Top 10 running backs in the final 2024 On300 rankings

On3 has released its final recruiting ranking for the 2024 class. This final update comes after the end of the high school playoffs and postseason All-American games, where top prospects across the country faced off in a week of practices and ended with nationally televised games.

These are the top 10 running backs in the final 2024 On300 rankings.

1. Jordan Lyle — Miami signee

School: Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas
On300 Ranking: No. 37
On3 NIL Valuation: $121K

Scouting Summary: “Jordan Lyle is a refined, efficient running back with a well-rounded, translatable skill set as a rusher. Measured at around 6-feet, 185 pounds prior to his junior season. Looks to have added some mass since that time. A natural runner. Shows high-level lateral agility, vision and contact balance. Reads his blocks well. Shows quick feet in working through the line. Understands angles and sets up second-level defenders. Tempos his runs.

“Bounces off tackles and is hard for linebackers and defenders to bring down. Has an array of moves to force missed tackles. Shows solid speed in the open field but is not a blazer when it comes to the top end. Worked in a split backfield for South Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas as a junior. Was very efficient in his carries, rushing for 1,015 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 91 carries (11.2 yards per carry). Will need to continue adding mass to his frame. Does not have quite the workload or raw production of most other blue chip backs entering his senior year as a good chunk of his yardage came in a handful of games.”

2. Taylor Tatum — Oklahoma signee

School: Longview (Texas)
On300 Ranking: No. 59
On3 NIL Valuation: $202K

Scouting Summary: “Taylor Tatum is a downhill, one-cut back with burst and three-down ability. Has a good build for the position, checking in at over 5-foot-10 and over 200 pounds prior to his senior season. Registers as a strong athlete in the combine setting with his speed stacking up well among his fellow top backs. Area champion in the 200 meters as a junior, with a personal best of 21.70 seconds. Plays in an offense that is often under center, lining up in a deep backfield. Turned in a productive junior season against good competition in Texas, rushing for 1,840 yards, 33 touchdowns at 8.9 yards per carry. Shows a notable initial burst, exploding to the second level. Excels in running outside concepts. A natural long-strider with a light-footed, bouncy gait.

“Runs through contact at the second level. Lowers his shoulder on contact and keeps his legs moving. Has some subtle moves to sidestep defenders. A good receiver in both camp settings and in limited opportunities on Friday nights. Attacks the ball and makes grabs with his arms extended. Looks natural in running routes out of the backfield. At his best when he can get a runway due to his longer stride. Can improve lateral agility, but made some strides in that area as a junior. Also can continue shoring up his ball security. Younger for the class with a late April birthday.”

3. Nathaniel Frazier — Georgia signee

School: Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
On300 Ranking: No. 65
On3 NIL Valuation: $177K

Scouting Summary: “Nathaniel Frazier is a dynamic every down back with projectable size and home run ability. Measured in at 5-foot-10 and around 210 pounds in the summer prior to his senior season. Has some of the best long speed among top running backs in the 2024 cycle, running a wind-legal 10.77 mark in the 100 meters as a junior. Carries that speed over to the field where he displays arguably the best burst among 2024 running back prospects. Explodes through the hole and consistently defeats defenders’ angles as an outside runner. Has the long speed to pull away once in the open field. Runs with outstanding pace. Makes defenders miss at a high rate, with lateral agility. Side-steps tacklers in confined spaces.

“Runs with high-level contact balance. Stays grounded on contact and spins out of tackles. Dangerous in the screen game and has upside as a pass catcher given his showings on the camp circuit. Transferred to powerhouse Mater Dei as a junior and split carries in a talented backfield. Does not have the workload or production of most other top running back prospects, but is highly efficient. Rushed for 693 yards and eight touchdowns on 61 carries (11.4 yards per carry) as a junior. More of a skill set evaluation than a pure high school football resume builder heading into his senior season.”

