Deep Dive: Wake County RBs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're in the middle of our Deep Dives series, where we're ranking players in the 2026-2028 classes in each RDU county by position. These rankings are based on a combination of film, stats, overall impact, and most importantly, college potential. After covering the quarterbacks earlier this week, we're jumping in to rank the Wake County running backs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Past Wake County Deep Dives</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/04/deep-dive-wake-county-qbs/">Quarterbacks</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top 5 Wake County RBs</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["378957"],"_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-68010c551f1a2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Brown is our top back in the 2027 class and continues to show his abilities both on and off the field. He's never been used as a workhorse back, but that's just going to leave him fresher for the college level. I was impressed with his ability as a receiver this season. Always a weight room warrior, Brown is a powerful runner with homerun speed, and a surefire Power Four prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["473833"],"_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-68015e103fe48"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">McCullers' acceleration might be the best of his many plus-traits, as he's able to get up to full speed by the time he hits the second and third levels. That allows him to run through tackles from linebackers and safeties. That and his contact balance and speed give him big-play potential and he flashed that this year at Millbrook.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1658593"],"_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-68015e103fe97"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A shorter, more compact runner, Spencer was a workhorse for Middle Creek, with at least 20 carries in six different games last season. He's most comfortable running away from contact, but isn't afraid to drop his pad level and run through would-be tacklers. He's one of the most productive returning running backs in the county.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1658600"],"_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-68015e103fee2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Barnes was the leading rusher on a pass-happy Leesville Road squad, and he had one of the best touchdown rates in the state, scoring once every seven carries, with 16 touchdowns on just 111 rushes. Though he's on the smaller side, he has a knack for finding space between the tackles and a nose for the end zone. He was also used heavily as a receiver, making him one of the better pass-catching backs in the area.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1238396"],"_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-68015e103ff2a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Young is our top-ranked 8-man player in the state and he ran circles around the competition last year. He came close to hitting 2,000 scrimmage yards with patience and an ability to make players miss in the open field. I think his skillset translates to the next level, and he should have a huge senior season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Honorable Mentions</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1658594' first='Kaiden' last='Dupree'], Apex</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1421052' first='Matthew' last='Ziglar'], Fuquay-Varina</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1658601' first='Chase' last='White'], Enloe</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Santoris Wright, Cary</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1225217' first='Amir' last='Wallace'], Willow Springs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->