Centennial League RB’s to keep an eye on in 2023
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Donavon Vernon CO #39 RB #6 HEIGHT 5'8" WEIGHT 180 POS RB CLASS 2025 View Profile Donavon Vernon Instagram Twitter State: Colorado School: Grandview Vernon had a breakout sophomore season that saw him break the 1,000 yard mark and he…
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Continue ReadingVernon had a breakout sophomore season that saw him break the 1,000 yard mark and he will look to build on that performance this year. Vernon lands at the #1 spot for me on this list and should figure to be one of the top backs in the state. He is a powerful runner who is not easy to bring down. Vernon will see the hole and get north to south quickly, running through arm tackles and anyone daring enough to try tackling him high. He wasn’t really used out of the backfield often but I think he is a capable pass catcher and will see more screen pass called for him this year. He is a back that can punch it in when the Wolves get close to the endzone and was able to score 14 times on the ground this year.
Landing at the #2 spot on this list is Herron who figures to be the top back for the Bruins after losing top senior running back. Herron will have some competition with the Bruins getting some transfers but I will leave him as the top back for now. Herron had a break out season this past season that saw him almost break the 1,000 yard mark on the ground as he rushed for 997 yards to go with 13 rushing touchdowns. Herron is a shifty back that gets skinny in the hole and has a lot of speed that when he gets in the open field not many people are going to be able to catch him. He is good at setting up his blocks and has good feet when making his cuts. Herron has good hands and is able to lineup outside as a receiver or catch the ball out of the backfield. Herron is an explosive player and should be a player to keep an eye on.
Noah Collins
Noah Collins
Collins lands #3 on this list as the Cougars are still a young team and he still has to be more versatile in his game. Collins started the season off strong but as the Cougars got into league play his play diminished as they found themselves down in most of the games. Collins is a good blocking back and doesn’t mind sticking his nose in on the bigger defenders. I would like to see him work on his pass catching this offseason as he did not get many chances to make things happen out of the backfield and this will give him a chance to show his versatility. Collins is a player that has good speed and can hit the hole quickly. He runs through arm tackles and fights for extra yardage. Collins does show the ability to be an explosive runner when given the room to make things happen. With a year of growth on the offensive line I think this will be his year to show that explosiveness.
Carter Nealy
Carter Nealy
Landing #5 on this list is Nealy who is a power runner and will look to split the backfield this year again but should see more touches as they will lose top rusher. Nealy is a runner who gets north and south and will lower his should and isn’t really a back who will dance around. Nealy does show the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and has soft hands when he gets it. Nealy is a back that can get chunk yardage and move the sticks. He should see more carries this year but the Warriors are a team that runs the option and the QB is a good runner as well. Nealy should see plenty of carries in the redzone being a powerful runner who can break tackles and power it in for the touchdown. Will look for him to establish himself this offseason.
Kai Washington
Kai Washington
Landing at the #4 spot on this list is Washington who is a player that has a lot of potential, just hasn’t had the chances to showcase it. Washington is an aggressive runner and can get north and south quickly. Has good vision and follows his blocks running behind his pads. Against Grandview he showed on multiple occasions that he will follow his blocks and lower his shoulder to get extra yards. Washington is agile and can make cuts quickly picking up making defenders miss when they try to arm tackle him. He does have soft hands as well and is able to catch the ball out of the backfield and make things happen. Washington scored a couple of times on passes out of the backfield and was able to break some tackles on the way.