First 3 Weeks Running Back Stock Risers

Use Code PRZWV30 at checkout for 30% off your subscription!   We're through the first three weeks of the high school football season in West Virginia and prospects are beginning to post their First 3 games highlight videos that colleges will be searching for and evaluating for who moves up, down, and added to their recruiting board. Here are the running backs who have been performing strongly through the first three weeks of the season and should be seeing an uptick in their college interest.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">TRENDING UP</h2>    2025 George Washington RB [player_tooltip player_id='907163' first='Sai'Vyon' last='Brown'] has been one of the top rushers in the state through the first three weeks of the season and has put some things on film during the early portion of his senior year. Brown is having the breakout senior season that we anticipated him having and is outplaying his current ranking as an early season stock riser. He's seeing a much bigger role and workload in 2024, and Brown is making the most of them with 455 yards and 3 touchdowns while averaging over 8 yards per carry.   Brown has shown great elusiveness while shedding tacklers and making defenders miss consistently through three games. His footwork has been stellar when choosing his running lane and he's shown an explosive burst once he picks where he wants to run. Brown's ranking will reflect his impressive play on the field after the season if he continues this trajectory of play.      Although ranked as a DB right now, 2025 Bridgeport athlete [player_tooltip player_id='1306464' first='Alex' last='Moses'] is making a strong case to flip to running back in our final rankings update after the season with a great start to his senior year as a ball carrier. His stats may not be as big as some other running backs on this list, but that's largely due to the lopsided scores that Bridgeport is having so far this season and not needing his services for very long while also rotating in other talented backs. While only mainly playing in the first half of these games, Moses has rushed for 200 yards and 6 touchdowns on just 12 carries including a dominant performance against one of the biggest schools in the state in Morgantown where he ran 8 times for 123 yards and 3 touchdowns.   The Indians have a plethora of running backs that they can use in their single-wing offense, but Moses may be the more under-the-radar prospect of their big trio that you need to know this season.      2025 Fairmont Senior RB [player_tooltip player_id='1126761' first='Chris' last='Wilson']'s stats have also been affected by blowout wins for the Polar Bears but he's emerged as one of their go-to running backs this season after showing flashes as a junior last season. Wilson has the perfect running back body type and is a very good athlete coming into his own in just his second year in the football program. He's an explosive athlete who can get to top speed quickly and a good burst. Wilson is a natural ball carrier with the innate ability to be a smooth runner.   He'll be challenged more as the season goes on and the competition stiffens, but Wilson is a running back that colleges should be following closely with a bigger role this season.      2026 Independence ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1136973' first='Sylas' last='Nelson'] is the definition of the athlete tag in our rankings and is now lining up at running back for the Patriots after starting at quarterback and receiver at times last season. Running back feels like his most natural fit on offense and he's thriving in his new position with 458 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns while averaging 6.5 yards per carry through three games.   Nelson is a big physical athlete and a natural football player whose versatility should make him a sought-after prospect in his senior year. He has the frame and power to get you tough yards and break tackles consistently but also has the speed to break away from defenders in the open field once he gets there. Nelson is a well-rounded athlete who can execute just about every duty on the field.      2026 Spring Mills RB [player_tooltip player_id='894727' first='Blake' last='Sanders'] has been a great addition to the Cardinals' program this season and has provided a spark in their strong running game. They've breezed through the early portion of their schedule so far, but Sanders has looked good on film and is showing why he's ranked as a Top 10 running back in the 2026 class by us.   Sanders is a very quick and speedy scatback who is explosive through the hole with a great burst. Even as a smaller back, Sanders runs hard and doesn't shy away from contact while providing impressive power behind his pads due to his explosion.      [player_tooltip player_id='1137479' first='Miguel' last='Cain'] has provided balance to Spring Valley's explosive passing attack and the 2026 running back is an early season RB stock riser for the Timberwolves. He has a good combination of speed and power as a thicker built running back and a versatile athlete. Cain isn't a fancy runner and is going to get you a consistent 6-7 yards per carry and move the chains. He's a hard runner between he tackles but has a good burst and can move the pile forward for extra yards.   Cain is a reliable and steady running back for Spring Valley who you can trust to make positive plays every time he touches the ball.      