First Glimpse of 2024 Ohio RBs

The 2024 class in Ohio is shaping up to be a really good one. All of these guys have a ton of potential and hopefully, over the next few years, they can develop into great college prospects. Ethan Hudnall - Miami Valley Christian - RB - 5’10" 170 lbs Right now, Hudnall is a dynamic athlete who is still learning all of the details it takes to be great at the varsity level.  While he does have great speed, burst, and acceleration, sometimes he will hesitate which causes him to be run down. Hudnall’s best natural trait is his vision on the field. He’s able to see every hole and hit it or cut back to hit it. He doesn’t lose much speed or momentum when he’s cutting either which is very important. When a hole isn’t there, he will come balanced, keep his feet moving, and wait until he can find some sort of gap. He’s able to get small and squeeze through just about any gap so he’s able to turn some of those dead-end runs into larger chunk plays. I will say, he looks smaller than the 5’10" but not by a lot. He also isn’t going to break very many tackles but he’s great at making the defender miss altogether. There is very little tape of him catching the ball but he’s shown he’s at least capable of it. Hudnall has the natural instincts and abilities that some guys lack which is a great sign for his future development. I think if Hudnall is able to bulk up some and prove he can be a big threat out of the backfield, by the time he graduates he will be a great all-around back. Jordan Marshall - Archbishop Moeller - RB - 5’11" 185 lbs Marshall is a game-changing dynamic athlete. The entire offensive plan is to get the ball in his hands because really good things are going to happen. Marshall is deceptively fast on the field. The defenders always seem to underestimate his speed and take really poor angles, and before they realize it Marshall is 20-yards down the field. Marshall is more of a 1-cut runner. He likes to take 1-cut and get North and South and hit the gas. Because of that, he doesn’t make very many defenders miss. He is either going through the defender or blowing right by him. He loves to initiate contact and lower his head and make a statement. He’s typically able to maintain his balance and pick up more yards after the first hit. Marshall is also a fairly decent pass catcher. He isn’t a polished receiving back but he’s more than capable of making the defense stress. Where he might be the most dangerous is in the screen game. He’s patient enough to let the defensive line rush upfield and then he hits the gas. Once he’s in the open field and has a full head of steam it’s probably best to get your Special Teams unit ready. By the time he graduates, Marshall will be able to pick just about any school in the state as long as he continues to work and get better. Cade Wolford - Jackson - RB - 5’10" 182 lbs Cade is labeled as Jackson’s starting RB but he does quite a bit more than that. He is more like Jackson’s gadget weapon that they use all the time to stretch the defense. He will line up at RB, WR, and even an on-the-ball TE every now and then in situational spots. Wherever they put Wolford, defenses have to pay attention. He isn’t always going to jet across in motion and get the ball on a designed toss sweep. He will line up at WR and run a full route tree as well. He’s a decent slot WR and is always able to get open. He doesn’t run the cleanest routes but he’s very agile and is great in very small spaces. As a runner, he doesn’t hesitate and hits his gap full speed. He likes to get North and South immediately and then he likes to try to bounce it to the outside in the second level. He has the speed to win most of those races to the edge and get the corner. Wolford is Jackson’s best weapon and good things happen when he’s around the ball. By the time he graduates, Wolford will probably have offers as both an RB and WR. [player_tooltip player_id="227010" first="Andrew" last="Bruce"] - Chardon - RB - 5’11" 165 lbs Bruce’s primary position is corner but at RB, Bruce is a game-changing player and he should get the ball more. Anytime he touches the ball, he’s a legitimate threat to score and defenses have to respect his speed. The problem is, just like Marshall, the defense always underestimates his speed. He is going to get the corner and blow past your defenders almost every time. The defenses try setting an edge and Bruce will go right into the A and B gaps and start gashing them. On the year, Bruce averaged 13.3 yards per touch. He was statistically picking up a first down every time he touched the ball while coming out of the backfield. Chardon doesn’t really use Bruce in the passing game either, it’s all on the ground where he is doing the damage. If Bruce wanted to, he could very likely develop into a great 3-down featured back. He has the raw athleticism, natural instincts, and is just about as tough as they come. He’s willing to stick his nose in the trenches to pick up a blitz and he has the strength to pick up the defender without getting bulldozed. As good as he is on offense, he’s just as good at CB. His future at either spot is as bright as he wants it to be and I look forward to seeing which direction he takes.