Storm Johnson

As we continue to examine the top up-and-coming college football teams to look out for this fall in our “College Football Countdown Team Spotlight” series, the crew at NextGenSports.net will bring you information on the top freshmen to look out for not only this year, but throughout their college careers.

The series will be broken down into positions, and for our second edition, Edgar Walker will discuss the top 10 running backs in the incoming class. Remember that these are the 10 players who will make the most impact over their college careers, not necessarily a ranking of how good they are. Multiple RBs are unfortunate enough to be behind other top recruits or already-established backs on their team’s depth charts.

#10: Malcolm Jones, UCLA – Jones is this low on the list for one reason, and this is Jordon James (see below in Best of the Rest). Jones, a 6-foot-1, 217 pound back from California is ranked in the top 5 of many recruiting services’ rankings, but he’ll have to share time during his four years as a Bruin. He was the Gatorade Player of the Year last season and arrives in Westwood being one of California’s most prolific high school rushers of all-time. Look for him and James to be an incredible duo for four years at UCLA.

#9: Anthony Wilkerson, Stanford - Anthony Wilkerson has a tough job on his hands. He gets to follow in the footsteps of stud running back Toby Gerhart, now a Minnesota Vikings rookie. Wilkerson is not ranked in the top 10 on many recruiting websites, but he’s a sure bet to be an impact player in Palo Alto for four years. An even 6 feet, Wilkerson runs a forty in 4.47 seconds, and has great strength going downhill to compliment his speed. His freshman year may be a big one, with defenses focusing on the passing skills of Andrew Luck instead of Stanford’s running game. Wilkerson will team up with QB Brett Nottingham after Luck leaves. Remember that Nottingham was ranked #5 in our rankings of the incoming QB class. With those two guys, Jim Harbaugh is undoubtedly drooling about his offenses’ potential over the next four years.

#8: Braylon Heard, Nebraska - Braylon Heard will be Nebraska’s pride and joy for the next four (maybe five) years. As they make their move into the Big Ten, you might think they’d recruit running backs who have that classic Big Ten power game, the guys who can run downhill all game and wear out a defense, right? Yeah…they didn’t. Braylon Heard is fast, elusive, turns the corner on defenses and with a 5-foot-10, 180 pound frame, he’s no bruiser. Don’t be surprised if Heard has success, and then the style of Big Ten running backs being recruited changes because of him. A good indicator of his running style, Heard was also recruited heavily by West Virginia.

#7: Spencer Ware, LSU – After losing their top two rushers from last season (both were seniors), Ware has an opportunity to step in immediately and be a big contributor for the Tigers. A team looking to rebound from a disappointing season by their standards, LSU will welcome Ware and his versatility to Baton Rouge with open arms. Ware was a guy who played out of the shotgun QB position during high school, and had the option of running or throwing on pretty much every play. With exceptional cutback ability and some great open-field moves, this role was perfect for Ware, who is a well-built 5′11″ and 225 pounds. He’s a bit raw, but should fit in well in the college game running the ball.

#6 Brennan Clay, Oklahoma - Clay is an all-around weapon. He’s got great vision with the ball and knows how to hit a hole well, his pass-catching skills out of the backfield are as good as anyone’s in the 2010 class, and he has incredible acceleration. Similar to Brian Westbrook, Clay doesn’t mind getting bumped around and can win most one-on-one battles against defenders. He’ll be able to step in and help the Sooners become a national threat once again, without Sam Bradford.

#5 Storm Johnson, Miami (FL) - Storms come often in Miami, but this one’s a bit different. Johnson is 6′1″, 215 lbs. and can do everything. He and fellow freshman Eduardo Clements may both redshirt this season because of the seniors in front of them, but as a duo, they will be pretty close to unstoppable. Johnson is on this list because he’ll command the bulk of the touches. He’s got awesome breakaway speed (4.5 second forty) and is best between the tackles. He’s extremely hard to bring down once he gets his legs moving, and because of that, his yards after contact numbers are astronomical. The 35 scholarship offers he received coming out of high school are a testament to his ability and what he’ll bring to the Hurricanes.

#4 Silas Redd, Penn State - Redd is 5-foot-10, and he uses all of that height to gain every extra yard he can. With tenacity equal to his talent, Redd is the type of bruiser that Joe Paterno loves in Happy Valley. Another downhill runner, Redd’s got all of the tools to be a 1,000 yard rusher immediately. He faced fairly weak competition in Connecticut during high school, but his ability to make something out of nothing makes him a stud who is sure to be a big contributor for the Nittany Lions.

#3 Mack Brown, Florida - No, not the Mack Brown that coaches Texas, that wouldn’t work out well. This Mack Brown is much faster, much stronger and much, much more explosive. A guy who can burst by most defenders with his quickness, Brown is strong for a 5′10″ running back. He can run downhill with the best of them, but he’s at his best when he can turn the corner and get into the open field. With the explosiveness and quickness, Brown can bust open any run for a big play. Expect big things out of him as Florida looks for new weapons to replace Tim Tebow.

#2. Michael Dyer, Auburn -It’s been a toss up for the last year or so between Dyer and Marcus Lattimore for #1 running back in the class. In these rankings, Dyer finishes a close second. Replacing Ben Tate, Dyer should be able to seize the starting spot for the Tigers as a freshman, and won’t look back from there. He’s the textbook downhill runner, only 5′9″ with a low center of gravity and a great ability to bounce off would-be tacklers. Even in the tough SEC, he should be a stud. Think of him as a bit like a Ray Rice type back, except stronger.

Marcus Lattimore

#1. Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina - The Gamecocks’ biggest recruit this season, Lattimore has a very complete running game. He’s patient enough to wait for the right hole, and without a hole he can use his quickness to pick up some valuable yards. At 6 feet even and 214 pounds, he’s got NFL size and has the talent to go along with it. He’s twice been named the South Carolina Player of the Year (‘08 and ‘09), and routinely put up 50 receptions a season from the running back position. With only rising sophomore Kenny Miles having established himself as a legitimate runner on the South Carolina roster, Lattimore should easily play his way into a starting role and become one of the best running backs in the SEC and the country over the next four years.

Best of the Rest:
- D.J. Morgan, USC
- James, UCLA
- Dillon Baxter, USC
- Lache Seastrunk, Oregon
- Ken Malcome, Georgia
- Eduardo Clements, Miami (FL)

-Edgar Walker