Next Man Up: KY Running Backs to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that we are deep into the off-season for the 2023 high school football season, I wanted to start a new series on some players to watch in the state of Kentucky at each position. For this series, I want to focus on some “Next Man Up” prospects. These players include young players that have begun to make a name for themselves, players coming into a bigger role this season, and key players coming off injuries. After already covering the quarterbacks, here are some running backs in the state of Kentucky to keep an eye on heading into the 2023 high school football season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["417454"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='417454' first='Christian' last='Walden'] is an incoming senior that stood out to me this past season. He had an impressive junior season, carrying the ball 130 times for 1,157 yards and 15 touchdowns. While those are great numbers, they could be even higher this coming season as he won't be sharing the backfield with [player_tooltip player_id='385946' first='Tanner' last='Wright'] anymore. He has great vision, showing the ability to find the running lane and come downhill in a hurry. Once he hits the open field, Walden has blazing speed, showing the ability to simply run away from the defense. Walden also has shown that he is a threat in the passing game, catching 18 passes for 174 yards last season. Christian doesn't currently hold any offers but I expect some to come his way soon as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["381881"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='381881' first='Don'Tre' last='Richardson'] is an incoming senior that I'm interested in seeing how he transitions into a new offense as he has announced that he is transferring to Pleasure Ridge Park for his final season. Last year at Saint Xavier, Richardson carried the ball 96 times for 533 yards and six touchdowns. He is able to use his vision to find the initial running lane quickly but also find cut back lanes in traffic. Once Richardson hits the open field, he has the speed to run away from the defense and elusiveness to make defenders miss. He also has the strength and contact balance to break tackles without losing stride. Richardson doesn't currently hold any offers but I expect some to come his way soon as he has received some college interest and has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["735729"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='735729' first='Pharo' last='Watts'] is an incoming junior running back looking to have a much bigger role this season after sharing a backfield with three seniors this past season. As a sophomore, Watts finished with 21 carries for 213 yards and three touchdowns. Watts is a downhill runner that bursts out of his stance and hits the running lane in a hurry. Once he hits the open field, he has the speed to run away from the defense. He also is a very strong runner, showing the physicality and contact balance to run straight through defenders without breaking stride. Watts currently Eastern Kentucky and Miami (OH), and I expect more to come his way as his role in the Broncos' offense continues to grow.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["735734"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='735734' first='Blake' last='Caudill'] is another incoming junior that will see his role in the offense increase after backing up [player_tooltip player_id='385943' first='Blake' last='Birchfield'] last year. As a sophomore, Caudill finished with 20 carries for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Caudill is a physical runner that gets downhill in a hurry. He has shown the ability to lower his shoulder and run through anything in his path without breaking stride. Once he hits the open field, Caudill has also shown the burst of speed to run away from the defense. Blake doesn't currently hold any offers but he has received some college interest and I can see offers coming his way as he transitions into his new role as the lead back for Pikeville.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["735732"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='735732' first='Chase' last='Flaherty'] is a running back that saw his role change quickly last season as he had to step in for [player_tooltip player_id='499037' first='Mitchell' last='Berger'] after his season ending injury. Flaherty kept their run game rolling last season, finishing with 111 carries for 768 yards and 19 touchdowns. He is another downhill runner that hits the running lane in a hurry once it opens up. When he hits the open field, Flaherty has shown that he has the speed to break off on long runs along with the strength and contact balance to break tackles without losing stride. He also showed some ability in the passing game, catching seven passes for 84 yards last season. Flaherty doesn't currently hold any offers but he is definitely a name to watch as his role in the Beechwood offense continues to grow.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["331763"],"_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":"Another running back in the 2025 class that will see his role increase this season is Owensboro's [player_tooltip player_id='331763' first='Deion' last='Winstead']. Winstead split carries this past season with senior [player_tooltip player_id='385933' first='Kenyata' last='Carbon'], running the ball 50 times for 546 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is a strong runner, showing the ability to hit the running lane in a hurry and break tackles in the open field without losing stride. Winstead also has impressive speed, showing the ability to run right by defenders once he hits the second level. He has also shown the ability to make catches out of the backfield, finishing last season with six receptions for 90 yards. Deion currently holds an offer from Kentucky Wesleyan and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the next level.","_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":"Giaonni Hunter ","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_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":"Shelby County","_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":"Giaonni Hunter is a running back coming off a very impressive season. As a sophomore, Hunter ran the ball 224 times for 1,418 yards and 20 touchdowns. Hunter has great vision, showing the ability to find the open running lane and come downhill in a hurry. Once he bursts through the running lane, he has the speed to run right past defenders on his way to the end zone. He also has the strength and contact balance to break tackles without losing stride. Hunter doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a name to watch over the next two seasons as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["401923"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='401923' first='Markezz' last='Hightower'] is a running back that is coming off an impressive freshman year. In his first season of high school football, Hightower ran the ball 166 times for 975 yards and seven touchdowns. He has a great combination of speed, quickness, and power in his game. Hightower shows the ability to keep his legs churning and lower his shoulder through contact to break tackles and pick up extra yards. Once he hits the open field, he has the speed to run away from the defense and elusiveness to make defenders miss. He also has shown that he can catch passes out of the backfield, finishing with eight receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown this past season. Hightower doesn't currently hold any offers but is definitely a player to keep an eye on throughout his career.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["273452"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='273452' first='Ace' last='Caudill'] is another player that stood out as a freshman. Caudill finished third on the team in rushing last season with 69 carries for 607 yards and three touchdowns. Ace is a wing back and has very impressive speed. He uses this to get around the corner and up the field to run away from the defense. Caudill also has shown the ability to catch out of the backfield, catching two passes for 28 yards this past season. While he doesn't hold any offers yet, Caudill is a name to watch as his role in the offense continues to grow.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_player":["283970"],"_player_evaluations_9_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='283970' first='JayQuan' last='Crawford'] is a talented young running back that received a very limited number of carries last season due to a crowded Franklin County backfield. He finished his freshman year with nine carries for 34 yards and a touchdown. Crawford is a strong downhill runner that hits the running lane with a sense of urgency. He has shown the ability to lower his shoulder and keep his feet running through contact while keeping his balance to break tackles and pick up extra yards. Crawford has also stood out to me in camps that I've watched him at with his quickness and ability to change direction smoothly. He is also a decent route runner out of the backfield, showing the ability to create separation when matched up with linebackers. JayQuan will definitely be a running back to watch in the coming years as his role in the Franklin County offense will continue to grow.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":10,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-644dfacb4a0be"} /-->