23' Rankings: RB Breakdowns Pt. 1

Over the next few months we're going to be diving into our rankings positional breakdowns to highlight every single student athlete received the honor of being ranked. We've added over 300+ prospects to our class of 23' rankings with another 100+ added to the watchlist. If you feel like you should be ranked fill out our FREE <a href="https://prepredzone.com/prospect-index/">Prospect Player Index</a> which not only gets you on our radar but also college coaches' radar's as they can contact you straight off your account as it's NCAA Approved. Enough said, we're diving into part one of our positional rankings breakdowns with the running backs. Let's dive into it. <hr /> [player_tooltip player_id="157734" first="Joshua" last="Robinson"] <a href="https://twitter.com/joshrobinson22">Twitter</a> Mr. Robinson was a name I had on my radar heading into this fall season and one that I was keeping an eye on his production throughout the season. I didn't get the chance to scout any of his games in person but I did get to analyze his full season highlights and see the growth from the past season to this fall season. He's projected as a three down downhill back at the next level that can get it done in both the ground game and air attack. He has the vision to find running lanes quickly between the tackles where he'll burst through the line of scrimmage and has that next level gear to outrun pursuit angles as well as blow by 2nd level defenders. This young man also has the lateral quickness to turn the corner and isn't afraid to lower his shoulder while playing through contact. He also fights for extra yards by maintaining a low center of gravity where he'll keep his feet driving to break weak arm tackles in the process. In the air attack, he can catch out of the backfield on swing routes as well as halfback screens - both of which he gets vertical upon securing the catch. Once he's in open space he weaves in and out of defenders. What's most impressive about this young man is how he attacks the defenders and doesn't go down easily upon the first defender attempting to bring him down. He's a pure workhorse that I believe is going to turn heads during his senior season campaign and turn heads in the process, he's started getting a few offers but I expect this young man's recruiting to blow up. In my eyes, he's a sure fire FBS caliber prospect. If you're an FCS and D2 team, I would highly encourage you to take a look at this young man as well as he would be a good addition to any institution that he decides to attend. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13171180/6174cec1bed6e4085428a8d6">Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="157740" first="Malik" last="Gray"] <a href="https://twitter.com/Malik_Gray5">Twitter</a> <img class=" wp-image-221955 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG_5953-rotated-crop-2964x1946-1634999912-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="346" height="227" /> Mr. Gray was a name I had on my radar heading into this fall season and one that I got a chance to scout in person during the last game of the regular season. Upon seeing him in person and analyzing his full season highlights it's evident the best is yet to come for this young man as he has untapped potential yet to come to light. He's projected as a three down back at the next level. He has the vision to find running lanes quickly between the tackles where he'll burst through the line of scrimmage and maintain a low center of gravity to break weak arm tackles by keeping his feet driving. This young man can break long runs where he showcases his next level gear to outrun pursuit angles as well as blow by 2nd level defenders and uses his lateral quickness to turn the corner. At times, he showcased patience where he'll wait for running lanes to open up on the front side and if they don't he can use a one cut and go to hit the cutback lanes. Once he's in open space, he weaves in and out of defenders as well as showcases his elusiveness to make the first defender miss. He is used in the air attack at times being utilized on halfback screens and swing routes where he gets vertical upon doing so. In pass protection, he can pick up the backside blitz to keep the pocket clean for his quarterback as well. I believe the best is yet to come out of this young man as he has room to add to his frame without losing a step and is going to turn heads during his senior season campaign. In my eyes, he has the potential to become an FBS caliber prospect and is currently sitting as an FCS caliber prospect given his current skill set. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12865784/61a31676da518c051812f095">Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="157735" first="Royce" last="Harper"] <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyceH13_">Twitter</a> Mr. Harper was a name I had on my radar heading into the fall season and one I was eager to see how he was going to produce with a full season under his belt. I didn't get the chance to scout this young man in person but I was able to analyze his full season highlights and compare where he's at now to where he was at at the end of the previous season to see his growth. He's projected as a three down power back at the next level that entices physicality. He has the vision to find running lanes quickly between the tackles as he burst through the line of scrimmage and uses his lateral quickness to turn the corner. This young man maintains a low center of gravity breaking weak arm tackles by keeping his feet driving and finishes plays by playing through the whistle. In the air attack, he can catch out of the backfield coming off swing routes as well as halfback screens where he gets vertical upon securing the catch. What I'm most impressed with about this young man is his physicality as he doesn't shy away from contact, rather he entices it and does a good job playing through contact. I believe he will be best utilized in a run heavy offensive scheme that focuses on staying between the tackles, that being said he can get it done in a balanced offensive scheme if they focus on inside the tackle runs. I also believe he can be utilized in the air attack on swing routes as well as on halfback screens where he can get into open space against defensive backs and smaller linebackers. In my eyes, he has the potential to become an FBS caliber prospect and is currently sitting as an FCS caliber prospect. