Deep Dive Rankings: Mecklenburg County RBs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of my favorite series of the year is the Deep Dives, where we at Prep Redzone North Carolina start going into counties or areas across the state of North Carolina, and ranking talent by specific positions in those areas. My colleague Will Helms has already done a great job in starting his rankings in the Raleigh area, and I will start in Mecklenburg County in the immediate area of Charlotte, then branch out from there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We will miss some players here and there, and a lot of our evaluation is based on production, film, offers from college football programs, and the existing Prep Redzone North Carolina rankings. If you feel you should be included, be sure to let us know! This article will feature the top running backs in Mecklenburg County, listed in ranking order. The Top 5 will get a detailed breakdown, then the other players will get a summarized analysis. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":2145837,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Da'mourion Thomas-Wright","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"220","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2408","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Butler","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69aa363cce6d6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I've got Thomas-Wright as the #1 running back in Charlotte, and he'll be added to our rankings in our next update. But I think it's pretty crazy that his recruiting is slow right now. He got an early offer from Troy; however, it's been pretty quiet ever since then. Thomas-Wright's speed and power combination is very impressive, and he put up 1400 yards for the Bulldogs in the state's toughest conference, being the main offensive threat week in and week out, running behind a younger-than-usual offensive line at that. I know recruiting is really different now, especially for running backs, but this is a gem of a player that needs some more love. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["950967"],"_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-69aa363cce767"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">JaMarion, or "Boogie" as his nickname goes, really came on strong toward the end of the regular season and continued his impressive play all the way through the playoffs, helping lead the Huskies to a state championship in his sophomore season. College football programs have taken notice since the end of the season, with Boogie picking his first offers from Liberty, Charlotte, East Carolina, and Kent State in that order. Being the clear lead back now for the Huskies, expect another big season out of this talented young man. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["733520"],"_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-69aa363cce7c5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">De'Jon was a major piece of the Hawks' success last season, rushing for over 1100 yards and averaging over 8 yards per carry. He also had 19 total touchdowns for the season, 17 of them rushing. Douglas has grown to 200 pounds, and he is decisive with his vision and cuts with the football in his hands. An All-Conference and All-State selection, Douglas is starting to get some recruiting attention with some invites to junior days coming his way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1321034"],"_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-69aa363cce827"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Sincere's real name is Jaciere, but everyone calls him Sincere - just for full clarity. Sincere had some early Division 1 offers from Marshall, Troy, and Syracuse - but things have been relatively quiet since then. I saw him live last season, and he had a great game against Mallard Creek. He was on his way to a big game in the playoffs before he had a minor injury, which slowed him down. But the burst and speed in the open field is special when Sincere has the football in his hands. It will be interesting to see how things shake out this upcoming season, but the talent is undeniable here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1971805548266852748?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1971805548266852748?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1320897"],"_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-69aa363cce879"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Kaleb is probably the best 3-down back listed here, as he is so talented that he can line up at receiver and be a real threat that defenses have to account for. I'm excited to see how he does in his senior year in an offense that can be really explosive with the Panthers. A lot of skill talent returns, and theycould have a lot of space for Kaleb to operate in both the running and passing game. He's got excellent speed and some real game-breaking ability on both offense and special teams as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Honorable Mentions</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1969790' first='Zykerion' last='Pharr']</strong> - Garinger<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1687742' first='Damo'n' last='Broussard']</strong> - Hopewell<br><strong>X'zavier Edmond</strong> - Mallard Creek<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='866355' first='Joshua' last='Person']</strong> - Mallard Creek<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1849424' first='Tahj' last='Brooks']</strong> - Chambers<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1970951' first='Jamarcus' last='Hairston']</strong> - Harding<br><strong>Raivon Pauling</strong> - South Mecklenburg<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2003814' first='Haze' last='Dodson']</strong> - Lake Norman Charter<br><strong>Shawn Blackshear</strong> - West Mecklenburg<br><br>Analysis </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Out of this group, Pharr from Garinger will have another heavy load to carry in the Wildcats offense, but he should be even more productive with a full offseason under his belt. Broussard is a special talent coming over to Hopewell from Carson HS in Rowan County - I'm excited to see him in a system that's very good for running backs. Edmond and Person at Mallard Creek can be a really special duo this upcoming season - they could give a lot of teams problems depending on how they are deployed offensively. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1849424' first='Tahj' last='Brooks'] is lightning in a bottle at Chambers - if he gets in the open field, it's lights out, period. Hairston at Harding quietly rushed for nearly 1,000 yards in a run-heavy attack for the Rams. More balance in the offense will give him more space to operate and possibly break that 1k barrier this upcoming season. Pauling at South Meck got better as the season went along for the playoff-bound Sabres, and should figure to be a major piece to the puzzle offensively with a new QB. Dodson was the only 2029 player on the list, but he's a top player in the state in his class, and he's got some special ability with the football in his hands. Blackshear at West Mecklenburg did the most he could with a very young offense last season. Hopefully, he will get some more support this year to show his game-breaking ability in the open field this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->