2022 Rankings - Running Back Spotlight

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! On Wednesday, it was national signing day and 2022 prospects from all over the state signed with their future college programs. On Friday, we made our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/oklahoma/rankings/2022-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">final update to the 2022 rankings</a>. These rankings have been updated multiple times a year since our website launched in the summer of 2020. We can't wait to look back on this final update and see what each guy did at the next level and see just how accurate or inaccurate they were. But over the next several days, we'll spotlight several players at each position that have stood out to us in one way or another. In this post, we take a look at the running back position. Overall, 22 running backs made it into the final Top 200. Three running backs, [player_tooltip player_id="38679" first="Braylin" last="Presley"], [player_tooltip player_id="38669" first="CJ" last="Brown"] and [player_tooltip player_id="38672" first="Maurion" last="Horn"] were in the Top 10. You can read about those three players <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/02/2022-rankings-top-ten-spotlight/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RIGHT HERE</a>. But here, we put a spotlight on 10 running backs who have stood out to us over the last few seasons. You can check out all of the running backs in the Top 200 at the bottom of the post. 34) [player_tooltip player_id="67771" first="Antonio" last="Smith"] - Union We've been saying it for about a year now and we'll continue to say it here. Union running back [player_tooltip player_id="67771" first="Antonio" last="Smith"] is one of the more underrated running backs in the state. More schools should have gone after the Union speedster. After checking him out as a junior in person, in an absolutely loaded backfield, we were sold. He backed up that hype throughout his senior season as well. Smith does so many things well and is going to be an instant impact player at the next level. Once again, we have to tip our cap to the coaches at UCO because they got an absolute steal in Smith. He's one of the best backs in the state and he's staying in-state down in Edmond. 35) [player_tooltip player_id="219244" first="Isaiah" last="Gray"] - Lawton MacArthur Arguably the biggest breakout star on this list is Lawton MacArthur running back [player_tooltip player_id="219244" first="Isaiah" last="Gray"]. Not many people outside of Lawton saw this kind of season coming from Gray, who very quickly turned himself into a household name when it came to Class 5A running backs. On a side note, 5A was absolutely loaded at the running back position this year. And Gray was right there with the best of the best. After checking him out on film, I had to see him in person and got the chance later in the season when they went on the road to face Noble. He lived up to the hype. He's a game changer at the position and was one of the highest stock risers in the 2022 class. 54) [player_tooltip player_id="38723" first="Daylan" last="Thompson"] - Elk City Elk City was a team in Class 4A that nobody saw making a run to the semifinals but maybe we should have considering they returned [player_tooltip player_id="38723" first="Daylan" last="Thompson"] at the running back position. I got a chance to see Thompson during the offseason at a camp down in the Dallas area and was incredibly impressed. Yes, Thompson doesn't have the prototypical height for running backs but just take one look at the film and the size doesn't become a question anymore. Thompson is a powerful back that can also breakaway from a defense and out run defenders to the end zone. He's staying close to home after signing with SWOSU to play his college football. 56) [player_tooltip player_id="38760" first="Ethan" last="Washington"] - Booker T Washington No surprise here that Booker T Washington produced yet another talented skill player who ended up being one of the better running backs in the state. And what's scary is they'll still have another one of the top running backs in 6A-2 with Washington graduating. The Hornets certainly are no strangers to developing skill players and [player_tooltip player_id="38760" first="Ethan" last="Washington"] is the latest example of just that. For two years, Washington was behind [player_tooltip player_id="47955" first="Jaiden" last="Carroll"] on the depth chart but this was his year to shine and he did just that. He became one of the better running backs in the state's 2022 class and at this point, it seems like his best football is ahead of him as he continued to show growth throughout the year. 57) [player_tooltip player_id="38707" first="Dontierre" last="Fisher"] - Checotah We cannot wait to see what the future holds for Checotah running back [player_tooltip player_id="38707" first="Dontierre" last="Fisher"], who flew under the radar within this 2022 class. Fisher is signed to play his college ball at Ohio and the last time Ohio snagged a small-town running back, it worked out with former Seminole standout Papi White having a very successful college career. That could be what's in store for Fisher at the next level. Fisher was a consistent playmaker for Checotah, running behind an excellent offensive line but he also showcased his abilities out in the open field as well. Fisher is a likely candidate for a prospect who could be much higher on the overall list in a few years when we look back on this class. 