Midseason SD Position Power Rankings: RBs
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Runningback is such a fickle position to rank and has so much variation from year to year and this is no different once again. By the end of the year, this list very well could be different but without any…
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Continue ReadingRunningback is such a fickle position to rank and has so much variation from year to year and this is no different once again. By the end of the year, this list very well could be different but without any other preface, let’s jump in and look at the top 5 runningbacks who have been putting up numbers this year.
5. Maddox May Maddox May LB Aberdeen Roncalli | 2023 State – Aberdeen Roncali
Coming in at number 5 is a back who I have liked since before the season started that is May. What I have always liked about May is his ability to play well in tandem with the other talented backs on his team and he sure has been playing well to start the year. He racked up a total of 586 yards to start the year and has a total of 9 rushing touchdowns to start off in the first five games of the year. What he has been doing was overpowering those who try to stop him up the middle and doing it well. May has been doing this while splitting carries with very talented backs on his team and has been doing it at a high level. May is a solid back and he is sure putting up some great numbers to start the year, rounding him out at the number 5 spot.
4. Erik Salmen Erik Salmen 6'0" | 200 lbs | RB Hitchcock-Tulare | 2024 State SD – Hitchcock-Tulare
Rounding into the number 4 hole we have Salmen and he is one player I did not have my eye on going into this year but I do now. Salmen on the field is a power back and one that tends to bulldoze anyone that is in his way for that matter. What he does best is simply move people out of his way and generate yards doing so. He has been successful on that end of offensive output with him totaling 624 rushing yards so far and with having 9 total touchdowns. What I like most about Salmen is how he is not much one for theatrics or making everything about him when he gets the ball, he has a job to do on the field and he knows what he needs to do when he does it. He puts his team first and puts his nose down to be a gritty power rusher and for that, he comes in at the 4 spot on the list.
3. Rylee Veal Rylee Veal 6'1" | 195 lbs | RB Harding County-Bison | 2025 State SD – Harding County
Veal has been putting up big numbers and big games as the season has kicked off and man has he shown us what he can do when he is in the zone. I have had the chance to watch some tape and catch a game of Veals and I can say watching him in person is like seeing a master at work at the running back position. He can do quite a bit at the position which makes his versatility as a back something that others should look to replicate but in the stats department, he is doing great in that right. He has racked up 710 rushing yards and 11 TDs in just five games into the season so he is playing great. What I like most about Veal is that he will never complain or have a bad attitude during a game, he knows that he cannot get the ball every play and wants to make the defense always stay on their toes. I will be watching Veal for the rest of the year and you should too, and he rounds into the 3 spot on the midseason rankings.
2. Luke Frasier – Hamlin
Frasier is player I did not look too much into before the season but he sure showed me with the numbers he is doing on a week-to-week rate. What Frasier does as a back is wear down anyone that tries to tackle them and sure he will not get the big gains right away in a game but after on he will run for those big yards and big gains for his team. Frasier lands into the 2 spot as well just for how good his intangibles are as an RB, seeing how well he can adjust and maneuver in the field is something that is uncommon at this level. So far he has a total fo 761 rushing yards and 12 TDs in the season and I only see that number going up as the year progresses. Frasier is someone that all of you should look at some tape of and see how well he can play as the game goes on learning from what the defense is doing and making them pay when they make a mistake.
1. Brenden Begeman Brenden Begeman 6'2" | 195 lbs | RB Herreid/Selby | 2023 State – Herreid-Selby
Coming at the 1 spot is a back who just is flat-out great no matter which way you slice it and that is Begeman of Herreid-Selby. Begeman has been on a tear to start the year and has been running over any defender who is coming in his way, he is forcing broken tackles and missed tackles at a high rate. What Begeman has in his bag seems like someone who has been playing Begeman since a past life and he sure has the talent to back up that statement. So far into the season he has a total of 951 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, making his rushing attack the best that South Dakota seems to offer right now. Begeman has some great film and plays fantastically in games, he is a true student of the game and someone you can tell has put in blood, sweat, and tears to get himself where he is at. With the show he has been putting on and how great he is, he ranks into the number 1 spot as the top running back through the mid-way point of the SD season.