2025 Rankings Update 2.0: Running Back
Now that another season of high school football is behind us in the state of Kentucky, it is time for some rankings updates. The updated top 175 for the class of 2025 in the state of Kentucky has been officially…
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Continue ReadingNow that another season of high school football is behind us in the state of Kentucky, it is time for some rankings updates. The updated top 175 for the class of 2025 in the state of Kentucky has been officially published. With that being said, I wanted to take the next week or so to break down these rankings by position. After already covering the quarterbacks, I will now turn my attention to the top running backs in the class of 2025 in the state of Kentucky.
Cortez Stone Cortez Stone 5’10” | 170 lbs | RB Louisville Central | 2025 State KY continued to prove that he is the top running back in the state in his class this past season. He had a strong junior year, carrying the ball 278 times for 1,871 yards and 23 touchdowns in 13 games. Stone has an impressive combination of speed and strength as a ball carrier. He is able speed to burst through the running lane and run away from the defense on long runs. When defenders are able to catch up to him, he has the contact balance to run straight through them without breaking stride. He also played a role in the passing game, catching 12 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown this past season. Stone currently holds offers from Western Kentucky, Louisville, Eastern Kentucky, Purdue, Ball State, Cincinnati, and Miami (OH), and I expect more to come his way as he is a Power 4 caliber running back prospect.
Peyton Smith Peyton Smith 5’11” | 190 lbs | RB Frederick Douglass | 2025 State KY is a running back that has been high on our radar for a while now and continued to stand out this season. He had a very impressive junior year, running the ball 165 times for 1,538 yards and 21 touchdowns in 12 games. Smith is a very elusiveness ball carrier, showing the moves in the open field to make defenders miss while also showing the contact balance to break tackles without losing stride. He also has explosive speed, showing the ability to burst through the running lane and run straight through the defense on long runs. Smith also returned one kickoff for a touchdown and caught 10 passes for 93 yards this past season. Peyton currently holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky and I expect more to come his way as he is a true Division I caliber running back prospect.
Highlights
Braxton Jennings Braxton Jennings 6’0″ | 195 lbs | RB Ashland Blazer | 2025 State KY is a running back that quickly climbed up our rankings with an impressive junior season. He finished the year with 104 carries for 807 yards and 15 touchdowns in 12 games. Jennings is a shifty ball carrier, showing the ability to make quick cuts in the open field to make defenders miss. He has also shown the speed to break away on long runs. Jennings is also very impressive in the passing game, showing the ability to line up in the slot and run routes like a receiver. He finished this past season with 22 receptions for 536 yards and five touchdowns. Jennings also threw one passing touchdown and returned one kickoff for a touchdown. He also played a key role on defense as a defensive back, finishing this past season with 51 tackles, two tackles for loss, and three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown). Braxton currently holds offers from Bowling Green State, Eastern Kentucky, Massachusetts, Toledo, and Eastern Michigan, and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber running back prospect.
Highlights
Another running back that has quickly climbed up our rankings is Giaonni Hunter Giaonni Hunter 5’11” | 210 lbs | RB Shelby County | 2025 State KY . Hunter had an outstanding junior season, carrying the ball 225 times for 1,742 yards and 17 touchdowns in 10 games. Giaonni has very impressive speed, showing the ability to burst through the running lane with a sense of urgency and run away from the defense on long runs. Once he hits the open field, Hunter has also shown the elusiveness to make defenders miss. He also played a role in the passing game this past season, catching seven passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. Giaonni also played a key role on defense at linebacker, finishing the season with 43 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and one fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. Hunter doesn’t currently hold any offers but I expect some to come his way soon as he has received some college interest and is a Division I caliber running back prospect.
To wrap up our top five running backs in the class of 2025 in the state of Kentucky, I have Kalen Washington Kalen Washington 5’10” | 200 lbs | RB Bryan Station | 2025 State KY . After transferring to Bryan Station this past season, he played a huge role in their run to the 6A State Championship Game. Washington finished his junior year with 165 carries for 1,311 yards and 16 touchdowns in 13 games. Kalen has explosive speed, showing the ability to burst through the running lane and run straight through the defense on long runs. When defenders are able to catch up to him, Washington has shown the elusiveness and contact balance to make defenders miss in the open field. Washington also finished this past season with seven receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown. Kalen doesn’t currently hold any offers but I expect some to come his way going into his senior year as he definitely has the talent to play at the next level.
Best of the Rest (Players Included in Top 175):
6. Pharo Watts Pharo Watts 5'11" | 180 lbs | RB Frederick Douglass | 2025 State KY (Frederick Douglass)
7. Zack McCoart Zack McCoart 5'10" | 195 lbs | RB Johnson Central | 2025 State KY (Johnson Central)
8. Chase Flaherty Chase Flaherty 5'10" | 180 lbs | RB Beechwood | 2025 State KY (Beechwood)
9. Cameron Rogers Cameron Rogers 5'10" | 175 lbs | RB Morgan County | 2025 State KY (Morgan County)
10. Xavier Burks Xavier Burks 5'11" | 185 lbs | RB Fairdale | 2025 State KY (Fairdale)
11. Durrell Turner Durrell Turner 5'7" | 165 lbs | RB Simon Kenton | 2025 State KY (Simon Kenton)
12. Christian Moore Christian Moore RB Franklin County | 2025 State KY (Franklin County)
13. David Anderson David Anderson 6'0" | 190 lbs | RB Dixie Heights | 2025 State KY (Dixie Heights)
14. Dwaylon Dean Dwaylon Dean RB West Carter | 2025 State KY (West Carter)
15. Andrew McCutcheon Andrew McCutcheon 5'6" | 145 lbs | RB Betsy Layne | 2025 State KY (Betsy Layne)
16. Leo Washington Leo Washington 5'8" | 160 lbs | RB Fairdale | 2025 State KY (Fairdale)
17. Jacob Rose Jacob Rose RB Prestonsburg | 2025 State KY (Prestonsburg)
18. Malachi Simmons Malachi Simmons 6'1" | 180 lbs | RB Garrard County | 2025 State KY (Garrard County)
19. Ali Hamdiyah Ali Hamdiyah 5'10" | 195 lbs | RB Scott County | 2025 State KY (Scott County)
20. CT Branstetter CT Branstetter 6'0" | 210 lbs | RB Metcalfe County | 2025 State KY (Metcalfe County)