The Best RBs of 2024 (Part 1)

Ian Guerin January 16, 2022 @ 02:00 PM

There is a wave of running backs coming through the ranks in South Carolina that make us wonder if the state is going to earn a reputation. The Class of 2024 includes 15 players (out of 77 total) who have already notched impressive campaigns from their spots in the backfield. Their skill sets are vast, and some of their numbers are already making some schools abandon previous ideas for spread offenses. In Part I of the positional breakdown, we’ll address the first eight tailbacks who made it into rankings. [player_tooltip player_id="267466" first="Dashun" last="Reeder"], Christ Church Want to talk about eye-opening performances? In the first round of the playoffs, with senior starter [player_tooltip player_id="104595" first="Grayson" last="Klue"] out with an injury, the relatively lightly used back rushed for 200 yards and a pair of scores. Klue is graduating, and Reeder looks primed follow in Klue’s impressive foot steps. [player_tooltip player_id="267465" first="Kalil" last="Johnson"], Carolina Forest Marc Morris and Shane Dular base everything they do around the running game, and Johnson the 5-foot-7, 160-pound sophomore proved himself capable of carrying the load in spurts. He finished with 730 yards and 11 scores, including his best game of the season in the playoffs. [player_tooltip player_id="267464" first="Jayden" last="Little"], Chesterfield Senior [player_tooltip player_id="91187" first="Kevin" last="Diggs"] was impressive, going off for 1,016 yards and 23 rushing yards. The other half of the two-headed attack, Little, wasn’t too shabby either. He put up 1,044 yards and seven scores. Now, he’s about to get more of the work load. [player_tooltip player_id="231445" first="Joenathan" last="Peeples"], Midland Valley Want to talk about low center of gravity? Look no further than the 5-foot-8, 195-pound Peeples. The Mustang sophomore rushed for 614 yards and nine touchdowns. That was despite the fact that Midland Valley was frequently going one-dimensional trying to make up for early deficits. [player_tooltip player_id="208336" first="Malachi" last="Washington"], Myrtle Beach Washington obviously needs to put on some weight (coach Mickey Wilson admits that 160-pound listing is generous). But what is also obvious is Washington has a nose for the game. His 758 yards and seven touchdowns mostly came against opponents in the toughest Class 4A region in the state. [player_tooltip player_id="267455" first="Knai" last="Cook"], Byrnes When it comes to trust in a young player, Byrnes clearly had it with Cook. Consider this: The Rebels rushed the ball 351 times in 2021. Of those, 174 carries belonged to Cook, the 5-foot-11, 180-pounder. He made them count to the tune of 766 yards and 10 scores. [player_tooltip player_id="139303" first="Cortez" last="Lane"], Camden Lane rush for 298 yards and and four touchdowns and caught another 158 yards worth of passes despite missing half of the year due to injury. Lane is a huge part of the plan moving forward, and if the Bulldogs reach a third straight state title game, he’ll be a big reason why. [player_tooltip player_id="139310" first="Dee" last="Robertson"], Westside Robertson missed all but three games last fall due to a shoulder injury. But the film is already there from his freshman season. Westside’s offense will give him every opportunity to re-establish himself early in 2022, when he’ll a starter for the third straight season.