B/R CFB Recruiting: Ranking the Top Running Backs in the 2023 Class
When B/R ranked the top 10 quarterbacks in the 2023 college football recruiting class a few weeks ago, we noted just how exceptional the entire group of signal-callers is this year.
That isn't exactly the case with this year's crop of running backs.
The list is extremely strong at the top, but there doesn't seem to be a consensus on which runners should round out the top 10. You're still going to see some future stars, but there are fewer guarantees. The top five on this list appear strong, but everything else is subjective.
Still, there are plenty of quality running backs in this class, many of whom hail from the recruiting hotbed spots of Texas, Florida and Georgia. From a pair of Alabama Crimson Tide commitments to a star that remains uncommitted, it's still a strong group.
Let's take a look at the top runners in the 2023 class.
10. Dontavius Braswell, Washington County (Georgia) HS
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Dontavius Braswell already has a college-ready body at 5'11" and 200 pounds. The Washington County (Georgia) High School product committed to South Carolina and head coach Shane Beamer in July.
Given how awful the Gamecocks are at running the ball, Braswell may be able to come in and make a quick impact.
According to his 247Sports profile, Braswell won the Georgia 2A state 100- and 200-meter championship as a junior. He's a burner who can make things happen with his feet.
Braswell narrowed his choices to Nebraska, Boston College, Oregon and Alabama before he committed to the Gamecocks this summer. His commitment was a big deal for South Carolina, which needs more difference-makers.
Before Braswell's commitment, Mike Schaefer of 247Sports wrote it was unclear where he'd sign, and that Alabama hadn't been recruiting him heavily due to targets higher on its board. When Braswell pledged to the Gamecocks, it was a bit out of the blue.
Regardless, Beamer getting him was a big pull. He has a lot of size, speed and talent.
9. Dante Dowdell, Picayune Memorial (Mississippi) HS
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The Oregon Ducks can't always go into a state across the country and pull elite talent, but their brand got stronger under former head coach Mario Cristobal, and it's staying at those heights with first-year coach Dan Lanning.
The former Georgia defensive coordinator has ties all over the Southeast. That helped him go into Picayune, Mississippi, and pull Dante Dowdell away from Ole Miss, Mississippi State and plenty of other regional programs that were recruiting him.
The 2021 MaxPreps Mississippi High School Football Player of the Year and 5A state champion is enjoying a huge senior season before heading to the Pacific Northwest. He told the Mississippi Clarion Ledger's Langston Newsome he chose the Ducks because he wanted to be "different."
Last year, Dowdell led Picayune to a 14-1 record, rushing for more than 2,500 yards and 170.2 yards per game, according to 247Sports. The 6'1½", 210-pound bruiser loves running between the tackles, which his stepfather, Lawrence Hopkins, credited to Marshawn Lynch.
“I knew once he started at seven years old that he was going to be something special," Hopkins told Newsome. "You can tell with certain kids. They just have that star in their eye, and I’ve seen the star."
With teams like Penn State swooping in with offers, Dowdell is sure to see more and more interest. But Oregon looks like it got a big pledge with his commitment.
8. Jeremiah Cobb, Montgomery (Alabama) Catholic Preparatory School
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Jeremiah Cobb is the eighth-ranked running back in the 247Sports composite and is No. 6 on 247Sports. The Montgomery, Alabama, product gave embattled Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin a massive pickup this summer when he decided to be a Tiger.
Cobb has a ton of ability, although his 5'11", 185-pound frame could hold some more weight. He also might need some time in a college program before he's ready to be an every-down back in the rugged SEC.
Tennessee and Clemson were both heavy after Cobb, who decided to stay instate and play on the Plains, despite the turmoil that is currently going on in Harsin's second season. For a team that may lose Tank Bigsby to the NFL after this year, Cobb's pledge is a huge deal.
What makes Cobb so dynamic is his explosive ability to take the ball to paydirt every time he touches it. Plays like this makes you believe he's special:
Other schools are certain to keep recruiting him with the uncertainty surrounding Harsin, but he seems ready to roll with Auburn right now. If he sticks, he should have the opportunity to make an impact sooner than later.
7. Quinten Joyner, Manor (Texas) HS
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You had to know USC head coach Lincoln Riley was going to snag an excellent runner in this year's class. He did that when he convinced Texas star Quentin Joyner to follow the bright lights of L.A.
The 5'11", 203-pound native of Manor, Texas, looks like an ideal replacement for Travis Dye when he heads off to the NFL. He's a bruising runner who can complement the sparkle of Raleek Brown.
