PrepRedzone Stock up Showcase – Top RB Performers

This year’s Stock Up Showcase had a fantastic crop of Running Backs on display. I saw great athleticism and skill in the drills and the RBs killed it in the 1 on 1’s. The college coaches in attendance were very impressed and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot of college offers coming for these young men in the coming months. These are the top performers from New Jersey. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="270989" first="Joey" last="Lis"], Junior, RB/DB, Ramsey HS</span></strong> <img class="wp-image-269872 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/01/4-Joey-Lis.jpg" alt="" width="237" height="356" /> Joey’s athleticism jumped out at me at the camp. His quick feet and fluid hip movement allowed him to /stay with anyone in the 1 on 1’s- and then I looked at his film… and was blown away. He is literally one of the most versatile athletes I’ve ever scouted. This is a RB article but I need to get this out of the way, he’s an exceptional man to man corner. I don’t say this lightly. Most film I see of DBs shows corners and safeties making interceptions on inaccurate passes like a center fielder. Lis’ film shows tight man to man coverage, knocking down passes, snapping down with the receiver and shows amazing ball skills. At 6’1, 175 lbs he’s the prototype for a D1 corner. At RB, Joey displays incredible athleticism and great vision to find cutback lanes. I saw multiple plays of defenders being embarrassed and left looking for their ankles. He does a lot of damage on the toss but is particularly dangerous as a receiver out of the backfield, having 14 catches for 213 yards on the season. He’s also a weapon in the return game, producing 206 kick return yards on the season. I really excited to see Joey’s work his Senior year. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13052211/Joey-Lis">https://www.hudl.com/profile/13052211/Joey-Lis</a> &nbsp; <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="137286" first="Marques" last="Hicks"], Junior, RB, Camden Catholic HS</span></strong> <img class=" wp-image-269925 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/01/54-Marques-Hicks.jpg" alt="" width="232" height="348" /> Marques has a great combination of size and speed. He weighed in at 197 pounds and moved through the drills and 1 on 1’s with great speed and burst. This elite combo shows up big time in his film. When you look at the film, the way Marques’ runs looks different. He has the burst to quickly get through the hole and get on top of linebackers, but because of his strength he’s able to run through arm tackles and extend plays. He always finishes forward, often gaining 3 or 4 yards after contact and always requiring multiple tacklers to bring him down to the tune of 8.6 ypc. He’s a one cut, down hill runner that can hurt you inside and outside, but it’s his acceleration that makes him so dangerous. Against Audubon, he had 180 yards on just 9 carries showing his ability to put one foot in the ground at any time to change direction and blast up field for big gains. Although he only had 82 carries on the season, he still had 15 TD and for 18 conversions for 102 total points scored and he was first team all conference. Marques already has a D1 offer from Temple and is drawing heavy interest from  Kansas, Wake Forest, Liberty and ECU. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12929385/Marques-Hicks">https://www.hudl.com/profile/12929385/Marques-Hicks</a> <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="146715" first="Kerry" last="Nicholas"], Junior, RB, Bordentown HS</span></strong><img class=" wp-image-269933 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/01/61-Kerry-Nicholas.jpg" alt="" width="229" height="343" /> Trying to catch Kerry is like trying to catch smoke. Good luck. His film shows elite agility and elusiveness. Several times he got away from multiple tackers with great open field moves and then burst up field for touchdowns. He had a truly breakout season in 2021, rushing for 1671 yards on 137 carries and 18 total touchdowns. He’s got great vision for the cutback, excellent footwork in the hole and long speed to take it the distance. He had over 12 yards a carry, so if that doesn’t tell you how fast he is I don’t know what will. I also scouted Kerry last year and I see some real progression in his running style. He’s more patient now, setting up his blocks and getting more long runs exploiting defenses that over pursue. He‘s also a weapon in the return game, the kind of players you make sure to kick away from. Kerry was named first team all conference and has drawn D1 interest from Rutgers and Temple. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12966092/Kerry-Nicholas">https://www.hudl.com/profile/12966092/Kerry-Nicholas</a> &nbsp; <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="183631" first="Jhamier" last="Howard"], Junior, RB, Manesquan HS </span></strong> I’ve gotten to scout Jhamier at a few events already this year and he’s been a top performer every time I’ve seen him, displaying great speed and agility throughout drills and 1 v 1’s.  At 6’1, 180 lbs he has the size and athleticism to contribute all over the field and his film shows just that. On film you can see his vision and patience running the ball, cutting back across the defense for big gains. He is exceptional as a receiver out of the backfield and in the slot, making heady plays to get open for his QB and leaving defenders grabbing air. Just get the young man in space and he’ll do work for your offense. Everything was on display against Manequan’s 45-13 win against Red Bank Regional, when Jhamier had 107 rushing yards and 39 receiving yards for 2 total TDs. Looking forward to seeing more of his work during the camp season. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13058264/Jhamier-Howard">https://www.hudl.com/profile/13058264/Jhamier-Howard</a> &nbsp;