A Class A 2026 running back that colleges need to know and follow over the next two seasons is Meadow Bridge's [player_tooltip player_id='894721' first='Kaiden' last='Sims']. The Wildcats have played just two games so far this season but Sims has had a great start to his junior year. He's totaled 425 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns in two games including a dominant 304 yards and three touchdowns performance against Pocahontas County in week two. He's a big physical small school running back who colleges shouldn't overlook due to playing in Class A and coaches saw that firsthand at our PRZ WV Combine earlier this year where he impressed.   Sims is a well-built athlete who can run through you or past you and would be a handful for defenses in bigger classifications too.      2026 Wheeling Park RB [player_tooltip player_id='1137687' first='Brennan' last='Wack'] has seemingly come out of nowhere this season for the Patriots after being their 4th-leading receiver as a sophomore last season without a rushing yard to his name in 2023. However, we saw on his sophomore film that he had some juice which placed him among the Top 120 athletes in the 2026 class in our rankings and the potential was clear when evaluating him as a receiver. After some roster changes in the off-season, Wack was moved to running back and hasn't looked back since.   Wack broke the school record for rushing yards in the Patriots' most recent game against Musselman with 298 yards and 4 touchdowns in just 3 quarters. Through three games, Wack has totaled 527 yards and 6 touchdowns while averaging 8 yards a clip and is a definite RB stock riser through the first three weeks. He's a quick and shifty runner with the natural awareness to find open space to run towards. Wack is an elusive runner who breaks tackles at a high level and is a tough hard runner.     <h2 class="wp-block-heading">UNRANKED MAKING NOISE</h2>    2025 Ripley RB [player_tooltip player_id='1014121' first='Noah' last='Casto'] has the Vikings reaching heights they haven't seen in a while with a 3-0 start and putting up big numbers through the first three games of the season. Casto is currently one of the leading rushers in the state and went off against rival Ravenswood in week two with over 300 yards and 5 touchdowns.   Casto is another running back who isn't going to do anything fancy and is just going to come downhill at you and force you to try to be better than him. He may not be the biggest or the fastest running back in the state, but Casto plays with an edge and welcomes contact. He's a patient runner who waits for holes to open up and has shown good footwork causing missed tackles with quality speed in the open field.      [player_tooltip player_id='1092726' first='Jared' last='Reall'] has been one of the best Class A football players in the state for the past two seasons and has been a stalwart in the Tucker County program since he was a freshman. The 2025 prospect has nearly 3,000 career rushing yards and 43 touchdowns to his name and through three weeks is off to his potential best season yet. Reall is another athlete who isn't the biggest nor fastest but gives you 100% effort on every play and is just a tough hard-nosed football player. He embodies the Ironman two-way lifestyle at the small school level and doubles as one of the top linebackers in Class A too.   Reall packs a ton of power in his smaller frame and also has the speed to run the corner and beat defenses down the sidelines. He's nimble on his feet who can shake defenders in space and is versatile in running through or around defenses.      2025 Wirt County RB [player_tooltip player_id='1228138' first='Brody' last='Ewing'] has stepped right in at running back for the Tigers this season after they lost multi-year starter Chase Lowe to graduation and the running game hasn't missed a beat. He's a much different athlete than Lowe was, but Ewing is still producing at a high level through the first three games of the season. He's rushed for 500 yards and 5 touchdowns while averaging 10 yards per carry and is a small school running back to know this season.   Ewing is an explosive runner with breakaway speed and quickness who can also run hard between the tackles for tough yards if defenses can get a hand on him. He can turn the corner consistently at the small school level and will win the sideline race often in Class A.      A new name to our radar this season is 2026 Greenbrier East running back [player_tooltip player_id='1454183' first='Brady' last='May'] who made his way across state lines from Alleghany (VA) for his junior year. He's provided a nice spark and complement to the Spartans' passing attack and has totaled 236 yards through three games this season. May has shown good footwork and versatility as a runner who can run between or outside of the tackles. He has the speed to break it outside but also has the frame and power to run downhill through the middle.   We just have a one-game sample size of highlights available right now, but May is on the right track to be a noteworthy running back in the 2026 class so far.      An early 2028 running back name to know through the first three weeks of his freshman season is Riverside's [player_tooltip player_id='1309691' first='Malakhi' last='Hope']. He's been one of the top rushers in the state in three games with 419 yards and 3 touchdowns with two very strong performances against Greenbrier East and Capital running for 190 and 180 yards respectively.   The future is bright for the young ball carrier, and once his body catches up to his athleticism, the ceiling could be very high for his potential as a prospect. Hope has the frame to add significant size over the next three years and is still running hard for a slighter build. Athletically, he's ahead of the game with the speed to turn the corner and outrace defenders down the sidelines and the feet to sidestep them. Keep close tabs on Hope over the years as he's likely to emerge as one of the better athletes in the 2028 class.

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