a spot on their roster. [player_tooltip player_id="98176" first="La’Trell" last="Ray"] <strong>- Choctaw (#8 RB - #57 Overall)</strong> Choctaw had a bunch of players who stepped up in a big way after losing a few key players to injury early in the 2020 season, and perhaps the most unexpected one of the bunch was [player_tooltip player_id="98176" first="La’Trell" last="Ray"]. Ray proved early on last year that his size does not hold him back and that he can make difference in a variety of ways. Whether it was on RPOs, swing passes, slip screens, outside zones, jet sweeps, etc., Ray was nearly untouchable at times with the ball in his hands once he found open space. After helping Choctaw make a run to the state title game a year ago, La’Trell will not be sneaking up on any team in 2021. That may not matter though as Ray and teammate [player_tooltip player_id="38780" first="Steele" last="Wasel"] have been playing side by side the majority of this off-season for Sooner7 and have continued to improve their chemistry and timing on what was already a deadly connection in 2020. [player_tooltip player_id="157514" first="Eric" last="Virgil"] <strong>- Hilldale (#10 RB - #60 Overall)</strong> The first of 2 new RBs on this list and in our rankings, [player_tooltip player_id="157514" first="Eric" last="Virgil"] comes in at #60 this time around after he ended up just outside of our top 50 at the end of last season. At 5’10" 170, Virgil ran for well over 1000 yards in 2020 and did so with a good combination of speed and elusiveness in the open field. Additionally, while he did not have eye-popping stats in the passing game last season, Virgil showed that he is a capable pass catcher and made it look natural and effortless at times in 2020. I<span style="font-size: 1rem;">f he can continue to bulk up and continue to grow as a pass-catcher, </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Eric has a chance to move up into the next tier of RBs in the class of 2023.</span> [player_tooltip player_id="157519" first="Andrew" last="McCall"] <strong>- Atoka (#11 RB - #82 Overall)</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="157519" first="Andrew" last="McCall"] is a player who has the potential to be a two-way star for Atoka in 2021 at RB and LB. Andrew is listed at 6’1" 200 Lbs and is a fairly balanced back. He did a good job of following his blocks in 2020 while also having the open field vision to navigate through some heavy traffic at times. Along with his vision, McCall did a great job of bouncing off and running through arm tackles last season and was a featured weapon in their passing attack. Atoka lined him up periodically in the slot as well as in the backfield. Andrew is a player to keep an eye on to see what position may fit him best at the next level as it could easily be at LB with his size and speed, but his potential at RB is still encouraging as of now.