63) [player_tooltip player_id="38684" first="Buddy" last="Bizzell"] - Carl Albert One of the running backs who has been on the radar since his freshman and sophomore years is Carl Albert standout [player_tooltip player_id="38684" first="Buddy" last="Bizzell"]. Unlike some of the other running backs on this list, Bizzell didn't have the opportunity to just focus on playing running back. He was also arguably Carl Albert's best linebacker during his senior season. Bizzell was incredibly important to Carl Albert's 2019 and 2020 state title teams and nearly helped take the young Titans back to the title game in 2021. Bizzell is a tall runner who is incredibly physical at the point of attack. He's signed to play college ball at Oklahoma Baptist and OBU got one of the better overall athletes in the 2022 class. 92) [player_tooltip player_id="38689" first="Jaylon" last="Orange"] - Shawnee A player who physically really reminds us of Thompson at Elk City and that's Shawnee running back [player_tooltip player_id="38689" first="Jaylon" last="Orange"]. While the Wolves didn't have a semifinal run like Thompson's Elk City team had, Orange still showed that he was one of the more versatile players in the state over the last two seasons. In fact, in Class 5A, Orange was one of the top players in 5A football and as mentioned above with [player_tooltip player_id="219244" first="Isaiah" last="Gray"], Class 5A was absolutely loaded at the running back position. Orange was another example of that but he was much more than that. He was Shawnee's top offensive weapon as he could catch the ball out of the backfield just as easily as taking a hand off. 94) [player_tooltip player_id="61126" first="Tre'Vaughn" last="Walton"] - Lawton Eisenhower Yet another standout running back from Class 5A is Lawton Eisenhower running back [player_tooltip player_id="61126" first="Tre'Vaughn" last="Walton"]. And the Lawton Ike product is in a similar boat to [player_tooltip player_id="38689" first="Jaylon" last="Orange"] at Shawnee. His team went 5-5 and missed out on the playoffs so he didn't get as much pub and as much attention as some of the other running backs in 5A football. However, Walton has been a star for the Eagles for more than a season and he had another strong year in 2021. Walton has the chance to be another prospect that ends up having a very successful and lengthy college career and when we take a look back at this 2022 class, Walton might be considered much higher than his current rank. 136) [player_tooltip player_id="61136" first="Brayden" last="Gilkey"] - Collinsville The first of two power running backs who ended their seasons in Edmond is Collinsville running back [player_tooltip player_id="61136" first="Brayden" last="Gilkey"]. The Cardinals had a three-headed monster on offense with quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="51256" first="Andrew" last="Carney"], wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="64382" first="Oscar" last="Hammond"] and Gilkey at running back. But you can make the argument that Gilkey was the most consistent force in the Collinsville offense this year. Part of that was due to Carney missing time with an injury. But Despite that, Gilkey carried the load each and every week and was a critical part of the Cardinals capturing their first ever state championship. Even in that title game, Gilkey put up monster numbers against a good McAlester defense. 137) [player_tooltip player_id="206777" first="Canon" last="West"] - Tuttle Right behind Gilkey is another undersized power back that helped lead his team to Edmond to play for a state championship. [player_tooltip player_id="206777" first="Canon" last="West"] probably didn't imagine having the kind of season he had at the start of the year. He was slated to share the backfield with 2023 running back [player_tooltip player_id="54485" first="Tyler" last="Woodson"], but when the junior went down with an injury, it was all West after that. And he was one of the best running backs in the state during the 2021 season. Based on his size, you wouldn't imagine he'd be a workhorse back but that's exactly what he was. West was yet another example of a breakout star from the running back position during the 2021 football season. Other Running Backs In Top 200 [player_tooltip player_id="38678" first="Kyron" last="Downing"] - Vinita (Ranked #87) [player_tooltip player_id="101407" first="Amaurion" last="Norment"] - Putnam City North (Ranked #124) [player_tooltip player_id="38766" first="Malik" last="McMurtrey"] - Tahlequah (Ranked #125) [player_tooltip player_id="61140" first="Deshawn" last="Kinnard"] - Owasso (Ranked #129) [player_tooltip player_id="38735" first="Derrick" last="Overstreet"] - Owasso (Ranked #135) [player_tooltip player_id="207530" first="Todd" last="Mattox"] - Poteau (Ranked #144) [player_tooltip player_id="101416" first="Brandon" last="Watson"] - Kingston (Ranked #194) [player_tooltip player_id="38685" first="Isaiah" last="Givens"] - Muskogee (Ranked #197) [player_tooltip player_id="154570" first="Blake" last="Jones"] - Sand Springs (Ranked #198)