B/R Recruiting Breakdown: 5-Star RB Cam Akers

Each week, Bleacher Report National Recruiting Analyst Tyler Donohue analyzes a different prospect based on in-person evaluation and intensive film study. Here's our latest scouting report of a promising young athlete and how he projects as a college player.

Mississippi playmaker Cam Akers is among the most heavily pursued uncommitted prospects in this 2017 recruiting class, claiming a list of more than 20 scholarship offers that includes several college football heavyweights.

Rated No. 2 nationally among running backs and No. 4 overall in Scout.com rankings, the Clinton High School senior initially pledged to the Alabama Crimson Tide shortly before his junior season. He remained a member of head coach Nick Saban's class—alongside fellow 5-star rusher Najee Harris—for seven months before backing off that verbal pact in March.

Akers, a classic example of the best athlete in his community who lands at quarterback, operates behind center in Clinton's offensive attack. While he's proved to be an effective high school passer, his collegiate future lies deeper in the backfield.

Recognized as Scout.com's National Recruit of the Week on Oct. 23, Akers' accolade-earning effort supplies increased evidence of his monumental impact on matchups. He tallied 238 passing yards, 155 rushing yards, an interception return for a touchdown and seven total scores, spearheading a 56-48 victory.

Through nine contests this season, Akers has 3,070 offensive yards, seven 100-yard rushing games and a career-best 37 total touchdowns, per MaxPreps. An immensely productive prep career includes 7,013 passing yards, 4,067 rushing yards (seven yards per carry) and 121 touchdowns.

The U.S. Army All-American should warrant National Player of the Year consideration from multiple media outlets later this fall. Meanwhile, focus will only intensify on Akers' recruiting process as communication with coaches and campus visits continue to create speculation.

Our weekly look at college football's next wave of talent rolls on with a B/R Breakdown of this explosive do-it-all offensive phenom.

The Basics

High School: Clinton (Clinton, Mississippi)

Size: 5'11", 212 lbs

Recruitment Status: Uncommitted; offers include Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Ole Miss and Tennessee

Prospect Assessment

• Displays a high level of maturity and embraces competitive environments, which he will undoubtedly encounter in a collegiate offensive backfield considering his myriad of marquee interests.
• Akers on sharing the practice field with a player like Najee Harris at the next level: "I haven't been raised to back down from competition. ... I'm not even going to think about any other top recruits coming in."
• Few prospects rival his statistical production and overall impact on an offensive scheme at the prep level. Clinton head coach Judd Boswell, via Drew Champlin of AL.com: "He's the best damn high school football player I've ever seen in my life."
• Akers would likely garner some interest as a dual-threat quarterback if he wasn't such a scintillating rusher; he could still be called upon as an emergency QB or occasionally take on a Wildcat role.
• Possesses the frame and authoritative rushing style to serve as a workhorse back throughout college; he can set the tone early and close victories by wearing down opponents with formidable physicality.
• Akers combines tremendous power with elite speed. Finished the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds this summer at The Opening, placing him No. 1 among positional peers.
• Secured third-place honors during The Opening's Nike Football Rating Championship (4.18 agility shuttle, 38.6-inch vertical jump, 41-foot powerball toss and aforementioned 4.41 40-yard dash combined for a 140.13 rating); he was the heaviest qualifier among top eight performers.
• Built like a tank and equipped with breakaway speed, his blend of power and quickness arguably goes unmatched among 2017 running back prospects.
• Akers utilizes ideal forward lean, finishing rushing attempts with momentum moving ahead, and appears to provide a "killer instinct" late in contests, enabling his team to keep the chains moving and clock ticking toward a win.
• Though he isn't often tasked with receiving responsibilities at Clinton because he's typically the one tossing passes, his hands impressed at The Opening, and it's an element we could see routinely implemented in college.
• Presents a pass-coverage matchup nightmare off the snap due to his short-area quickness; Akers will burn linebackers if he manages to catch the ball in stride and presents a painfully difficult open-field tackle attempt for defensive backs as he gains steam downfield.
• His high school career is filled with snaps at quarterback, and Akers is adept at reading defensive looks; it's a vantage point that should further aid him while maneuvering downfield.

Let's jump into some film from the first half of Akers' dominant senior season and start with his ability to make defenders—nine in this case—miss despite a power-back physique. In the ensuing series of clips, he takes the ball on a designed quarterback run—a staple of the Clinton offensive game plan—and immediately encounters two opponents in his backfield:

Credit: Hudl

Akers initially charges hard toward the far sideline before planting his left foot and cutting between the defenders with a sudden dash to his right. He finds momentary space with this surge, but that's fleeting, as another pair of defenders seems to have him within manageable reach, while a third closes in nearby:

Credit: Hudl

Akers barrels through tackling attempts as those defenders meet him at the 46-yard line. It becomes a foot race, as four opponents at least match his stride as he approaches the 30-yard line.

Credit: Hudl

Now he shows off straight-line speed, sprinting untouched into the end zone for a 52-yard score. This is a play that ends with a loss of yards for an average running back, but Akers is far from that.

He serves up another example of his elusiveness here, when swarmed by four opponents after collecting a reception behind the line of scrimmage 13 yards shy of the end zone:

Credit: Hudl

Akers makes quick work of the welcoming committee, decelerating briefly as outside containment over-pursues. A jump-cut to his left seals the deal, creating an eight-yard lane that leads him to another highlight-reel touchdown as multiple defenders end up face down grasping at grass.

He augments a rare combination of agility and physicality with vision that evades plenty of blue-chip running back prospects.

Here, Akers works off his left offensive tackle, supplied with a blocking entourage of three receivers. He paces himself while approaching the edge, allowing teammates to do their jobs rather than sprinting forward toward unmanned defenders:

Credit: Hudl

Once the near linebacker is accounted for and effectively eliminated from the equation, Akers makes a slight cut to the left and locates a developing rushing lane, dependent on his wideout's ability to at least alter the cornerback's angle of pursuit:

Credit: Hudl

The receiver doesn't deliver a devastating hit on his target, but it's enough to give Akers a half-stride advantage. Equipped with his athleticism and speed, that's typically all it takes, and he plows through an arm-tackle attempt while setting sights on the near pylon—which he reaches to complete a 32-yard touchdown run:

Credit: Hudl

Akers is a threat to score in a variety of fashions from anywhere on the field.

Long-Term Outlook

It's important to remember defenses have been able to anticipate Akers will touch the ball on just about every play due to his presence at quarterback. Offensive imagination stirs when you project how opponents will attempt to contain him as an every-down running back surrounded by star supplemental pieces in a college offense.

Whether he winds up at Ohio State, Florida State or an SEC powerhouse, Akers will hardly be the lone option in any attack. After witnessing his polished approach and outright explosiveness during camp and game settings, though, expect him to quickly become a key piece of the plan.

Akers is expected to graduate high school early and enroll on campus for spring practice, according to Scout.com. This development would put him in the mix to command immediate consideration in the running back rotation, and he could challenge for high-volume reps with a program that's fresh off losing its top ball-carrier to the NFL draft.

Easily among this cycle's most compelling prospects, regardless of position, Akers is a surefire top-five overall recruit, and he belongs in the discussion with Najee Harris as high school's most impressive rusher. That's quite an accomplishment for a prep quarterback. National stardom may await as early as next fall if he remains healthy and identifies the right collegiate fit.

Tyler Donohue is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Quotes and observations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow Tyler via Twitter: @TDsTake.