Collegiate offensive coordinators looking for a game changer in the 2023 class out of the backfield can flock to Florida to find him. Of the top 10 in the Rivals’ running back position rankings, four hail from Florida with a fifth from neighboring Georgia.
Here are some of the best RBs in the Sunshine State.
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Playing for Miami’s Columbus High School, Sedrick Irvin is that all-purpose back that can break defenses with the run and the pass. Look for the Notre Dame commit to have a big senior season with the Explorers after lacing up the cleats with the Raiders in 2021.
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Kendrick Raphael was part of a two-headed attack for Naples High School last fall leading the Golden Eagles in yards (1,374) off 126 totes with 13 rushing scores. With 1,100-yard rusher Stanley Bryant graduating, Raphael will have a bigger stage to impress college coaches.
The new year has seen Raphael’s recruitment skyrocket to 16 offers with Iowa, Duke, West Virginia, Louisville and Purdue getting into the mix.
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Another impressive back out of the Naples area is three-star Jaden Booker. Booker pounded the rock, rushing for 1,726 yards off 2023 carries with 11 scores for Palmetto Ridge last fall. The offer sheet for Booker includes Michigan, Penn State, Pitt, Nebraska and Georgia Tech.
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Teams looking for a bruising back are targeting American Heritage four-star Mark Fletcher. On a team loaded with fantastic 2023 skill players like receivers Brandon Inniss, Isaiah Nesmith (Rutgers) and Santa Fleming, Fletcher’s skills out of the backfield stand out.
Offers from all over the country have come Fletcher’s way with recent visits taken to Miami, USC and Michigan.
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Sam Singleton is the scatback that can make defenses pay in a heartbeat. Taking the rock for Fleming Island, the four-star led the Golden Eagles in carries (148), yards (948), and touchdowns (nine). Singleton has talent in the trenches heading into his senior campaign, so expect an explosive season on the stat sheet.
At 25 offers, Florida State got him on campus over the weekend.
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Getting to the top of the position rankings, Cedric Baxter is as talented as anyone in the country. Showcasing that rare mix of size, speed and power, Baxter outgained his team’s passing attack, 1,651 yards to 1,431, and outscored it 22-20, even contributing a receiving score.
Per the offer sheet, Baxter is in rarified air with 46 opportunities presented to him. Recent trips have been made to USC and Texas A&M.
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In just 10 games during the 2021 season, Richard Young hit 1,755 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns. A between-the-tackles runner with breakaway speed, Young is an elite talent. Another prospect that can write his ticket anywhere in the country, teams have handed over 51 offers. March visits have been taken to Oklahoma, Florida and Georgia.
