Fab 50 Breakdown: The Running Backs

Speed. Power. Vision. Instincts.   There, we've got those out of the way.   Those things can be said, and repeated in any number of ways, about all five RBs in our Fab 50. They're very obviously true, and all five guys have those attributes in staggering quantities. But none of those are what set these guys apart, nor is the combination of them. So let's try a little something else.   Effort. Toughness. Resiliency. Versatility.   Now we're talking. Those traits, along with the others, are what make our Fab 50 running backs truly remarkable. Here's a look at the guys on the list.   [player_tooltip player_id='272702' first='Jevon' last='Edwards'] South Aiken   Edwards (pictured) is a throwback to the days when a feature back was referred to as a "bell cow". The leader of the herd, and the easiest Thoroughbred to spot, Edwards had 293 carries to punctuate his importance to the South Aiken offense. But it's what he did with those carries that's important. Nearly 2,500 rushing yards, at almost 8.5 yards per attempt. An average of almost 225 yards per game, with 28 rushing TDs on the year. And it didn't much matter to Edwards whether he had to go over, around, or through you. He excelled as much after contact as he did in the open field.    [player_tooltip player_id='605525' first='Marquise' last='Henderson'] Belton-Honea Path   Henderson passed 6,000 yards for his career in his senior season, and that was with the Bears' starters rarely playing very deep into the second half. Even with limited touches, Henderson did plenty to show why he's so special. Take a back-to-back pair of plays early in the season at Greer as an example. On one carry, Henderson gained nine yards on a play where it seemed like everybody in a black jersey got a hand on him. On the next, he went 50-plus for a touchdown on a play where nobody did. He's explosive, he's athletic enough to have finished the bulk of the 3A championship game at wildcat QB, and he's versatile enough to be recruited as a D1 DB at the college level. He's also the only returning RB on our Fab 50 list. It's easy to see why.    [player_tooltip player_id='1012859' first='Karmello' last='Jones'] Cross   It would be easier to tell you what Jones DIDN'T do for Cross this season. He probably didn't sell programs before the game or hot dogs at halftime. It's not likely that he played in the band. We don't think he had a hand in painting the field. Everything else, though? Jones is your guy. An incredible burst that makes him tough to contain led him to nearly 1,900 rushing yards and 31 TDs on the ground is a good start. He scored six more times on the season as well, notched 69 tackles with 17 tackles for loss for the Trojans, picked off two passes and recovered seven fumbles. He was the heartbeat of the Trojans' offense, and one of their best defenders, too.    [player_tooltip player_id='473001' first='Jaylen' last='McGill'] Mountain View Prep   The only non-senior on the list, McGill did plenty in every aspect of the Stars' offense to earn his spot. Here's something that's hard to fathom: his 1,658 rushing yards seem a little light, but they're limited by the fact that MVP also had a 2,000-yard passes and played in a bunch of blowouts. McGill was routinely the best dude on the field, and might be the most complete back on this list from the standpoint of what big-time colleges are looking for in a feature guy. He runs with power, he's got plenty of speed, he has great hands out of the backfield, and he's lined up both in the slot and out wide for MVP as well. The Fab 50 is a fluid list, truly the top guys in a given year, but there's not really a reason that you shouldn't expect to see McGill here next year, too.    [player_tooltip player_id='1157761' first='Mason' last='Picket-Hicks'] South Pointe   The Stallions had another phenomenal season, racking up right at 7,000 yards of total offense. They were incredibly balanced in getting to that number, and Picket-Hicks was the vast majority of the reason why on the ground. He rushed for 30 touchdowns, more than 2,600 yards, and more than 190 yards per game. His most impressive stat, though, was likely his yards-per-carry average: 12.9. He also averaged 11.1 yards per catch and had three more touchdowns through the air. Yeah. Picket-Hicks touched the ball 233 times on offense and averaged MORE than a first down. If that's not Fab 50 material, we're not really sure what is. Just watch.

Speed. Power. Vision. Instincts.