With Jalen Hurd out of action due to injury, the race is wide open to become this season's national rushing king.
Queen Creek's Matt Guida has a legitimate shot at leading the nation in rushing this season, as he plays for one of Arizona's best teams.
File photo by Duane Matsen
The odds-on favorite to lead the nation in rushing in 2013 was
Jalen Hurd of
Beech (Hendersonville, Tenn.). As a junior, Hurd had 3,357 yards rushing despite missing several games with an injury.
An injury has ended Hurd's senior season barely before it began, though. During a season-opening win over Station Camp,
Hurd injured his shoulder and it required surgery to repair the damage, ending his season.
The loss of Hurd also meant that the national rushing yardage title is up for grabs. Here are 10 candidates who could be in the running for the rushing crown.
Ben Tobin, Fairfield Christian Academy (Lancaster, Ohio)
Last year: 2,942 yards
Tobin is the leading returning rusher in the nation now that Hurd is out for the season. Three times he surpassed 400 yards rushing in a game with a high of 426 in a 67-14 win over Ridgemont. His 343 carries last season were the second highest total among returning running backs.
Why he will lead the nation in rushing: The Knights play a freelance schedule but they participate in the smallest playoff division in Ohio. The small school competition could allow Tobin to maintain a consistently high rushing average throughout the season.
Why he won't: Fairfield Christian Academy lost in the first round of the playoffs. If the Knights had reached the state finals, Tobin might have easily surpassed 4,000 yards rushing.
Jake LaCoste, West Albany (Albany, Ore.)Last year: 2,876 yards
The state MVP last year, LaCoste set a state record two seasons ago
when he ran for 508 yards in a win over Silverton. In two seasons, LaCoste has rushed for 4,864 career yards. He went over 300 yards in a game five times last year and had another game with 299 yards.
Why he will lead the nation in rushing: LaCoste has run roughshod over Oregon defenses for two seasons. He could very easily climb over 3,000 yards this season.
Why he won't: LaCoste carried the load in close games but often had less than 20 carries in games that West Albany had comfortably in hand. If West Albany wins a number of games via blowout, that could mean fewer carries for LaCoste.
Royce Freeman, Imperial (Calif.)Last year: 2,482 yards
Regarded as one of the premier running backs in California, Freeman is the top returning rusher in the state with 2,482 yards. He went over 5,000 career rushing yards with a 340-yard effort in a 48-34 win over Cibola (Yuma, Ariz.). He has twice gone over 2,000 yards, gaining 2,075 as a sophomore.
Why he will lead the nation in rushing: Freeman is an explosive talent. He posted touchdown runs of 91 and 94 yards last year and averaged 12.35 yards per carry. Given enough carries, Freeman could have some huge games.
Why he won't: For a standout running back, Freeman carries the ball relatively few times per game. His 411 career carries over three-plus seasons is only 70 more carries than Tobin had all of last year. He carried the ball more than 30 times just once last year and had more than 20 carries only three times.
Matt Guida, Queen Creek (Ariz.)Last year: 2,829 yards
The leading returning rusher behind Tobin with 2,829 yards, Guida has one of the top yards per carry average of any returning player with 13.87 yards an attempt. He also showed tremendous improvement over his sophomore season, bumping up his average yards per carry by nearly eight yards.
Why he will lead the nation in rushing: Queen Creek is one of the top programs in Arizona, winning the Section III championship last year with a 14-0 record. That could mean a lot of games for Guida to make a run at the national rushing lead.
Why he won't: Guida is off to a bit of a slow start with just 242 yards in two games so far this season.
Arkeel Newsome, Ansonia (Conn.)
Arkeel Newsome, Ansonia
File photo by Matt Dewkett
2,245 yards
It's hard to believe that a running back can rush for 2,245 yards and have a down season, but Newsome set the bar high during his sophomore season when he was one of the leading rushers in the nation with 3,763 yards. He already has 6,818 career yards and could go over 10,000 by the time he's done.
Why he will lead the nation in rushing: He's come close to doing it before. His sophomore total of 3,763 yards ranks as one of the best single-season rushing totals in national history. Ansonia is also an outstanding program capable of going deep in the playoffs.
