2026 Rankings Update 3.0: Running Backs

<!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2026","_class":"field_65cfb7374abb9","position":"2408","_position":"field_65cfbfcb19ad6","national_rankings":"0","_national_rankings":"field_660c1d73c0e49","state":"2494","_state":"field_65cfb88a603fe"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66a925e95217c"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the month of July is coming to a close, the 2024 high school football season is almost here! With that in mind, another round of rankings updates is currently in progress. After already covering the class of 2025, we have now moved on to the class of 2026 with a new Top 150 update being officially posted. Now that this update has been published, I will be taking the next week or so to break down the rankings by position. After already covering the quarterbacks, here are our top running backs in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["401707"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66a92e135ff27"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='401707' first='Evan' last='Hampton'] has established himself as one of the best players in the entire state, regardless of class. He is coming off a strong sophomore season in which he ran the ball 145 times for 1,552 yards and 25 touchdowns in 14 games. Hampton has explosive speed which he uses 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, he has also shown the ability to make defenders miss. Hampton is also very reliable in the passing game as he finished his sophomore year as his team's leading receiver with 44 receptions for 527 yards and two touchdowns. Evan currently holds several Power 4/Division I offers and I expect that list to continue to grow as he is a very talented prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["971533"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66a92e135ffbf"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='971533' first='Chayce' last='Burton'] is a running back who caught our attention with a strong sophomore season. He split carries in the Male backfield but was very productive when on the field, finishing the year with 109 carries for 717 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games. Burton is a very strong runner, showing the ability to keep his legs churning through contact to break tackles without losing stride. He has also shown the burst of speed to run away from the defense once he hits the open field. Burton also caught 11 passes for 82 yards as a sophomore. Chayce currently holds offers from Purdue, Louisville, Eastern Kentucky, Toledo, and Kent State, and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the Power 4 level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["971534"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66a92e1360040"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='971534' first='Gerian' last='Traynor'] is a player who has been on our radar for a while now and has continued to climb up our rankings. Traynor is coming off a strong sophomore year in which he carried the ball 165 times for 1,041 yards and 16 touchdowns in 11 games. Gerian is a very shifty ball carrier, showing the ability to find cut back lanes in the open field and make moves to make defenders miss. He has also shown the strength to break tackles without losing stride and the speed to break away on long runs. Gerian also finished his sophomore season with 14 receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown. Traynor currently holds offers from UNLV, Eastern Kentucky, and Bethune Cookman, and I expect more to come his was as he is a Division I caliber running back prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["283970"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66a933933ddf2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='283970' first='JayQuan' last='Crawford'] is a running back that has remained consistently high on our radar over the past couple seasons. He split carries as a sophomore but was productive when his number was called, finishing the year with 62 carries for 294 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games. Crawford has proven to be very reliable in the redzone and in goal line situations, showing the strength to run straight through opposing defenders to break tackles. He has also shown the speed to break away on longer runs once he hits the open field. JayQuan currently holds offers from Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, Toledo, and Kent State, and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the Division I level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["971535"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66a933933dea8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">To wrap up our top five running backs in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='971535' first='BJ' last='Evans']. Evans played in mainly a back up role at Lexington Christian Academy last season but was productive when on the field, running the ball 29 times for 258 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games. Evans is a strong runner, showing the ability to lower his shoulder and break tackles without losing stride. He also has impressive vision, showing the ability to find running lanes quickly and hit them with a sense of urgency. BJ has also shown the ability to make an impact on defense, finishing his sophomore year with 33 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, and two interceptions. Evans currently holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky and I expect more to come his way as he should have a bigger role after transferring to Tates Creek for his junior year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Players Included in Top 150:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6. [player_tooltip player_id='401923' first='Markezz' last='Hightower'] (Madisonville-North Hopkins)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>7. [player_tooltip player_id='401703' first='DJ' last='Wilson'] (Paducah Tilghman)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>8. [player_tooltip player_id='283974' first='Keagan' last='Maher'] (Cooper)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>9. [player_tooltip player_id='1176974' first='Davaree' last='Gude'] (Trigg County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>10. [player_tooltip player_id='273452' first='Ace' last='Caudill'] (Belfry)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>11. [player_tooltip player_id='773227' first='Jayden' last='Gibson'] (Breathitt County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>12. [player_tooltip player_id='1176931' first='Jaxen' last='Smith'] (Bowling Green)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>13. [player_tooltip player_id='283971' first='Jeffrey' last='Vazzana'] (Christian Academy of Louisville)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>14. [player_tooltip player_id='971536' first='Brayden' last='Baxter'] (Monroe County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>15. [player_tooltip player_id='873792' first='Laysen' last='Anderson'] (John Hardin)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>16. [player_tooltip player_id='1175775' first='TayTay' last='Allen'] (Frederick Douglass)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>17. [player_tooltip player_id='1175795' first='Erik' last='Pickett'] (Fern Creek)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->