2024 Stat Monsters: Rushing Leaders in Illinois

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are only two options that an offense has in play calling, one is throwing the ball, and the other is running the ball. Strong rushing attacks are one of the biggest indicators of a strong offense. With that being said, here are some of the most dominant running backs in the class of 2024 out of Illinois.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["271812"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003e2022 Season Stats:u003c/strongu003ernrnu003cstrongu003e1362 Rushing Yards - 104.8 Yards Per Game - 5.8 Yards Per Carry - 9 Touchdownsu003c/strongu003ernrnDerrick on of the leading producers of yards in the state of Illinois for his class. When picking through the boards his stats jumped out to me with him surpassing the century mark 8 times throughout the entire season. With him averaging over 5 yards a carry, he has proven to be good for a first down almost every other time he has the ball in his hands. On tape, Derrick is a hard runner between the tackles who runs with forceful intention. With his size and strength, Derrick has no problem buldozing over defenders with the ball in his hands. Not only can Derrick lay the wood when he needs to, but he has a strong burst as well. With his speed, he is capable of breaking away on long runs when there is enough space for him to do so. St. Rita has an absolute stud in their backfield, and I am excited to see him go to work for his senior season.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["271321"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003e2022 Season Stats:u003c/strongu003ernrnu003cstrongu003e1323 Rushing Yards - 132.3 Yards Per Game - 7.9 Yards Per Carry - 20 Touchdownsu003c/strongu003ernrnComing out of Athens High School, [player_tooltip player_id='271321' first='Cory' last='Craig'] is another running back who lit it up this last season. With over 1,400 All-Purpose yards throughout the 2022 season, Cory was good for more than 140 yards a game of total offense. Cory also proved to have a nose for the endzone, scoring 20 touchdowns last season. You just don't see this kind of season stat line on paper too often. One of the first things that stood out to me when evaluating his film was the breakaway speed that I saw in Cory. Once he found green grass, he was off to the races and no one was going to catch him. Cory is also a gritty runner who has no problem getting downhill between the tackles. With him playing low, Cory fights through the crowded trenches to move the ball downfield. Overall, Cory's tape as a ton of fun to watch. With everything that I have seen from him, I would expect him to have another big year at Athens High School and continue to be one of the rushing leaders in the state.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"Treshaun Lancaster","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"2408","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Auburn High School","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003e2022 Season Stats:u003c/strongu003ernrnu003cstrongu003e1290 Rushing Yards - 129 Yards Per Game - 7.2 Yards Per Carry - 15 Touchdownsu003c/strongu003ernrnTreshaun Lancaster is another stat padding running back out of Auburn High School. As one of the leading rushers in the state of Illinois for the class of 2024, Treshaun had no problem advancing the ball on the ground. When looking through his stats, one of the things that impressed me the most was his yards per game. With one of the higher rushing averages, Lancaster consistently attacked defenses with his rushing attack. Treshaun also rushed for 150 or more yards in six games. On tape Treshaun is a shifty running back who has a knack for finding running lanes in the defense and exposing them. I was also really impressed with his downhill running mentality. Whether Lancaster was in the openfield or on the goal line, he always seems to be running hard and with low shoulders. Treshaun had a big season in 2022, and from what I've seen from him, it would come as no surprise if he had a repeat performance in 2023.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["271905"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003e2022 Season Stats:u003c/strongu003ernrnu003cstrongu003e1285 Rushing Yards - 142.8 Yards Per Game - 8.7 Yards Per Carry - 16 Touchdownsu003c/strongu003ernrnWaleed is another running back out of the class of 2024 who had no problem generating yards on the ground. Rushing for over 1,200 yards in a given season and averaging over 140 yards a game is no easy feat. Througout last season, Waleed had two 200 yard games with his seaosn high 245 yards on 18 carries in week two.  Other than that there where just two games last season where Waleed did not break 100 yards, which is incredibly impressive. On tape, Waleed is clearly one of the more athletic players on the field. With his pure speed and agility, Waleed can make moves on defenders that can make it almost impossibe for him to be tackled. If Waleed continues on this trajectory, I would expect him to put together a big senior season next year at Plano High School.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"Haiden Janke","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"2408","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"Huntley High School","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_4_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003e2022 Season Stats:u003c/strongu003ernrnu003cstrongu003e1257 Rushing Yards - 139.7 Yards Per Game - 5.03 Yards Per Carry - 9 Touchdownsu003c/strongu003ernrnHaiden Janke is another stat monster at running back. Coming up out of Huntley High School, Haiden is an asset for their ferocious running attack. Surpassing well over 1,000 yards rushing with almost 140 yards a game is a huge state line for a running back. With Haiden being such a rare breed at running back, it is no surprise that he was able to accomplish big rushing accolades this season. On film, Haiden is a big back who has no problem packing a punch with the ball in his hands. One of the most impressive parts of his game is his ability to drop his shoulders down and barrel through defenders. From what I have seen out of Haiden, Huntley has a big bruiser as a running back. If Haiden keeps this up, I would not be surprised to see him on top of the rushing boards in 2023.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["271836"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003e2022 Season Stats:u003c/strongu003ernrnu003cstrongu003e1071 Rushing Yards - 107.7 Yards Per Game - 8.57 Yards Per Carry - 15 Touchdownsu003c/strongu003ernrnConnor Vanselow is a big-time back coming out of the Northern Chicago Suburbs. As another 2024 runningback who put up impressive numbers in the run game, Connor shows that he can produce at an unbelievable clip. There are not too many backs out there who can run for over 8 yards per carry consistently and stack up touchdowns like Connor can. Just from watching his film, Connor is a back who can find the edge quickly and break away from defenses consistently. With Connor being able to shake defenders on the run, he has proven to be able to gain yards after contact. From everything that I have seen from Connor, it is clear that he is a back that every coordinator would love to have. I expect Connor to have a big senior year at Wauconda and continue to build off of a big junior season campaign.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"Terrel Graves","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_6_player_details_position":"2408","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_6_player_details_school":"Roxana","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_6_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_6_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003e2022 Season Stats:u003c/strongu003ernrnu003cstrongu003e1062 Rushing Yards - 96.5 Yards Per Game - 9.57 Yards Per Carry - 10 Touchdownsu003c/strongu003ernrnTerrel Graves out of Roxana is another running back who put up big numbers throughout the 2022 season. With him surpassing 1,000 yards this last season, he joins an elite group that was able to hit the 1,000 yard milestone in just their junior year. One tape, Terrel is a big runningback with incredible breakawy speed. If Terrel does not have an open window to run through, he also has no problem driving through defenders and continuing to push for extra yards. Another key part to Terrel's game is his athleticism. Most backs either have speed, strength or athleticism, Terrel has all three and proves it by his ability to break ankles on the field as well. With such a big upside, I fully expect Terrel to stack on last years performance with another big year next year.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63f4f4ee8359c"} /-->