4. Peyton Lewis — Tennessee signee

School: Salem (Va.)
On300 Ranking: No. 67
On3 NIL Valuation: $203K

Scouting Summary: “Peyton Lewis is a big-play running back with one of the best combinations of size and speed at the position in the 2024 cycle. Measured at over 6-feet-0 and around 190 pounds prior to his senior season. Has a low-cut build with a longer torso and compact lower body. A top athlete who puts down impressive times on the track. A state champion in the 100 and 200 meters as a junior. Consistently runs sub-11.0 second 100 meter times with a personal best of 10.50 seconds, an elite mark. A productive and efficient runner on Friday nights. Plays in a downhill run scheme, regularly lining up in the I formation, but also takes direct snaps out of the backfield. A functional mover who can toggle gears and change speeds.

“Uses his speed to get to the edge before out-running defenders. Is not losing a footrace at the high school level. Displays solid vision and feet in working between the tackles. Can dip and dart to make defenders miss in confined spaces. Shows leg drive to run through contact at the second level. Uses contact balance to bounce off of defenders. Also makes an impact as a kick and punt returner. Rushed for 1,600 yards and 19 touchdowns at around 10 yards per carry late into his senior year. Also seeing time on defense, showing effort and conditioning. Does not play top competition for much of the year in western Virginia. A solid pass catcher, but can continue improving in the pass game. Has the high-end tools to be one of the top backs in the 2024 cycle given his every down ability and home run speed.”

5. Kedren Young — Notre Dame signee

School: Lufkin (Texas)
On300 Ranking: No. 79
On3 NIL Valuation: $144K

Scouting Summary: “Kedren Young is a big, explosive back with a violent run style. Has a readymade size with a thick build. Measured at 5-foot-11 and north of 225 pounds in the offseason prior to his senior year. Posted an 11.18-second mark in the 100 meters as a sophomore, showing good speed for a prospect of his size. A bully as a between-the-tackles runner. Drags defenders on contact. Bounces off of tackle attempts. Fights to gain yards. Shows very good contact balance and some hip fluidity in making lateral movements at the second level. Pairs that physicality with the long speed to pull away in the open field. Also physical in pass protection. Rushed for 1,666 yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior. Will need to increase his per carry efficiency (7 yards per carry as a junior) to be in line with most top running backs.”

6. Kevin Riley — Alabama signee

School: Northport (Ala.) Tuscaloosa County
On300 Ranking: No. 82
On3 NIL Valuation: $166K

Scouting Summary: “Kevin Riley is a consistent between-the-tackles runner that has excellent balance and body control. Has the footwork to dance in and out of traffic as well as the hip fluidity and reactive quickness in order to make defenders miss in space. Vision is tremendous and possesses the necessary burst and acceleration in order to explode through gaps and contact to reach the second level. Possesses the forward body lean and pad level in order to finish runs and consistently fall forward on contact. Has the second gear in order to pull away from most defenders at the next level but not a consistent home run hitter.

“Will need to add weight throughout his frame in order to be a 3-down back at the college level and beyond but should be able to carry the weight with ease. Comfortable enough pass catcher of the football to function as a receiving option but not someone who has a lot of reps with route running and working at the line of scrimmage. Very high floor prospect who could develop into a 3-down player at the next level after adding the necessary weight in order to become a bell cow for a collegiate offense.”

7. Kewan Lacy — Missouri signee

School: Lancaster (Texas)
On300 Ranking: No. 89
On3 NIL Valuation: $91K

Scouting Summary: “Kewan Lacy is a big-play back with an effortless stride in the open field. Measured in at 5-foot-10.5 and around 195 pounds prior to his senior season. Has room to continue adding mass. Displayed outstanding top-end speed in track and field as a junior, running a personal best of 10.79 seconds in the 100 meters. Carried that speed over to the Friday nights, where he had a breakout senior season, leading his team on a playoff run. Showed the ability to rip off high-level runs. Gets downhill quickly and uses his top-end speed to pull away once at the second level. Leaves defensive backs in dust once in a footrace. Shows a strong leg drive.

