Rick Suter
April 15, 2024 7:30 am ET
While the running back’s value has been a hot topic among draft chats and even on the recruiting trail, the position still holds its own at the high school level, where dynamic talents have carried on a tradition of game-changing—or, quite literally, game-carrying—headliners.
And the class of 2025 might be one of the more exciting groups in recent years, with a collective rushing attack filled with north-south behemoths, shifty speedsters, and a combination of both.
Ahead of the 2024 season, we’re looking at the position groups from this year’s senior class and highlighting 10 athletes worth keeping an eye on this fall.
Here is our Running Back Watchlist for the Class of 2025…
10. Gideon Davidson, Liberty Christian Academy (Lynchburg, Va.)
LCA’s @DavidsonGideon was named the 2023 MaxPreps Junior of the Year.
The 2025 Clemson commit rushed for 2,795 yards and had 46 total touchdowns for the Class 3 state champs. pic.twitter.com/BA2ojvnVN9
— Zack Poff (@Zack_Poff_MP) December 29, 2023
See AlsoHigh School Football America Top 100 National Rankings | NFL Play FootballESPN High Elite 25 High Football RankingsSan Gabriel Valley top 30 high school football rankings: Bishop Amat, La Serna still top twoSan Gabriel Valley Top 30 football rankings: Bishop Amat, La Serna, Pasadena on topDavidson kicks off the list and sets a familial trend: he’s turned just as many heads on the track as on the football field.
The 6-foot talent has shown off his speed, holding a 10.69 100m time as a freshman on the track, and that type of athleticism has shined equally during football season, where he’s put up unreal numbers. During his 2023 campaign—which ended in a state title—Davidson ran for an eye-popping 2,752 yards with 43 touchdowns.
How the Clemson commit follows that up in 2024 will indeed be a must-watch mission.
9. Deondrae Riden, DeSoto (Texas)
1000%% commited Happy early bday my guy @CoachTroop_ #GigEm #2THE5TATION #ElkoEra @AggieFootball @CoachMikeElko @TonyJerodEddie pic.twitter.com/6d1vJxYslW
— 𝐃𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐞 “ 𝐓𝐢𝐠𝐞r” 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧 (@riden_jr) February 20, 2024
DeSoto made a fair share of noise in 2023, capping off the undefeated season with the No. 4 spot in the final Super 25 rankings. And Riden was undoubtedly part of the offensive attack.
He slowed a bit from his Super Sophom*ore year but still rushed for more than 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns. Keep an eye on the Texas A&M recruit in 2024, though, as he’ll be a significant factor in the Eagles repeating the same success as last season.
8. Isaiah West, St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, PA)
(USA TODAY Network)
Another top-tied back who’ll be leading the backfield of a Super 25 contender this season. While a large portion of the Hawks’ offense was aimed at Cincinnati-bound QB Samaj Jones in 2023, the No. 7 team in the land also enjoyed a solid amount of output from West, whose 5-foot-11, 208-pound frame provides the type of shifty cuts and power that crate nights for the defense.
Look for the Kentucky commit to continue the trend in 2024.
7. Byron Louis, American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
4⭐️RB Byron Louis #HeritageBoyz pic.twitter.com/2VINOcCBFi
— Chalupa Batman (@CoreyCarmona) April 12, 2024
Louis has moved up the boards in a highly competitive Florida landscape filled with top-level backs. As a junior, he racked up 1,224 yards on 160 carries, adding 18 touchdowns for a team that was in the Super 25 all season.
Louis has versatility, too, posing a threat as a pass catcher out of the backfield.
Put simply, it’s easy to see why schools like Miami (Fla.), Ohio State, and Alamabae have him on their radar.
6. Alvin Henderson, Elba (Ala.)
(USA TODAY Network)
The state of Alabama has produced plenty of great running backs, and Henderson is well on the way to highlighting that distinction—and that’s putting it rather mildly.
His stat line with Elba in 2023 looks fake: 225 carriers for 3,523 yards and an Alabama High School single-season record of 61 touchdowns. (Sixty-one!)
Can he repeat that dynamic attack in 2024? Even a marginal dropoff would be considered a career for most. Regardless, Henderson will be someone to watch as the Tigers look to build on their state semifinal run last season.
5. Jordon Davison, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
(Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Davison’s ability has been spotlighted for several seasons. He plays in the highly competitive CIF Southern Section, which includes Trinity League foe and Super 25 contender St. Joh Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), while also taking on national powers throughout the country.
He’ll play a significant part in the 2024 ground game as the Monarchs look toward grabbing Super 25 supremacy as USA TODAY High School Sports’ all-time leading champion.
4. Dierre Hill, Althoff Catholic (Belleville, Ill.)
#Rivals100 RB DIERRE HILL is QUICK
Louisville, Kentucky and Missouri are in the mix@adamgorney | @RivalsFriedman | @gregsmithrivals | @rivalscorey pic.twitter.com/ykbDULQlXX
— Rivals (@Rivals) January 5, 2024
The Gatorade Football Player of the Year in Illinois rushed for nearly 14 yards a carry in 2023, raking up 1,788 yards and 23 touchdowns. Another back with good size and versatility, look for Hill to make a lot of noise in 2024 — on the field and in the recruiting process.
3. Akylin Dear, Quitman (Miss.)
5 ⭐️ 2025 RB Akylin Dear has committed to Ole Miss‼️
The No. 1 RB in America chose the Rebs over Ohio State, Auburn, and Alabama
The BEST in the SIP come to Ole Miss#StayInTheSip 🏠 pic.twitter.com/zEPIvxUK55
— WA🅾️Ⓜ️ (@WAOM_) March 30, 2024
Dear is arguably the best running back of this group, a claim that reputable scouting sites such as247Sports agree with. He could very easily be a Player of the Year nominee in 2024.
What makes him so special? There isn’t a particular framework that the Mississippi talent fits into. He possesses speed and power with an uncanny shiftiness that can disrupt all levels of a defense, which should only progress his senior year, though topping 2,000 yards as he did in 2023 is a tough follow-up act.
2. Lamar 'Bo' Jackson, Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland, Ohio)
(USA TODAY Network)
The name you know — right?
Jackson made headlines for the name recognition but also as a top-tier back in the class of 2025. He’s had looks from Ohio State, Oregon, Florida, and Alabama, a recruiting race that should escalate as the season kicks off in the Fall.
1. Harlem Berry, St Martin's Episcopal School (Metairie, La.)
No. 1 running back in the country for 2025 (according to On3), Harlem Berry (@HarlemBerry25), racked up two rushing TD's against Newman in jamboree action. pic.twitter.com/wlcBFHL3KP
— Garland Gillen (@garlandgillen) August 26, 2023
The LSU commit has the cliche skill set you can’t teach: top-tier speed.
Berry is a track star, having won the Louisiana 1A 100-meter state championship last year while also turning heads in the 220m as well. Put that on the field, add a dash of power and vision, and it translates to multiple 2000-plus yard performances that began in 2021 as a freshman.
Overall, he’s the most exciting back in the class—one to watch this fall.
