2026 Rankings Update 6.0: RB

<!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2026","_class":"field_65cfb7374abb9","position":"2408","_position":"field_65cfbfcb19ad6","national_rankings":"0","_national_rankings":"field_660c1d73c0e49","state":"2494","_state":"field_65cfb88a603fe"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68701a1a0dbe5"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we head deeper into the month of July, the 2025 high school football season is quickly approaching. With that in mind, we have entered a new round of rankings updates in the state of Kentucky, with the class of 2026 being the latest class to be updated. Now that these rankings have been posted, I will be breaking down our updated Top 275 by position. After already covering the quarterbacks, here are our top running backs in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["401707"],"_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-68701b1254ab3"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='401707' first='Evan' last='Hampton'] is one of the top overall players in the state in his class. He is coming off a very impressive junior year in which he ran the ball 169 times for 1,549 yards and 20 touchdowns in 11 games. Hampton has impressive vision, showing the patience to let the running lane open up then using his speed to burst through it with a sense of urgency. Once he hits the open field, he has the breakaway speed to run away from the defense and the elusiveness to make defenders miss with ease. He also caught 15 passes for 107 yards and four touchdowns as a junior. Hampton is committed to Louisville where I can see him being a very productive back at the next level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["971533"],"_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-68701f47a7981"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='971533' first='Chayce' last='Burton'] is a player who has been high on our radar for a while now and continued to impress as a junior, running the ball 128 times for 908 yards and 15 touchdowns in eight games. Burton is a very strong runner, showing the ability to keep his legs churning through contact while maintaining balance to break tackles without losing stride. Once he hits the open field, he has shown the speed and elusiveness to break away for a big run at any given moment. Burton also finished this past season with seven receptions for 69 yards. Chayce currently holds multiple Power 4/Division I offers and I expect more to come his way 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":["971534"],"_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-687020d72b4e1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='971534' first='Gerian' last='Traynor'] is another ball carrier who continued to stand out this past season, finishing the year with 132 carries for 633 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games. Traynor has explosive speed which he uses to get to the outside and up the field in a hurry to run away from the defense on long runs. When defenders are able to catch up to him, he has shown the ability to make quick cuts to make them miss. He has also shown the ability to line up in the slot and pose as a threat in the passing game, catching 15 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns as a junior. Gerian recently committed to Bethune-Cookman where I can see him making an early impact once he gets there. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["971535"],"_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-6870213985f9c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='971535' first='BJ' last='Evans'] has a breakout year as a junior, running the ball 194 times for 1,799 yards and 20 touchdowns in 10 games. Evans is a physical runner, showing the ability to lower his shoulder and keep his legs running through contact to run straight through defenders without breaking stride. Once he hits the open field, he has shown the speed to run away from the defense and elusiveness to make defenders miss. BJ also finished this past season with 11 receptions for 59 yards. Evans currently holds offers from Miami (OH) and Eastern Kentucky, and I expect his recruitment to continue to heat up as he is a Division I caliber prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["283970"],"_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-687023c62d4d1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">To wrap up our top five running backs in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='283970' first='JayQuan' last='Crawford']. As a junior at Franklin County, Crawford split carries but was impressive when on the field, especially as a short yardage/red zone back. He is a downhill runner who hits the running lane with a sense of urgency and does a great job of running his legs through contact to pick up extra yards, often carrying a pile of defenders with him. Crawford has also shown the speed to break away on long runs once he hits the second level. JayQuan finished his junior year with 68 carries for 446 yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games. He also finished this past season with five receptions for 51 yards. Crawford currently holds multiple Division I offers and I expect a lot of eyes to be on him as he takes on a new role in a new offense at Bullitt East for his senior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->