UTR South Dakota 2026 RBs to Watch Closely this Fall

Over the next handful of days we will be focused on our Preseason All-State Teams throughout the region, but today we focus on the running backs this afternoon that in our eyes are under the radar and ones that I would advise college coaches that subscribe to Prep Redzone Dakotas, to watch this fall. Five names, only a few offers across the board and a good chunk that improved this summer on the camp trail.    The 5'10 now 195 pounder from Sturgis Brown is a 2026 running back that surprises me hasn't gotten next-level attention yet in this class, but one that I feel should make his mark for the Scoopers in the 2025 season. Sully in my eyes has more instinctive chnage of direction than he gets credit for as the amount of times as a junior where he hit his cut and got to the open field with ease. Another under the radar skillset Sully has is his power he can generate thru contact, as I feel in the 2025 season we are going to see more of it being that he's added good frame since last season. He's one with no offers, that should catch some attention from Dakotas schools this fall.   <a href="https://x.com/SullyJost">Twitter</a>     Grayden not only showed off promise this summer at camps, but on Friday, showed it off on both sides of the ball logging 20 tackles, 85 rushing yards, and one touchdown in their upset win over Sioux Valley. The vision that you see from Grayden on both sides of the ball is evident when you watch his tape from Friday and he's taken his game up a notch with his suddenness both from a speed and change of direction perspective in my eyes from a year ago. He shows off defensively that he can play with more range than you expect for his size and is versatile when it comes how he can contribue on defense. Holds a couple NAIA offers thus far, but still under the radar in my eyes in what should be a 11B team to watch out of Rapid City St. Thomas More. Should be one on the rise in this 2026 class.     Hayes is another 2026 running back you could see the progressions this summer, especially from what I grasped at the Northern State prospect camp. He's added substancial frame since we added him to our radar now playing at 5'10 175 pounds and shows it off with his durability he has thru contact is one of the better running backs on this list with that skillset. Another area I expect this fall for Hayes to thrive in is with his vision as he appeared more instinctive in the camp reps I watched and I'll be to see it on his game tapes when those get posted as well. The three sport athlete from WWSSC is an upwards trender in my eyes even this early in the season. Just one offer thus far for Hayes on his recruiting trail.   <a href="https://x.com/hayeshavlik">Twitter</a>     Carter may have gotten a late start in 2024 as the Governors running back didn't start till Week 6 last season, but even with that we rated him as one of the top 10 running backs in the state in the 2026 class despite that being the case. Carter has the patience with his vision and can apply his instincts right on queue when he needs to to get into the open field and I bet those look even more eye-appealing in the 2025 season. Carter also was one of the best inside runners on this list thru high-traffic areas last fall so you can understand that the upside is brewing for this young man heading into his senior season. He already has one NSIC offer, and I wouldn't be surprised for him to get more attention in these first three games of the 2025 season.     I have said it before and I will say it again, there is not a better 1-2 punch at running back in the Dakotas than Harrisburg has with [player_tooltip player_id='1112592' first='Josiah' last='Heinz'] and their under the radar running back on this list, [player_tooltip player_id='402518' first='Jase' last='Thiesse']. A 10.67 100-meter dash this track season should tell you everything you need to know about Jase from a sudden burst perspective. An area where I feel Jase could excel most this fall for Harrisburg, is as a pass-catcher out of the backfield as Jase not only boosts the speed, but he's shown me over the years how shifty he can be with his change of direction by creating space into the open field. He has D1 track attention, but without a doubt is a football prospect too that can certainly play on Saturdays from an 11AAA powerhouse that has shown has plenty of next-level contributors offensivelly across the region.

Over the next handful of days we will be focused on our Preseason All-State Teams throughout the region, but today we focus on the running backs this afternoon that in our eyes are under the radar and ones that I would advise college coaches that subscribe to Prep Redzone Dakotas, to watch this fall. Five names, only a few offers across the board and a good chunk that improved this summer on the camp trail.