2022 Austin Area Rankings: Running Backs

The Class of 2022 had excellent talent in the running back position. So much so, that the Austin area features a tie in first place for the area’s rankings. Both Dripping Springs’ [player_tooltip player_id="131360" first="Preston" last="Alford"] and Anderson’s [player_tooltip player_id="224642" first="Colin" last="Page"] were in the limelight for their senior season. Overall, these five running backs were impressive and deserve the attention they receive. Stats are provided by MaxPreps. T1. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="131360" first="Preston" last="Alford"] - Dripping Springs High School (Dripping Springs, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 1,245 rushing yards, 28 rushing touchdowns Alford is arguably the best running back to come out of the 2022 class in the Austin area. He has speed, ball-carrying vision, agility, and power. His tape is beyond impressive. He can essentially outmaneuver any defender and has to have multiple defenders to tackle him. His sights are always downfield and he does not overcomplicate a play, and just shoots straight down. Alford is exciting to watch for sure. He should have a lot more offers than he already has. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/12025812/6147ec01176c1a06d0b7e718" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> T1. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="224642" first="Colin" last="Page"] - Anderson High School (Austin, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 1,702 rushing yards, 22 rushing touchdowns, 920 receiving yards, 6 receiving touchdowns Page is another impressive running back with elite numbers. On top of his work on the ground, he has also been a difference-maker in the passing game. He has the same qualities any elite running back would have, including the strength to stiff-arm a defender. Both he and Alford are beyond impressive and both deserve the No. 1 spot in the Austin area. Page’s senior year was incredible and he was the major highlight on the Anderson team. He, too, is worthy of a big number of offers. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11332743/6134dd71a022f80a6820129c" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <span style="font-size: 1rem;">3. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60794" first="Derrick" last="Johnson"] - Lake Travis High School (Austin, TX)</strong></span> 2021 Season: 1,455 rushing yards, 19 rushing touchdowns, 323 receiving yards, 4 receiving touchdowns Although Page and Alford have a slight edge, Johnson is not that far behind. His tape is equally as impressive. He is strong, has size, and has incredible speed. Out of the three, there is a strong argument that Johnson is the fastest. Much like the other two backs, Johnson is not afraid to run straight down the throat of the defense. He has incredible vision and enough agility to simply squeeze through as nothing happened. In most of his highlights, he is barely even touched. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11042389/617610e6160081065ccf422d" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <span style="font-size: 1rem;">4. <strong>Trayvian McCoy-Gay - Round Rock High School (Round Rock, TX)</strong></span> 2021 Season: 1,399 rushing yards, 17 rushing touchdowns McCoy-Gay is yet another impressive back. Although his stats are not astronomical, his highlights are. He, too, has the speed of an elite back along with the agility and the ability to allow his blocks to go through to clear him a lane. He is also tough to bring down and usually gives the defense the runaround. Once he is downfield, he is near impossible to catch. McCoy-Gay is an incredible back to watch. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11533387/61b657a55ef6e90b34b1f84e" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <span style="font-size: 1rem;">5. <strong>William Sheppard - Vandegrift High School (Austin, TX)</strong></span> 2021 Season: 1,284 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns Sheppard has the size and speed advantage, for sure. He is also very agile, able to squeeze past the defensive line and linebackers to get downfield into the secondary. He has great strength and can push down just about any defender in his way. He is incredibly slippery and his tape shows him breaking tackles often. Although the Vandegrift passing game stole the show last season, the unspoken hero for the Vipers is Sheppard who played incredibly in his final season. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/8230132/61e9a04934486909b099a582" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>