Four Standout Rushers From South Georgia

For years, South Georgia has produced stout, competitive RB prospect who have made their make at the next level. Here, we take a look at some standout rushers so far in 2023 and dig into the tape.   [player_tooltip player_id='896586' first='Keenan' last='Phillips'] - 2024 - RB - Bainbridge   Phillips, a James Madison commit, is having a highly productive season, replicating the success he found as a junior. Phillips is a stout runner with the size and skill set to be on the field for every down. He comes in at 5'10 190 and is more than physical enough to take on contact and fight for extra yards. Phillips is a hard runner with excellent contact balance, recovering nicely from tackle attempts, even when knocked off his feet. He is always firing his feet, which allows him to move the pile and maintain a north-south running style. Between the tackles, Phillips is capable of getting skinny and exploiting running lanes in the secondary. His eyes are synched to his feet, pinpointing open grass and quickly shifting his momentum to bounce outside or inside to exploit the lane. Phillips has excellent burst and acceleration, changing gears quickly and hitting his top speed in a hurry to lift away from the defense. Phillips shows some clear pass-catching upside. He has experience splitting out wide and running by DBs to impact the vertical passing game. He can also take a screen and use his burst to exploit space ahead of him. Phillips is a tough runner who can outmatch defenses with his athleticism, strength, and pass-catching ability. For that reason, it's no wonder he is headed to the FBS level, where he could potentially develop into a complete runner in a few years.   <a href="https://x.com/2KeenanPhillips/status/1693245231414514141?s=20">https://x.com/2KeenanPhillips/status/1693245231414514141?s=20</a>   Jaden Dailey - 2024 - RB - Camden County   Dailey is a stout back with a low center of gravity and a refined set of tools. He takes a lot of reps in the HB spot in the triple-option offense, which gives him a load of experience running between the tackles. He takes plenty of reps in a more common shotgun look as well. Due to his stout, 5'9 200ish frame, he is not easy to bring down and is like a pinball in short areas. He isn't a super twitchy or elusive back, but he runs hard and has the athleticism and body control to piece his way through traffic and locate running lanes downfield. He is patient as the play develops, sometimes keeping a hand on his blockers as he lets them create push and set up matchups for him to exploit. Dailey hits running lanes with force, showing excellent explosiveness and acceleration as he heads toward the endzone. There is little to no wasted movement in his game. He is a stout runner with good speed and explosiveness. He stays north and south as much as possible and frequently gets several yards downfield before taking on contact. Dailey is more than a willing blocker, he is plenty capable of peeling out as a lead blocker and popping defenders with the force to jar them off-balance. He can get out on the outside as a receiver, whether that is on a screen or wheel route. He can contour his body to make a play while quickly recovering his downfield momentum. Dailey looks the part of a short yardage back who has some blocking upside. He is having a productive season and has the tools to hold his own at the next level.   <a href="https://x.com/JadenDailey1/status/1700649040084422978?s=20">https://x.com/JadenDailey1/status/1700649040084422978?s=20</a>   Fred Brown - 2024 - RB - Coffee   As far as size and playmaking combinations, Brown is truly unique from the rest of 2024 RBs in Georgia. He is listed at 5'9 227, and he looks plenty stout on tape. He is built more like a traditional FB than your normal RB, which gives him an edge physically over defenders. He is frequently used as a blocker, navigating as a lead blocker to level defenders and can plug gaps between the tackles and guards. For a prospect at his size, he is off the charts when it comes to burst and explosiveness. He has the vision and patience to let his blocks develop and pinpoint running lanes, which he then exploits by getting north/south and blasting into the second level. He is surprisingly light on his feet, which allows him to change direction and recalibrate in the backfield if needed. He is incredibly difficult to bring down in space. If you tackle high, he will drop his shoulder and okie right through a defender. When defenders aim at his legs, he can recover nicely from getting up-ended and even pulled out a pretty eye-opening hurdle on tape, flashing his athleticism. Fred Brown is a little different than your typical RB prospect, but he has an intriguing blend of speed and power than is worthy of a look.   <a href="https://x.com/fredb2024/status/1688616853118083072?s=46&t=9e_kTuWig0AJ5gNWN-sDtg">https://x.com/fredb2024/status/1688616853118083072?s=46&t=9e_kTuWig0AJ5gNWN-sDtg</a>   [player_tooltip player_id='1556469' first='RJ' last='Boyd'] - 2025 - RB - Ware County   Boyd is a stout, physical, productive back who averaged over 7 YPC last year for a state championship-winning Ware County team. So far in 2023, he hasn't skipped a beat and is on track to replicate very similar, if not better production as a junior. Boyd comes in at around 6'0 210 and looks the part of a P5 RB prospect. He carries his weight well, showcasing good burst and acceleration to exploit running lanes and unoccupied areas of the field. Boyd is a patient runner behind the line who doesn't outrun his blocks and has the plant power to put his foot in the dirt and quickly get upfield. His cut strength and explosiveness are on display in the second level as well, frequently making moves to make defenders whiff on tackles, all while staying north and south. Boyd showcases excellent contact balance, bouncing and even spinning off tacklers in the first level. He keeps his feet churning and runs with good pad level, making him difficult to bring down. Boyd runs extremely hard and finishes his runs with aggression, lowering his shoulder to truck defenders and falling forward for extra yards. When he has grass ahead of him, he is in constant pursuit of the endzone and has the blend of burst and acceleration to create separation. But when there is a defender in his path, he is capable of knocking them to the turf to finish off a run. Boyd holds SEC offers, and it's because he is a violent runner with good burst, vision, and an ideal frame. His ability to cut and drive gives him value in a zone running scheme.   <a href="https://x.com/rjboyd56/status/1694486613668028927?s=20">https://x.com/rjboyd56/status/1694486613668028927?s=20</a>

For years, South Georgia has produced stout, competitive RB prospect who have made their make at the next level. Here, we take a look at some standout rushers so far in 2023 and dig into the tape.