Why he won't: Newsome's carries went down by about 90 last year, but it didn't really matter because Ansonia posted its second straight 14-0 season. If Ansonia continues to roll over teams, that likely means fewer carries in the second half for Newsome.
Leonard Fournette, St. Augustine (New Orleans)
Leonard Fournette, St. Augustine
File photo by Roddy Johnson
2,136 yards
Considered the top running back recruit in the nation, Fournette is on pace to become the state's all-time leading rusher. He has 5,828 yards entering the season after finishing with 2,136 yards last year. He averaged more than 10 yards per carry last season and had three touchdowns in last week's jamboree win over Amite.
Why he will lead the nation in rushing: Needing just less than 3,000 yards to break the state rushing record, Fournette will likely get plenty of opportunities to earn the record.
Why he won't: Fournette has never carried the ball more than 200 times in a season. He'll likely need at least 300 carries to be the national yardage leader.
Jamal Johnson, New Philadelphia (Ohio)Last year: 2,177 yards
Johnson gained 1,101 yards as a freshman, 1,777 yards as a sophomore and 2,177 yards last year. He's already off to a strong start this season with 379 yards in New Philadelphia's 34-27 win over Canton Central Catholic.
Why he will lead the nation in rushing: Johnson has improved every season and appears to headed on a similar path as a senior. His 379 yards last week were 54 more yards than his best outing as a junior. He also carries the ball a lot, toting it at least 40 times in two different games.
Why he won't: New Philadelphia was ousted in the first round of the playoffs last year. The Quakers will have to advance deep in the playoffs to give Johnson a chance at the national rushing title.
Nick Chubb, Cedartown (Ga.)Last year: 2,721 yards
Considered a player of the year candidate in Georgia, Chubb caught everyone's attention last year when he ran for 2,721 yards in just 10 games. He's off to a good start this year, rushing for more than 300 yards in Cedartown's opener.
Why he will lead the nation in rushing: Look for Chubb to get plenty of carries and be a workhorse for Cedartown.
Why he won't: Cedartown will have to improve on
Dalvin Warmack, Blue Springs
File photo by Sam Soliday
last year's performance when it failed to make the playoffs.
Dalvin Warmack, Blue Springs (Mo.)Last year: 2,475 yards
Perhaps the top running back in the state of Missouri on the top team in the state, Warmack could play as many as 15 games this year if Blue Springs reaches the state championship. He averaged only 165 yards per game last season, but Blue Springs won the state championship.
Why he will lead the nation in rushing: Expect Warmack to be more explosive this season and expect Blue Springs to reach the state finals again. That's a combination that could lead to close to 3,000 yards rushing.
Why he won't: Blue Springs scored more than 600 points last season and probably won't be challenged much during the regular season. That likely means fewer carries for Warmack.
Jacob Parker, Meadow Bridge (W. Va.)Last year: 2,415 yards
No returning running back had more carries than Parker last year, as he ran the ball 356 times for 2,415 yards. A four-year starter, Parker gained 1,081 yards as a sophomore.
Why he will lead the nation in rushing: He's off to a good start. On 32 carries in a 56-20 win over Van, Parker gained 447 yards with 14 yards per carry.
Why he won't: Carrying the ball as many times as he did last year, Parker will have to avoid breaking down during his senior year, especially if he averages more than 30 carries per game.
Jace Daniels, Kenai Central (Alaska)
Last year: About 600 yards.
Daniels plays in a state that has never had a 3,000 yard rusher. However he could surpass that milestone as he already has 825 yards in three games, including a 485-yard effort in the season opener.
Why he will lead the nation in rushing: Daniels is the current national leader and he has shown a penchant for big plays, as his 14 rushing touchdowns will attest.
Why he won't: The weather conditions in Alaska aren't always favorable to big offensive outings. Daniels has 485 yards in one game, 270 in another and just 70 in a third. The 70-yard effort came during a game postponed by lightning strikes and played in torrential rain and a hailstorm.