“Fights for yardage after contact and shows the ability to run through arm tackles once he has a head of speed. Also a reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield, even splitting out as a wide receiver at times. Saw an expanded number of carries as a senior. Still relatively early in his development and will need to continue improving his vision, pad level and cutting ability to maximize yardage. A home-run hitter who could hit more doubles with further development. Young for the cycle with a July birthday. Won’t turn 18 years old until the summer prior to his freshman season.”

8. Caden Durham — LSU signee

School: Duncanville (Texas)
On300 Ranking: No. 116
On3 NIL Valuation: $146K

Scouting Summary: “Caden Durham is a big-play runner with home-run speed along with a compact build that allows for an every down role. Measured at a shade under 5-foot-9 and around 195 pounds prior to his senior season. Has continued to fill out his compact frame. One of the fastest running backs and overall skill players in the 2024 cycle. Consistently runs the 100 meters in the 10.5-second range with wind-aided times as low as the 10.2’s. Finished 3rd in the state finals as a junior with a 10.53-second mark. Also ran a personal best of 21.54 seconds in the 200 meters. Transfers that speed over the field with ease, where he is one of the more prominent home-run hitters in the cycle.

“Blows past defenders at the second level, winning the foot race on every occasion. Rips off long touchdown runs with regularity. Wastes little time in getting downhill. Works to hit the hole as quickly as possible. Shows the ability to read his blocks and make cutbacks behind the line when necessary. Shows good contact balance, using his lower base to bounce off of contact. A solid receiver out of the backfield who is dangerous on wheel and angle routes. Highly productive as a junior while leading his team to a state title in Texas’ highest classification. Rushed for 1,960 yards and 36 touchdowns on 210 carries (9.3 yards per carry). Can continue working on his run maximization and lateral agility. While he has good mass, may be limited from a growth potential perspective due to his shorter stature. Young for the class with a May birthday.”

9. Jordan Marshall — Michigan signee

School: Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller
On300 Ranking: No. 122
On3 NIL Valuation: $133K

Scouting Summary: “Jordan Marshall is a well-rounded running back with few holes in his game. Has a developed, stout build at over 5-foot-10.5, 200 pounds. Registers as a plus athlete on the track with marked improvement with his speed over the course of his junior year, running multiple sub-11.0 second times in the 100 meters, highlighted by a 10.74-second mark. A decisive runner. Hits creases and gets downhill quickly. Strong on contact. Bounces off defenders and runs through arm tackles at the second level. Shows some moves to make defenders miss in space. Effective at running between the tackles and to the perimeter.

“Showed solid long speed as a junior and should make advances in that area as a senior if his track times are any indication. Very productive and reliable as a junior, rushing for 1,961 yards and 30 touchdowns at 8.0 yards per carry. An effective pass catcher. Productive receiver with 364 yards and four touchdowns as a junior and looks natural catching the football in the camp setting. Has some tightness in his movements and can improve fluidity as he tends to gear down some when changing directions in games. A player who maximizes his talent and may be more developed than some others at this stage for that reason.”

10. James Peoples — Ohio State signee

School: San Antonio Veterans Memorial
On300 Ranking: No. 159
On3 NIL Valuation: $171K

Scouting Summary: “James Peoples is a high-floor back with a well-rounded skill set. Measured in at around 5-foot-10, 195 pounds prior to his senior season. Has a muscled, rocked up build. Has a developed lower body. Shows quick feet and a strong initial burst. Explosive in and out of his cuts. Uses his lateral agility to make quick moves and juke defenders in space. Shows good vision and sets up his blocks. Slips out of tackles. Runs through contact and falls forward. Effectively weaves through traffic in working to the second level. Has the movement skills to be an effective route-runner out of the backfield. Productive on a per game basis over his high school career.

“Missed much of his senior season due to injury, but finished with 894 yards and 10 touchdowns on 92 carries in five games. Does not play top competition on Friday nights. Has some tightness in his hips and can increase his stride length and top-end speed to pull away once in the open field. Skill set lends itself to being a solid between-the-tackles option who can provide every down value with continued development in the passing game.”