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13075044/6161d71c04284d0294bef625">Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="267756" first="Kaleb" last="Miller"] <a href="https://twitter.com/KalebMiller_">Twitter</a> <img class=" wp-image-57551 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/Kaleb-Miller-261x300.jpg" alt="" width="278" height="320" /> Mr. Miller was a name that's been on my radar for some time now and one that continues to impress each season. I didn't get the chance to scout this young man in person but I was keeping tabs on him during the regular season and analyzed his full season highlights. He's projected as a speed back at the next level. I would be interested to see if he would get utilized as a slot receiver in certain situational packages as he creates a mismatch against the linebacker. What makes this young man so deadly is his ability to make his impact felt in both the ground game and in the air attack. He has the vision to find running lanes quickly between the tackles where he bursts through the line of scrimmage and uses his lateral quickness to turn the corner. This young maintains a low center of gravity where he keeps his feet driving to break weak arm tackles as he fights for extra yards. What's most impressive is his ability to utilize his next level gear to outrun pursuit angles as well as blow by 2nd level defenders both in the run game and in the air attack. Once he finds a seam, he bursts through it to break off long runs and rack up the yards after catch stat line. In the air attack, this young man can catch coming out of the backfield upon swing routes and halfback screens. Upon securing the catch, he gets vertical quickly and can make the first defender miss in open space showcasing his elusiveness. At times, he would be lined up in the slot during five wide where I believe he can make a big impact in the air attack as he can get in and out of his breaks quickly creating separation on the play. In my eyes, he has the potential to become an FBS caliber prospect that is currently sitting as an FCS caliber prospect. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13299604/61a52cdca0199f0a206d8d3e">Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="148259" first="Mekhi" last="Glover"] <a href="https://twitter.com/MekhiGlover3">Twitter</a> <img class=" wp-image-147279 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/05/Glover-Mekhi.jpg" alt="" width="359" height="240" /> Mr. Glover was a name I had on my radar heading into this fall season and one that I was keeping an eye on as well. I didn't get the chance to scout this young man in person but I was able to analyze his full season highlights and compared it to where he was at the previous season to see his growth. He's projected as a speed back that can be utilized in both the ground and air attack. Upon securing the handoff, he utilized his vision to find the running lanes quickly between the tackles and burst through the line of scrimmage when doing so. He has the ability to bounce plays outside using his lateral quickness to turn the corner and can find cutback lanes which he hits using a quick cut. Once he gets in open space, he can weave in and out of defenders as well as make the first defender miss showcasing his elusiveness. In the air attack, he can catch out of the backfield when running swing routes as well as halfback screens. Once he secures the catch he gets vertical further showcasing his ability to change gears quickly. I'm interested to see how he gets utilized during his senior season campaign as I believe he could work out of the slot in situational packages creating a mismatch against the linebacker. I'm looking forward to watching his senior season and seeing how he's going to produce as well. In my eyes, he has the potential to become an FCS caliber prospect and is currently sitting as a D2/NAIA caliber prospect given his current skill set. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13234216/612fb35a7bdcb10aec0a0ba8">Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="267731" first="Ben" last="Choi"] <a href="https://twitter.com/benjchoi21">Twitter</a> Mr. Choi was a new name to me heading into this fall season and one that came onto my radar towards the middle of his junior season campaign. I wasn't able to get a chance to scout this young man in person but I was able to analyze his full season highlights as well as his mid season highlights. He's projected as a speed back that can be utilized in both the ground and air attack. I believe he could also work out of the slot to create a mismatch against the linebacker and in five wide can potentially be used on short/intermediate routes as a checkdown option. He has the vision to find running lanes quickly between the tackles and once he does he bursts through the line of scrimmage. This young man can also bounce plays outside where he uses his lateral quickness to turn the corner and he keeps his feet driving to fight for extra yards. Once he's in open space, he weaves in and out of defenders while he changes his gears quickly. In the air attack, he can catch out of the backfield on halfback screens as well as swing routes. Both of which he gets vertical upon securing the catch. I believe this young man is going to have a high production during his senior season campaign and his stock will rise based upon the potential he has. In my eyes, he has the potential to become an FCS caliber prospect and is currently sitting as a D2/NAIA caliber prospect given his current skill set. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13013189/6197d4a79676a6033c2b0da2">Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="267738" first="Jalen" last="Brown"] <a href="https://twitter.com/JalenAnthonyBr1">Twitter</a> Mr. Brown was a new name to me heading into this fall season and one that didn't appear on my radar until the end of the fall season. I didn't get the chance to scout this young man in person but I was able to analyze his full season highlights. He's projected as a downhill runner that could potentially turn into a three down back. He's in the driver seat to take over the primary ball carrier responsibilities during his senior season after standout [player_tooltip player_id="20872" first="Trevor" last="Burnett"] graduates this spring. This young man gets vertical quickly upon securing the handoff and bursts through the line of scrimmage upon doing so. Once he clears the first level of defenders we get an insight into his next level gear which he uses to outrun pursuit angles as well as blow by 2nd level defenders. This young man doesn't go down easily either as he can maintain a low center of gravity while keeping his feet driving to break weak arm tackles and fight for extra yards on the play. What I'm interested to see is how this young man can produce with a full season under his belt being the main ball carrier. He has a good foundational skill set setting him up for success, time will tell how well he'll end up doing. In my eyes, he has the potential to become an FCS caliber prospect that is currently sitting as a D2/D3 caliber prospect given his current skill set and more importantly not having a full season being the primary back. