The main offensive weapons for the Jaguars throughout the season, Javaris Morgan Javaris Morgan 5'10" | 180 lbs | RB Ankeny Centennial | 2026 State IA carried that reputation and much of the offensive load on Friday night. A back with burs and strength to break through the first two levels of the defense and create explosive plays, Morgan was one of the more talented and productive backs in all of 5A this season.

Showing it on several plays despite Centennial’s first-half offensive struggles, Morgan was able to get some things going, putting together a carry of 50+ yards and punching it into the endzone for the first score of the night for the Jaguars. Morgan finished his career at Centennial with 17 carries for 174 yards and two scores.

Injury cost Morgan most of his junior season and hurt him on the recruiting trail. College coaches would be wise to check in on the Centennial senior, who had rushed for 771 yards (11.0 per carry) and 12 touchdowns in his team’s first six games. He’d added 11 receptions and a score. You can watch film from his first three contests HERE, and the second trio can be seen HERE. The Jaguars do well in finding ways to get Morgan the ball from different locations in the formation. His ability to make guys miss in space lends itself to that practice. Morgan is a fluid runner with patience and vision. He flows with the blocking scheme and bursts through creases. Power allows for bouncing off arm tackles and he gets downhill quickly with an extra gear, to boot. Schools looking for a natural running back with upside should already be calling.

Leading the state in yards per carry at 12.9 per touch, Javaris Morgan Javaris Morgan 5'10" | 180 lbs | RB Ankeny Centennial | 2026 State IA couldn’t be left off the list with that type of production. The Ankeny Centennial offense doesn’t rely on his production as heavily as some of the other backs on this list, but when Morgan gets his name called, he makes the most of it. On 40 carries, Morgan has taken the ball for 517 yards and ten touchdowns, scoring on a ridiculous 25% of the carries he’s taken so far this season.

Morgan is a natural with the ball in his hands, showing patience to let his line create a hole for him, vision to know where to attack opposing defenses, lateral quickness to shake defenders out of their boots and breakaway speed to make them pay for missing tackles.

Morgan is coming back from an injury that ended his junior season after just 41 carries. It was a tough blow during an important time for his recruitment. Colleges would be wise to recognize how he’s bounced back now that he’s healthy. Through the first three games of 2025, Morgan had rushed for 440 yards (16.3 YPC) with eight touchdowns. He added five receptions for 33 yards and a score. While Morgan stands out for his ability to break a long run at any time, he’s also a well-rounded back with excellent natural talents at the position. He can stick his foot in the ground and juke defenders and his vision helps him to daylight.

Morgan was limited to three games as a junior in 2024, which kept him from posting big numbers and cost him on the recruiting. Expect him to be very motivated to make up for lost time and build on what was a productive junior season when he was on the field. Morgan rushed for 318 yards (7.8 YPC) and a touchdown. He also caught nine passes for 57 yards. With the Jaguars leading rusher from 2024 off to Iowa, Morgan appears poised to take over as RB1. He looks up to the task on his 11th-grade highlight video. Morgan combines speed and power to give defenses fits. He gets to the outside quickly and can ding defenses between the tackles, too. Morgan cranks it up in space and is a home-run hitter. He’s a great bet to break out this season.

Centennial leaned heavily on a senior running back in 2024, paving the way for Morgan to fill that role this season. He made the most of his opportunities during the three games in which he appeared as a junior. Morgan rushed for 318 yards (7.8 YPC) and a touchdown. He also caught nine passes for 57 yards. During his 11th-grade highlight video, Morgan flashes a lot of upside. There’s a mix of speed and power in his game. He reaches the edge quickly and can ding defenses between the tackles, too. Morgan has another gear in the open field, making him capable of going the distance. If healthy, he’ll be one of the top backs in the state and should remind colleges of that.