Building the Perfect Player: WV's Ultimate '26 RB

<p><strong><em>The Combine Series Camp is returning to WV on May 3rd at the Highlands Sports Complex in Triadelphia, WV! Code PRZWVCombine25 will give you a discount when you registe</em>r <a href="https://events.prepredzone.com/e/1484/register/combine-series-west-virginia">HERE</a><em>!</em></strong></p>   <p>Building the perfect RB recruit is going to require a lot of pieces and parts, but lucky for us we have a strong stable of talent to pick from. The perfect RB recruit is going to have size, power to push the pile or break tackles, speed to beat angles and create the big play, offers a receiving threat out of the backfield, has excellent instincts with the ball in his hands, and has that innate ability to make the highlight reel play look easy. These are just a few of the traits we will be taking and pouring into our perfect RB recruit. So let's get back into the lab and build this playmaker!</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>SIZE AND FRAME</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">You won't find too many athletes that have been as well-developed physically as 2026 Wheeling Central running back [player_tooltip player_id='862785' first='Isaac' last='Martin'] in the state of West Virginia. The 6'0 215 rising senior appears to have been sculpted out of clay for how you want your every down running back to look. Martin just wrapped up an AA/A state wrestling championship in the 215-pound weight class and is getting serious D1 looks for that sport on top of his prowess on the football field. As a junior, Martin rushed for 1,000 yards and 17 touchdowns as a bull who's difficult to bring down at the small school level.</p>     <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>POWER</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='866253' first='Kylan' last='Grace'] is a well-rounded running back prospect with D1 interest whose power jumps off the screen on film. Currently ranked our #1 RB prospect in the 2026 class, Grace produced a great junior season for the Redskins rushing for over 1,300 yards and 14 touchdowns on 7.2 yards per carry. He certainly has the speed to bust a long run down the sidelines, but Grace's power between the tackles often breaking first and second contact is impressive. He's a hard downhill runner who easily brushes off arm tackles and will consistently fall forward for extra yardage. Grace will often lower his shoulder and run over defenders while maintaining balance and is the type of running back that you don't want to be on the receiving end of first contact. </p>     <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>SPEED</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">The [player_tooltip player_id='1137687' first='Brennan' last='Wack'] welcome party in 2024 as Wheeling Park's new starting running back was as electric as you can find. After being the Patriots' 4th-leading receiver as a sophomore in 2023, Wack settled in perfectly at a new position as a junior with an unexpected opening due to a transfer out. He's a natural for the position and showcased high-level athletic traits that could've placed him in several categories on this list, but he is likely the fastest athlete among fellow 2026 running backs. Wack averaged 8.4 yards per carry on an astonishing 268 carries for 2,200 yards and an eye-popping 31 touchdowns in year one of his new spot. He's the type of athlete who is a threat to score anytime he touches the ball and often appears to be playing at a different speed on film than everyone else on the field.</p>     <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>AGILITY</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">When you think of agility in a running back traits like footwork and quickness are what come to mind first and 2026 Spring Mills RB [player_tooltip player_id='894727' first='Blake' last='Sanders'] has both of those. He's light on his feet and can accelerate to full speed quickly with obvious speed to his game as well. His ability to change direction and cut to different angles is what placed him under the agility section for our perfect running back prospect. Sanders has quick reflexes and reaction time to help evade defenders in the open field and is tough to corral for a single tackler. It's not rare to find Sanders on the opposite side of the field by the end of his run than where he began as he zig zags through defenses effortlessly. </p>     <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>RECEIVING THREAT</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">The top receiving threat among 2026 running backs is unquestionably Herbert Hoover's [player_tooltip player_id='922040' first='Blake' last='Fisher']. Fisher began his career as primarily a receiver but has transitioned to a versatile running back for the Huskies who can still line up in the slot as a traditional receiver. He totaled over 1,700 yards and 26 touchdowns as a junior for the state runner-up Huskies last season with 762 of those yards and 5 touchdowns coming in the passing game. Fisher is a talented route runner who can do so out of the backfield or as a receiver and can be utilized in a variety of ways in their offense. He could very well end up playing in the slot at the next level as a natural pass catcher. </p>     <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>BALANCE</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1137479' first='Miguel' last='Cain'] saw his junior season cut short due to injury but was having a very good year for Spring Valley up until that point. Cain takes our balance trait for our perfect 2026 RB build as a powerful runner who stays on his feet through contact. He has a good physical build for that description with a thick and stocky frame who's spent ample time in the weight room. Cain has a bowling ball-like running style to his game often bouncing off of first and second contact while keeping his momentum and balance. He runs very hard downhill and has a good burst to reach full speed through the line of scrimmage. Cain can carry the pile and fall forward consistently and is an excellent candidate for a short-yardage back. </p>     <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>DURABILITY</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">When looking for a running back recruit you're going to prefer someone who can carry the ball 20+ times a game with the durability and size to do so and minimize the risk of injury. That's the case with 2026 Meadow Bridge running back [player_tooltip player_id='894721' first='Kaiden' last='Sims'] who carried the ball 241 times as a junior for the Wildcats and is the type of athlete at the small school level who his coaches would love to hand the ball off to on every play if it were possible and responsible to do so. Sims made the most of his touches too averaging 10 yards per carry for 2,400 yards and 30 touchdowns leading his team to the Class A playoffs. At 6'1 200, Sims has the rare combination of size and athleticism for small schools in the state and held up well as a junior with a lot of carries under his belt. </p>

The Combine Series Camp is returning to WV on May 3rd at the Highlands Sports Complex in Triadelphia, WV! Code PRZWVCombine25 will give you a discount when you register HERE!