Class of ’23 RBs to Watch This Season

With camp season being essentially over, it is now time to shift focus to previewing the 2021 season. This month, I will be doing positional previews for the class of ’23. In my opinion, the most important year for high school football prospects in terms of gaining offers and interest is their junior year. Especially this year, most college football programs will be having tights scholarship numbers due to COVID and their ’22 classes will be small. Due to this, even more eyes will be on the ’23 prospects. With that being said, my first positional preview for ’23 Michigan prospects will be running backs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="162655" first="Cole" last="Cabana"] </strong> In my most recent <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/06/notable-recent-commitments-and-offers-from-michigan-hs-recruits/">article</a>, I highlighted [player_tooltip player_id="162655" first="Cole" last="Cabana"] and his successful month of June in terms of gaining offers from the camps he attended. I am quite high on Cabana and know for a fact that he will continue to gain more offers during his junior season. In his sophomore campaign, he showed colleges that he can do it all when he rushed for 592 yards and 9 touchdowns along with 46 receptions for 468 yards and 6 touchdowns (1,160 all-purpose yards). He currently has 13 offers from colleges like West Virginia, Louisville, and Syracuse. All in all, Cabana is a playmaker at the RB position with great vision and I think he will have an even better junior season after an impressive offseason. <strong>Nolan Ray </strong> A name that emerged during this offseason that hadn’t been on my radar that much is Brother Rice’s Nolan Ray. Back in May, he received his first two offers from Maryland and Boston College. Even though he missed 3 weeks in an already shortened 2020 season, Ray made the most of the season and showed that he is one of the top RBs in the Catholic High School League. Listed at 6’0 195, he is a bigger back but still has the speed needed to be successful at the collegiate level with him notably recording a 10.88 in the 100 meter dash. I am excited to see what he can do in a full season and think he is up there with Cabana in regard to being the best RB in the state of Michigan for the ’23 class. <strong>Ethan Clark </strong> Similar to Ray, Ethan Clark (6’1, 195) is another big back that has great ability to read holes and solid acceleration in his first few steps. Only playing in 4 games last season, Clark still put up impressive numbers with 530 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns in addition to 3 reception for 48 yards. Currently, the Clarkston prospect has three offers from Marshall, Toledo, and Bowling Green. If he can increase his involvement in the passing game and improve upon the 2020 season, I am sure more offers will come his way. <strong>Other names to know</strong> Jimmie Anderson (5’10, 175)- Avondale Mekhi Jenkins (5’10, 180)- Royal Oak [player_tooltip player_id="30343" first="Xavior" last="Tyus"] (5’9, 180)- Portage Northern Kanye Jackson (5’10, 180)- East Lansing