St. Louis Co. 26s to Watch: RB

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we approach the heat of the summer, the 2025 high school football offseason is in full swing. With that in mind, I wanted to take some time to focus on some of the top incoming seniors in Missouri in specific areas of the state, starting with St. Louis County. After already covering the quarterbacks, here are some notable running backs to keep an eye on in the class of 2026 in St. Louis County!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["284042"],"_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-6838c15df1fdc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='284042' first='Jordan' last='Taylor'] is one of the top returning prospects in the entire state of Missouri. He is coming off a very impressive junior year in which he ran the ball 190 times for 1,244 yards and nine touchdowns. Taylor is an elusive ball carrier who has the ability to make cuts in the open field to make defenders miss and also has the contact balance to run straight through defenders. Once he hits the open field, he has proven to have the speed to run away from the defense on long runs. Jordan also caught 16 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown as a junior. Taylor currently holds a long list of Power 4/Division I offers and I expect that list to continue to grow heading into his senior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["849700"],"_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-6838c15df2061"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='849700' first='Jayden' last='McCaster'] is another running back who is coming off a strong junior season. He finished this past season with 197 carries for 1,521 yards and 16 touchdowns. McCaster has explosive speed which he uses to burst through the running lane in a hurry then run away from the defense with ease. When defenders are able to catch up to him, he has shown the elusiveness to make them miss in the open field. He also played a huge role in the De Smet passing game as a junior, catching 33 passes for 451 yards and six touchdowns. Jayden currently holds multiple Division I offers and I expect more to come his way heading into this upcoming season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1128410"],"_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-6838c1dca59ce"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1128410' first='Manny' last='Ellis'] served as more of a complimentary back as a junior but he was very impressive when his number was called. He finished his junior season with 81 carries for 787 yards and 10 touchdowns. Ellis has impressive vision as a ball carrier, showing the patience to let the running lane open then hit it in a hurry once it does. Once he sees the running lane open, Ellis uses his speed to burst downhill with a sense of urgency then run away from the defense on long runs. He also played a key role on special teams as a returner and caught five passes for 31 yards as a junior. Manny currently holds offers from Indiana State and Missouri Southern, and I expect a lot of eyes to be on him as he moves into a bigger role as a lead back this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["402113"],"_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-6838c3e7cfbe7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='402113' first='Courtney' last='Rivers'] is a running back who truly started to make a name for himself as a junior. He finished this past season with 56 carries for 521 yards and 10 touchdowns. Rivers is a downhill runner who has the burst of speed to run straight by defenders while also possessing the strength/contact balance to run through them without breaking stride. He has also shown the elusiveness to make defenders miss in the open field. Courtney also caught five passes for 82 yards and a touchdown as a junior. Rivers currently holds multiple Division I offers and I expect more to come his way heading into his final season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["849690"],"_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-6838c5a62bc3c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">My final running back to watch in the class of 2026 in St. Louis County is [player_tooltip player_id='849690' first='Martez' last='Stephenson']. Stephenson is coming off a strong junior year in which he ran the ball 123 times for 1,363 yards and 17 touchdowns. Martez is a shifty ball carrier who has shown the ability to make cuts on the dime to make defenders miss. He has also shown the contact balance to break tackles without losing stride along with the speed to break away for a big gain. Stephenson also played a key role as a receiving threat this past season, catching 13 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns. Martez currently holds an offer from Northwest Missouri State and I expect his recruitment to continue to heat up heading into his senior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->