St. Olaf Prospect Camp: Top RBs

The RB crop from St. Olaf's second annual prospect camp included a handful of talented athletes from across the country. With an elite tester rounded out by several other explosive athletes, these ball carriers no doubt raised their recruiting stock with their performances last Saturday.    Backus recently found his way onto my radar at the start of this offseason, so it was a welcome surprise to see him perform in person. He's a power back whose explosiveness and ability to stop and start impressed me throughout the camp, as well as his short route running and soft hands. I'm pumped to see what he can do this fall.     If I had to assign an MVP from this RB group, it would go to Engle. Dude tested out of this world, placing first in all categories among his position group, and this includes an astounding 4.4 40 time. When the competition portion of the camp came, Engle dominated. He's an incredibly explosive athlete who can stop and start on a dime. He's able to make rapid changes in direction, which makes him a tough cover, especially for linebackers. He's hardworking and a versatile back who's able to play a variety of roles in an offense, yet still somehow flies under the radar, despite his repeated success at Minnesota's highest level of football. Whoever gets Engle is getting a steal.     One of the statistically best rushers in the state last season, I was excited when I saw Baez's name on the camp roster. I was very surprised, however, when the 1,000+ yard rusher showed off some of the best hands in the camp. He breaks hard out of the top of his routes and is a talented runner in open space. He also tested pretty well, ending the day with a 4.85 40, 4.45 pro-agility, 8'9" broad jump (tied for second in his position group), and a 7.53 L-drill. On a run-dominant team such as St. Thomas Academy, which completed 58 passes last season, Baez found the rock in his hands 14 times, the most on the team. STA tries to get him the rock in every way possible, and I don't blame them.     Breazeale was my first ever impression of a Texas high school football player, and I was pretty impressed. I love his start-and-stop ability, and he showed flashes of amazing moves in space that looked like they would translate well to padded play. He's both quick and explosive, and some of his impressive testing numbers highlight this. A 4.84 40, a stunning 4.23 pro agility (2nd in his position group), an 8'8" broad jump (4th in his position group), and a 7.32 L-Drill (3rd in his position group). A pretty great showing by the Texas product.     I don't know if there was a bigger stock riser in his position group from this camp than Emanuel. Fresh off of an undefeated 14-0 state championship season where he rushed for over 300 yards on 8.4 YPC, Emanuel is an athlete who is primed for a massive breakout during his junior year. He was one of the best testers in his position group, placing top 3 in all categories tested. He's a slippery runner who I'd love to see compete in pads.     One of the best 9-man ball carriers in the state, Gunnink proved last weekend that he could compete with athletes at the highest levels of MN prep football. He tested incredibly well, too. Gunnink ran a 4.63 40 (2nd among RBs), a 4.25 pro agility (3rd among RBs), and a 7.25 L-Drill (2nd among RBs). He's an agile and explosive athlete who can compete with some of the best linebackers in 6A. Gunnink is definitely one of the most underrated athletes in the state.     Typically, thick power backs like Hedtke don't perform the best in 7v7 situations because those drills don't cater to those skill sets. Hedtke, however, managed to impress me with his insane quickness, highlighted by his eye-popping 4.37 pro agility time. Hedtke is someone whom I'd fear to meet in the hole, but his proven agility adds a whole new layer to his game. Heading into his junior year, he's an athlete who I could see taking a big step up in production.     Possibly the most physically imposing running back I saw last weekend, Tarbox is a Wisconsin product who I saw make a number of very impressive catches throughout the day. Built like a linebacker with the ball-tracking ability of a wideout, Tarbox looked like a dog last weekend and flashed tremendous upside. He tested consistently across all metrics and had a solid 8'7" broad jump. With pads on, Tarbox has a very appealing upside as a forceful power back.

The RB crop from St. Olaf's second annual prospect camp included a handful of talented athletes from across the country. With an elite tester rounded out by several other explosive athletes, these ball carriers no doubt raised their recruiting stock with their performances last Saturday.