All-Underappreciated Team: Running Backs

We continue our series of looking at players who might have the stats or have already experienced a breakout season, but who might not get the recognition they deserve. Here, we'll take a look at five running backs who are underappreciated across the state.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Five Underappreciated Running Backs</h2>    Teams in the mountains know about Rudisill, but he doesn't get the statewide recognition he probably deserves. Last year, he torched opposing defenses on his way to a 1,000-yard season. He's patient in waiting for an opening, but explodes through the hole once it opens and has the breakaway speed to finish long runs.     Herron scored over half of AL Brown's touchdowns a season ago in a difficult conference, scoring 17 times on the ground and adding three scores as a receiver. Herron excels at making subtle adjustments in the hole to slow down defenders at the second level and position himself well to hit the secondary at full speed. He has homerun speed and good vision as well.     If Hillside were more balanced on offense, Braswell might be one of the most well-known backs in the state. But with only 99 carries as a junior, he doesn't pop up on any statewide leaderboards. He's a bruising fullback who loves to do the dirty work in short yardage and as a lead blocker. A lot of his contributions don't show up in a box score, but he's a guy who could have a bright college future ahead of him.     Wingate moves extremely well for a bigger back and isn't your typical Wing-T fullback. He's able to use his speed to bounce runs to the outside and has the lateral agility to make people miss in the hole. He averaged over eight yards a carry as a sophomore and while teams in his conference are aware of his talent, he's often not mentioned much outside his region, which shouldn't be the case.     Rule led the state in rushing as a junior, has good size, elite speed and still hasn't made much headway in the recruiting process. That should change as a senior at Charlotte Christian. Rule excels at making people miss and often defenders whiff without getting a hand on him. He's been clocked at well over 22 miles per hour, so if he gets in the open field, there's a good chance no one will catch him.

We continue our series of looking at players who might have the stats or have already experienced a breakout season, but who might not get the recognition they deserve. Here, we'll take a look at five running backs who are underappreciated across the state.