Wealth of 2020 Uncommitted Running Backs Left to Bolster Collegiate Rosters
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
With the early signing period wrapping on Friday, Dec. 20, teams that did not land the desired prospects needed to take their 2020 recruiting class to the next level now have until Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, to get the job done. One of the key positions in every recruiting class is at running back, and luckily for top collegiate football programs across the country there are plenty of difference makers left to sway leading up to the pen going to paper on National Letters of Intent. Many of these announcements are on the horizon coming on the nationally televised All-American games.
2020 Running Back Recruiting Overview
The teams that have landed Top 10 rated running backs are the bluebloods we all hear about year after year. Texas has the No. 2 rated tailback in Arizona’s Bijan Robinson with Clemson getting No. 3 Demarkcus Bowman, Notre Dame at No. 4 with Chris Tyree, and Auburn rounding out the Top 5 with Tank Bigsby. Miami landed the prized backyard recruit needed in four-star Don Chaney Jr. at No. 6 with the rest of the Top 10 loaded with future SEC stars; Kendall Milton (Georgia), MarShawn Lloyd (South Carolina), and Jase McClellan (Alabama). Alabama at No. 11 and Miami at No. 12, went a step further grabbing standout talent landing Roydell Williams and Jaylan Knighton respectfully; the Crimson Tide also took three-star Louisiana back Kyle Edwards, ranked No. 36 overall.
Michigan, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Stanford, Georgia Tech, and Florida State each landed a Top 20 tailback. This leaves a lot of room for teams like Ohio State, LSU, Florida, Oregon, and USC to make moves on the top uncommitted talent out of the backfield in the 2020 class before National Signing Day.
Top 2020 Uncommitted Running Backs
5-Star Zachary Evans – North Shore – Houston, TX
No other top running back prospect closed out his high school career the way Zachary Evans did with North Shore. Evans continued his romp through 6A Texas teams leading his Mustangs squad to a state championship and a No. 4 national ranking (MaxPreps). The 5-11, 200-pound, dynamic back did what he always does in 2019, mix speed and power into a dynamic season. He closed out his three-year run with the Mustangs covering 4,867 yards with 76 scores on the ground. His senior season was a 127-carry, 1,600-yard, 20-touchdown event.
The race is on for Evans. With 44 offers, other than perhaps Alabama, every team in the nation wants Evans. The options may come down to Texas A&M and LSU. Does four-star all-purpose back Devon Achane’s signing with the Aggies push Evans to LSU?
4-Star Daniyel Ngata – Folsom – Folsom, CA – Committed to Arizona State
Daniyel Ngata is that all-purpose back that is quick-on-quick needing the right fit at the next level to showcase his explosive nature on the field. At 5-9, 180, his career with Folsom High School has been about exploiting those opportunities for him on the field without overloading him with too many carries. He broke out as a sophomore rushing 95 times for 863 yards and 11 scores and replicated that in 2018 with 89 totes for 874 yards with 10 touchdowns. He took the rock for 697 yards on 106 carries with 12 touchdowns as a senior. He has hauled in 27 or more passes in each of the past three seasons with a career-best in 2018, 36 receptions for 666 yards with 10 touchdowns.
Ngata has 24 offers listed with officials to Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, and Arizona State. This seems like a big recruiting win for the Sun Devils.
4-Star Jalen Berger – Don Bosco Prep – Ramsey, NJ – Committed to Wisconsin
From the 2016 season on, Jalen Berger has been a force on the New Jersey gridiron. Berger closed out his senior season with 897 rush yards off 118 carries with 14 rushing scores and added 25 receptions for 321 yards with three more touchdowns helping his Ironmen squad to a 7-5 run against North Jersey competition.
The recruiting process for Berger is still ongoing. He has 30 offers listed pulling UCLA in early November making a visit to Westwood on Dec. 13. Penn State has been a strong presence in his recruitment as well as Wisconsin. Some of the other possibilities among the many includes LSU, Baylor, Rutgers, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, and Michigan State. The Nittany Lions seem an unlikely landing spot with Florida four-stars Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee already signed.
4-Star Kevontre Bradford – Lancaster – Lancaster, TX
Kevontre “Tre” Bradford is peaking at the right time coming out of the high school ranks. He got his feet wet with Lancaster High School as a sophomore and then exploded onto the scene in 2018 with 1,164 yards off 111 rushes with 14 scores. He carried the Tigers to an 11-3 season in 2019 with 1,563 yards on 169 totes with 23 scores. The ability to showcase his all-purpose talent expanded during his senior season as well going from six receptions for 29 yards to 12 for 242 with three more big scores going up on the board.
The 5-11, 193-pound, back has 26 offers on the table. Baylor, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, and LSU will make room for him. Official visits have been taken to Ohio State and Wisconsin.
4-Star Henry Parrish – Columbus – Miami, FL
The last two seasons for Henry Parrish on the field have been a blur. Parrish ended his high school career with Columbus rushing for 4,653 yards. His junior season was fantastic carrying the rock 181 times for 1,878 yards and then he showed another level working off 263 totes for 2,319 yards with 28 trips into the end zone. The 5-10, 190-pound, back is also a threat out of the backfield on third downs securing 18 passes for 189 yards with three scores in 2019.