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16901337/615eed5d7bddf408640b8a8b">Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="267736" first="Ashton" last="Yard"] <a href="https://twitter.com/ashton_yard">Twitter</a> Mr. Yard was a name that was on my radar heading into this fall season and one that I wanted to see how he was going to produce. I didn't get the chance to scout this young man in person but I was able to analyze his full season highlights and compare them to his previous season to see how much he has grown since then. He's projected as a balanced halfback at the next level that can be utilized in both offensive attacks. What I like most about this young man is how he's able to mix in power running as well as add in a little finesse as well. he has the vision to find running lanes quickly between the tackles where he'll burst through the line of scrimmage and has the lateral quickness to turn the corner. Once he clears the first level of defenders, he showcases his next level gear where he outruns pursuit angles and can blow by 2nd level defenders. Once he's in open space, he weaves in and out of defenders and isn't afraid to lower his shoulder to play through contact. If the front side running lane gets clogged up he can use a quick cut to hit the cutback lane breaking a long run if the defense over pursues. In the air attack, he can catch out of the backfield off swing routes and halfback screens where he'll get vertical upon securing the catch. I'm interested to see how well his route running is as I believe he could potentially expand his route tree at the next level to create a bigger mismatch against linebackers during the air attack. In my eyes, he has the potential to become an FCS caliber prospect and is currently sitting as a D2/NAIA caliber prospect given his current skill set. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14243895/6191db46b3d3600a389e70ae">Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="267721" first="Joey" last="Pope"] <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyPope14">Twitter</a> Mr. Pope was a name I had on my radar coming into this fall season and one that I was keeping an eye on to see how he would produce. I didn't get the chance to scout this young man in person but I was able to analyze his full season highlights and compare it to where he was at last season to see the growth. He's projected as a speed back at the next level that could potentially end up being switched to a slot receiver. The reason I say this is because he already lines up in the slot at times where he's quick off the line of scrimmage which he uses to stack the defender and create separation on the play. This young man burst through the line of scrimmage upon securing the handoff and has the vision to find cutback lanes quickly. To hit the cutback lanes, he uses a quick cut to break long runs when the defense overpursues on the front side. He has the lateral quickness to turn the corner and has that next level gear to outrun pursuit angles as well as blow by 2nd level defenders. Once he's in open space, he weaves in and out of defenders as well as makes the first defender miss showcasing his elusiveness. This young man finishes plays by keeping his feet driving through the whistle and breaks weak arm tackles in the process of doing so. He's also used in the return game where he can change his gears quickly upon getting vertical to set his team up in good starting field position. I believe the best is yet to come out of this young man and that he's going to have a high production during his senior season campaign. In my eyes, he has the potential to become an FCS caliber prospect and is currently sitting as a D2/NAIA caliber prospect given his current skill set. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/3269162/618ddb23664cf308883c80e4">Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="267725" first="Jerry" last="Richardson"] Mr. Richardson was a new name to me heading into this fall season and one that didn't come onto my radar until later on in the season. I didn't get a chance to scout this young man in person but I was able to analyze his full season highlight and get an insight into his abilities. He's projected as a speed back that can be utilized in both the ground and air attack. What's most impressive about this young man is how versatile he is and how he can make an impact all over the field as a running back as well as working out of the slot. Once he secures the handoff, he burst through the line of scrimmage and showcased the patience to allow his blocks to get set up before hitting full speed. He has the lateral quickness to turn the corner and once he clears the first level defenders has that next level gear to outrun pursuit angles as well as blow by 2nd level defenders. This young man finishes plays by keeping his feet driving through the whistle and fights for extra yards. In the air attack, he can line up in the slot where he's quick off the line of scrimmage. Here, he uses the step advantage to stack the defender before breaking him off at the top of the route. He's also used in the return game where he weaves in and out of defenders while changing gears quickly to set his team up in good starting field position. The potential from this young man is very high and I'm looking forward to seeing how he produces during his senior season campaign. In my eyes, he has the potential to become an FCS caliber prospect and is currently sitting as a D2/NAIA caliber prospect given his current skill set. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14587215/615c57a9578da00d505bea4c">Highlights</a> <hr /> Be sure to follow <a href="https://twitter.com/PRZJordan">@PRZJordan</a> regarding news & information for Illinois High School Football as well as <a href="https://twitter.com/prepredzoneIL">@PrepRedzoneIL</a>. Want to be ranked? Fill out our FREE <a href="https://prepredzone.com/prospect-index/">Prospect Player Index</a>, another tool to help you in your recruiting journey.