Debut 2026 Rankings: Who are the top Prospects at QB and RB?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We released our first 2026 prospect rankings earlier this week. Here are the Top 5 prospects at quarterback and running back:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>QUARTERBACK</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854273' first='Elijah' last='Melancon'], Eunice</strong>: Per MaxPreps, Melancon had by far the best season of any 2026 quarterback last fall. He threw for 2,182 yards and 31 TD with just 11 interceptions. That 3-to-1 TD Pass-to-INT ratio is impressive for a young QB.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853029' first='Gunnar' last='Guardiola'], Las Cruces</strong>: Guardiola filled in nicely when the Bulldawgs' starting QB missed some games with an injury in 2022. He threw the ball well recently at the West Texas A&amp;M camp.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='851898' first='Gage' last='Conway'], Albuquerque Academy</strong>: Standing 6-foot-5, Conway is ready to take over as Albuquerque Academy's starting QB. And, just like his predecessor, he has an opportunity to lead the Chargers offense for three years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854274' first='Richard' last='Lovato'], Cuba</strong>: Lovato proved as a freshman in 2022 that he has the potential to become a dynamic dual threat QB. He threw for 600 yards and rushed for 187 on 71 carries. Cuba needs a big year from him to reach the 3A playoffs. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='851873' first='Jordan' last='Kekoa Hatch'], Cleveland</strong>: Who has the tough task of replacing New Mexico signee Evan Wysong as the Storm's QB? Hatch was the JV QB in 2022 and he looks to make the jump in 2023. Good size at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>RUNNING BACK</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853014' first='Michael' last='Jimenez'], Silver</strong>: Nobody talks more highly of Jimenez than Silver head coach Jerome Ortiz. The Fighting Colts' top three running backs in 2022 were all seniors, so the position will undergo a transformation this season. Jimenez is the favorite to earn the No. 1 job. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854281' first='Bobby' last='Parraz'], Loving</strong>: Parraz emerged as one of the top 2026 running backs last season when he rushed for 574 yards and 4 TD for Loving. He also caught 6 passes. Don't be surprised if he approaches 1,000 rushing yards this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854282' first='Landyn' last='Hiles'], Mescalero Apache</strong>: Competing in Class 2A, Mescalero Apache doesn't get much attention from the media but Hiles showed promise last season by rushing for close to 300 yards. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='853063' first='Isaiah' last='Dominguez'], St. Michael's</strong>: The Horsemen lose most of their top offensive weapons from last season but St. Michael's has been a consistently strong program because they know how to reload, Dominguez takes over at RB for Ottawa University signee Marcus Leyba for the Horsemen. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='851887' first='Isaac' last='Martinez'], Deming</strong>: Martinez has been getting ready to compete for Deming's No. 1 RB job with a terrific spring in the weight room. Western New Mexico signee Fabian Reyna will be tough to replace, though. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/GunnarGuardiola/status/1660458582134104064","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/GunnarGuardiola/status/1660458582134104064 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/DemingWildcat/status/1649075208861655040?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DemingWildcat/status/1649075208861655040?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->