Elite Football Combine: Missouri 2024 running backs

The Elite Football Combine is one of the top events in Missouri every year and this year’s event, held on March 12 at the Lou Fusz indoor facility in Earth City, did not disappoint. We will be taking a look at some the top performers at the event divided by class year, positions and home state, and listed alphabetically. For more Combine coverage, please check out the links at the bottom of the page. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="314814" first="Justin" last="Jackson"], Marquette </strong> Jackson measured in at 5-11 3/4 and 189 pounds and turned in solid marks all around for a young back with size. He ran the 40 in 5.04 seconds, the pro-agility in 4.84, threw the powerball 38 feet 9 inches, broad jumped 9 feet 4 inches and had a vertical leap of 27 inches. Jackson had a good debut for the Mustangs last fall. He rushed eight times for 112 yards and three touchdowns in the season-opening game against Parkway Central and finished the year with 197 yards rushing on 28 carries, an average of 7 yards per carry. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14698462/617ec7fc578e990efc142ea2" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="126202" first="Darius" last="(DJ) Jones"], Zumwalt West</strong> One of the top overall performers at the Combine, Jones listed himself as a wide receiver, but since he also plays running back we are going to include him here (as well as in our story about wide receivers). After measuring in at 5-10 and 181 pounds, Jones recorded a 4.59 40-yard dash, a 4.15 pro-agility, a powerball toss of 40-6, a broad jump of 10-4 and a vertical leap of 34 inches. Each of those five marks were among the best of the day in those drills. Jones impressed us a year ago on the combine circuit and then showed his potential during his sophomore season with the Jaguars. He racked up a team-high 1,002 total yards (514 rushing yards, 488 receiving yards) and 13 touchdowns, which tied for the team lead. He was the team’s second-leading rusher, led the team in receptions (38) and receiving touchdowns (7) and was second in receiving yards. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14801742/6183070df31c94044cf05ae9" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="314825" first="Cohen" last="Linderer"], Hillsboro</strong> Measuring in at 5-6 3/4 and 145 pounds, Linderer showed his speed and quickness by recording a 40-yard dash in 4.72 seconds and pro-agility drill in 4.44. He’s a smaller back, but also has strength as evidenced by his powerball toss of 35-6. He also recorded a broad jump of 8-4 and vertical leap of 29 inches. Linderer saw some action at the varsity level last fall for the Hawks. He rushed 15 times for 49 yards and three touchdowns. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11455976/6165ae2296766d09b486dcdc" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="314832" first="Shane" last="Pruitt"], Zumwalt North</strong> Measuring in at 5-10 1/2 and 191 pounds, Pruitt recorded two of the top jumps of the day. He had a broad jump of 9-7 and a vertical leap of 31.5 inches. He also recorded a powerball toss of 34-9. Pruitt had a strong sophomore season for Zumwalt North. He only rushed twice but racked up 46 yards. He excelled on defense, at outside linebacker, where he racked up 59 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and nine sacks. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14895821/619289ae5caaca0460f6f9a7" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="126233" first="Zyan" last="Royal"], Parkway North </strong> Royal, who measured 5-7 and 157 pounds, turned in one of the top 40-yard dash times on the day at 4.57 seconds. He also recorded a 4.21 pro-agility, 37-10 powerball toss, 8-8 broad jump and 31-inch vertical leap. Royal's strong performance at the Combine came after a sophomore campaign that saw him rack up 1,096 rushing yards and 17 total touchdowns, including a punt return score. He's a smaller back, but he's got explosive speed and quickness the shows up on his sophomore film and showed throughout his performance at the Elite Football Combine. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14643962/61b40828ab9d750d4c175a21" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="203617" first="Ethan" last="Venable"], Oakville</strong> Venable, who measured in at 6-1 1/4 and 215 pounds, listed himself as an athlete at the Combine, which is what Prep Redzone also lists him as, but we want to include him here (along with his other positions) because he does play running back. He recorded a pro-agility time of 4.15 seconds and a 40 time of 4.86. He also threw the powerball 35 feet and had a vertical leap of 26 inches. Venable, a multi-sport athlete who also wrestles and plays rugby, had a good sophomore season for the Tigers. He recorded a team-high 847 total yards (766 rushing, 81 receiving) and five touchdowns on offense and recorded 25 tackles and one sack on defense. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13016999/6195df6e90eede0774c85821" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>Elite Football Combine Coverage</strong> <strong>Class of 2023: </strong><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/03/elite-football-combine-mo-2023-quarterbacks/">Quarterbacks</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/03/elite-football-combine-missouri-2023-running-backs/">Running Backs</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/03/elite-football-combine-missouri-2023-wide-receivers/">Wide Receivers</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/03/elite-football-combine-2023-offensive-defensive-linemen/">Offensive/Defensive Linemen</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/03/elite-football-combine-missouri-2023-linebackers/">Linebackers</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/03/elite-football-combine-missouri-2023-defensive-backs/">Defensive Backs</a> </strong> <strong>Class of 2024: <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/03/elite-football-combine-missouri-2024-quarterbacks/">Quarterbacks</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/03/elite-football-combine-missouri-2024-running-backs/">Running Backs</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/03/elite-football-combine-missouri-2024-wide-receivers/">Wide Receivers</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/04/elite-football-combine-missouri-2024-tight-ends/">Tight Ends</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/04/elite-football-combine-missouri-2024-offensive-linemen/">Offensive Linemen</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/04/elite-football-combine-missouri-2024-defensive-linemen/">Defensive Linemen</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/04/elite-football-combine-missouri-2024-linebackers/">Linebackers</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/04/elite-football-combine-missouri-2024-defensive-backs/">Defensive Backs</a> </strong> &nbsp;