Befitting a four-star of his caliber, Parrish has 25 reported offers spanning the east coast. College teams needing a play-maker were thrilled to see him decommit from Pitt on Dec. 11. The move of Lane Kiffin from FAU to Ole Miss may have caught Parrish’s attention.
4-Star Daijun Edwards – Colquitt County – Moultrie, GA
Daijun Edwards was truly the man for Colquitt County during his senior season. If quarterback Jaycee Harden was not slinging it, Edwards was running it. The 5-10, 200-pound, back accounted for 1,008 yards of the Packers’ 1,321 total yards on the ground. He also ran in 11 of the team’s 14 rushing scores. To give Edwards a break from the pounding in the trenches, they got him out in space pulling in 27 passes for 408 yards with two more trips into the end zone.
Edwards has a reported offer list of 10 schools, but one has to believe he has more than that. Some of the teams wanting him includes Florida State, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi State, and Penn State.
4-Star Darvon Hubbard – Willow Canyon – Surprise, AZ
Being the go-to guy on a 3-7 team is never easy, but Darvon Hubbard made the most of it during his senior season. In stats posted through eight games, he carried the ball 99 times for 684 yards and eight scores, all team-highs. If the posted stats are accurate, the team threw for 1,382 yards and ran for 1,173; Hubbard carried a heavy load.
The 6-0, 195-pound, four-star was a one-time Ohio State commit backing off in February. He has listed official visits to Purdue, San Diego State, and Utah. He has 20 offers with other teams like Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, Georgia, Iowa State, Kentucky, and Michigan seeking his talents.
4-Star Lamy Constant – Canarsie – Brooklyn, NY
After receiving an offer from West Virginia on Jan. 17, with a commitment to the Mountaineers on Nov. 12, on Dec. 8 Lamy Constant went back on the proverbial market. At 6-0, 186-pounds, Constant is an insider runner with speed to break things to the outside once at the second level. His quickness in space, cuts, and field vision sets him apart from other backs.
His offer sheet is 20-plus with teams across the nation after him at one time, including Baylor, Florida, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, South Carolina, and Texas A&M.
3-Star Mecose Todd – Carrollton – Carrollton, GA
As Carrollton High School rolled to a 12-1 season in 2019 against 5A Georgia competition, they had two lead backs to carry the load and Mecose Todd was one of them. Todd took the ball 90 times for 781 yards with a team-high 14 rushing touchdowns. He also chipped in a 48-yard touchdown reception. He started jumping on boards in 2018 after a 93-carry, 927-yard, 11-TD season.
The 5-11, 206-pound, three-star recruit has 15 reported offers highlighted by SEC schools like Florida, Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, and in-state power Georgia.
3-Star Eric Wilson – Armwood – Seffner, FL
If a back is getting it done against Florida 7A competition, that maybe all that one needs to know about said player – and that was Erick Wilson with Seffner. Wilson had a big junior season with the Hawks rushing 158 times for 1,223 yards with 13 scores and showed his all-purpose nature with 11 receptions for 120 yards with another trip into the end zone. The Hawks were once again one of the top teams in Florida in 2019 posting a 12-2 record with the 5-10, 195-pound, back getting the tough yards running 132 times for 879 yards with 12 more career touchdowns. He continued to make plays in the passing attack with eight receptions for 115 yards and one more score going up on the board.
An announced commitment date of Dec. 18 came and went, but on the 15th a Top 3 of Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Florida International were posted. Wilson has reported offers from Missouri, Purdue, Utah, Cincinnati, and Pitt.
3-Star Jyden King – Calabasas – Calabasas, CA
Calabasas three-star running back Jyden King (6-1, 215) is another big back with speed who can also catch the ball out of the backfield. His junior season was limited on the field due to California transfer rules, but when he was given the green light, he turned it on. During his senior season he was the featured back on a team loaded with four-star skill players in receivers Jermaine Burton (UGA), Johnny Wilson (ASU), and three-star quarterback Jaden Casey (Cal).
On March 30, 2019, King verbally committed to Washington State but decommitted on Dec. 15. His listed offers include Arizona, Arizona State, Fresno State, and Utah.
3-Star Ikaika Ragsdale – Bishop Gorman – Las Vegas, NV
Ikaika Ragsdale is the ideal sized back listed at 6-0, 213 pounds, and is that mix of speed and power. Running for national powerhouse Bishop Gorman, the Gaels were loaded in the backfield in 2019 with four different tailbacks getting carries and dual-threat Micah Bowens (Penn State) rushing 87 times for 589 yards and 13 scores. Ragsdale neared the 1,000-yard mark in 2018 behind Amod Cianelli rushing for 927 yards on 100 totes with 15 scores. His workload was nearly the same in 2019 carrying the ball 96 times for 756 yards tied for the team-high 13 touchdowns.
Ragsdale has eight reported offers coming from BYU, Air Force, Arizona, Fresno State, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oregon, and Southern Miss.