Top Triad Running Backs

Our series continues where I am digging into the Triad Area players in the state of North Carolina to spotlight before the season starts. Previously, I focused on the Charlotte Metro Area in a series earlier this year, and my colleague Will Helms dug into the Raleigh area in a similar fashion earlier this year as well. The Triad in North Carolina will feature schools centered near the cities of Winston-Salem and Greensboro for full clarity.   This article will feature some Triad Running Backs worth keeping an eye on this upcoming season. There is definitely room for new stars to move up from Junior Varsity or transfer in from different schools; however, our article will focus on players returning after playing Varsity football for their teams last season.    A returning All-Conference and All-Area player, Jaylen scored 38 touchdowns last season and rushed for over 1700 yards, averaging nearly 11 yards per carry. Jaylen has an impressive combination of electric speed and power for his size that is not easily found in running backs. Jaylen does a great job of breaking tackles at the 2nd and 3rd levels of the defense, and also making defenders miss in the open field with good footwork and overall agility. Jaylen has several offers to play college football and it will be fun to see where he ultimately ends up.     Devin is coming off of a strong junior season where he rushed for 1,250 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also sports an impressive 3.72 GPA which will allow him to attend most colleges who would be interested in him from a recruiting perspective. Devin has excellent vision through the hole and shows a nice burst in the open field. Devin also shows some good strength to break tackles at the 2nd and 3rd levels of the defense.     Amare lists a 4.55 40-yard dash on his twitter profile, and that translates well on his highlight film. Amare was a productive player last season, and should continue to improve on that production going into his senior year. Amare shows good patience and vision pressing the hole, and knows when to accelerate, hit full speed, and run to daylight. Amare does an excellent job of using his blockers and cutting off of them as well.     With excellent size, John had a wonderful freshman season, rushing for nearly 1,000 yards and 8 touchdowns on the season. The burst through the hole that John shows is very impressive, especially for his size. John also shows an impressive ability to break tackles in space - something you rarely see from freshmen at the varsity level because they haven't had a chance to work in the weight room just yet. As time goes on, I expect John to just continue to increase his production and become a strong college football prospect.     An All-Conference selection last season in his freshman year, Connor is getting his high school career off to a strong start. Connor also reports an impressive 4.25 GPA on his Twitter/X profile. My colleague Will Helms wrote about Connor recently so I won't belabor what he does on the field too much, but he will be expected to be a key focal point in the Comets' offensive attack for sure this upcoming season.     Cannen showed some strong running ability on his highlight film last season in a split-time role for the Eagles. I like how Cannen gets north/south immediately on his runs, there is not a lot of wasted motion with the football in his hands. Cannen was in a time share last season with some running backs who have since graduated, so he has the inside track to being the main back for the Eagles this year.     CJ had a pretty strong season last year for West Forsyth, earning All-Conference honors for himself. CJ has moved over to Western Guilford this season, where he should be a main threat for their offensive attack. CJ's vision on inside runs is impressive, and he has good speed in the open field where he rarely gets caught from behind. CJ also shows the ability to bounce off tackle attempts and continue to gain significant yardage downfield.     Amarion is an impressive player who plays for a good program at Williams. Amarion was a multi-faceted threat last season where he accounted for triple-digit yardage in the running game, receiving game, and as a kick/punt returner - totaling nearly 1400 yards of offense and 13 total touchdowns on the season. Amarion was also selected as an All-Conference player. Amarion is an extremely tough and hard-nosed runner with the ball in his hands - he breaks tackles routinely for extra yardage. He is a player we will highly consider adding to our next rankings update.     Darion is another talented player who is a little under-the-radar because of where he plays. Darion rushed for over 1200 yards this past season with 11 touchdowns, and he has put some impressive things on film. Darion is fast through the hole and he can make players miss consistently in the open field. I like his quick footwork agility in his change of direction skills and his ability to continue to handle a large load of work being the primary offensive threat for his team. Darion can also be a receiving threat out of the backfield as well.     Another unranked player who will be under heavy consideration for inclusion in our next rankings update, Jaidyn rushed for over 1200 yards and 22 touchdowns for a good Cummings program. Jaidyn is also a contributor defensively with 55 tackles and 6 sacks, but I think running back is his first position from a college football perspective. To put it mildly, watching Jaidyn run is like a watching a truck go downhill - he is physical and can break tackles easily, delivering punishing blows to defenders. Jaidyn does a good job of keeping his feet moving on contact and has good speed once he gets into the open field.

Our series continues where I am digging into the Triad Area players in the state of North Carolina to spotlight before the season starts. Previously, I focused on the Charlotte Metro Area in a series earlier this year, and my colleague Will Helms dug into the Raleigh area in a similar fashion earlier this year as well. The Triad in North Carolina will feature schools centered near the cities of Winston-Salem and Greensboro for full clarity.