Joyner is the nation's eighth-ranked back on 247Sports and No. 11 overall on the composite rankings, but he's better than that. He is the first Lone Star State commit for Riley at USC, but the state was very good to him when he was at Oklahoma.
Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State and others were in the mix for Joyner before he decided to play in Riley's explosive offense.
As a junior, Joyner ran for 2,494 yards and 31 touchdowns while averaging 11.2 yards per carry. He is not only big enough to get the tough yards, but he can run away from defenders as well. He also competed in track at the 2021 AAU Junior Olympics, according to 247Sports.
With A'Marion Peterson (another Texas product who's heading to the Trojans) also in the fold, Riley has quite the Lone Star connection in his backfield for the future.
6. Kaleb Jackson, Liberty Magnet (Louisiana) HS
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If the Brian Kelly regime is going to work at LSU, he'll have to land a lot of the talent that is churned out by Louisiana each recruiting cycle.
Nine of Kelly's 22 commitments so far in the 2023 class hail from within state borders. While that's a strong number, there are plenty of future battles he needs to win. Getting guys like elite running back Kaleb Jackson to stick close is a massive deal.
The 5'10", 200-pound back was hotly pursued by teams like Alabama and Texas A&M this summer, but he chose to play for Kelly. Given the Tigers' struggles running the ball over the past few years, he has to see a big opportunity to produce early.
It should also be nice for him to stay right in Baton Rouge to play his college ball. What a luxury Kelly has to get a player of Jackson's ilk right in his backyard.
Jackson is built like an every-down SEC runner in his lower body. He is a man among boys in high school, making plays, breaking away for big gains and embarrassing defenders.
Jackson, who compares favorably to former LSU runner Clyde Edwards-Helaire, will pair with Trey Holly for a quality 1-2 punch from Louisiana in this class. He could be one of the best all-around runners in the class.
5. Jeremiyah Love, Christian Brothers (Missouri) College
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Jeremiyah Love, the only uncommitted running back prospect featured here, comes in as our No. 5 overall back in the 2023 class. That largely falls in line with his 247Sports composite rating (fourth) and 247Sports rating (seventh).
Love is a home run hitter when he gets the ball, and he has elite ability on the next level. He has everything you want in a ball-carrier.
The 6'0", 190-pound prospect is the latest in a long line of terrific football players from St. Louis, a place where Notre Dame has experienced some recent success. Love has the Fighting Irish on his list, along with Texas A&M, Alabama, Oregon, Michigan and others.
A laundry list of the nation's elite wants Love, who ran the 100-meter dash in 10.76 seconds last year. Some teams may see him as a wide receiver prospect, according to 247Sports' Allen Trieu, but he needs to line up behind the quarterback.
Love has the size to play running back, and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield will make him an even more versatile weapon no matter where he ends up.
Following Love's visit to South Bend this past weekend, Blue & Gold's Mike Singer believes the Irish could earn his pledge, although the Aggies and Ducks are still heavily involved. Will Notre Dame's on-field struggles hamper that?
There may be several twists and turns left in Love's recruitment.
4. Justice Haynes, Buford (Georgia) HS
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Beginning with Justice Haynes of Atlanta-area powerhouse program Buford High School, the rest of the runners featured here are a cut above the rest.
Almost every school wanted Haynes, who visited a who's-who of programs this summer, including Ohio State, Florida, USC, and home-state Georgia. But on July 17, he decided to go to Tuscaloosa and play for Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
That decision might have surprised those who had him pegged as a Georgia Bulldog, since his father is former UGA and NFL running back Verron Haynes. But nobody should count out Saban in any recruiting battle, and with Jahmyr Gibbs probably off to the NFL after this year, Jase McClellan needs some help from instant-impact guys.
While the Crimson Tide have recruited at as high of a level of anybody, they don't appear to have the same stable of dynamic skill-position playmakers as they normally do. Haynes certainly should help in that regard.
Haynes is an ideal one-cut runner who takes it up another level once he gets to the second tier of the defense. He has proved to be an offensive catalyst for one of the best high school programs perennially.
Are there more athletic backs in the class? Yes. But Haynes has good enough size (5'11", 200 pounds) and agility and has a bulky on-field high school resume.
There's a reason why many teams wanted him. You know you're getting big-time production.
3. Richard Young, Lehigh Acres (Florida) HS
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The early-summer concerns about the NIL game passing Alabama by are clearly unfounded. Prospects still want to go to the nation's best program over the past decade-plus.
Considering how many high-caliber running backs come from the state each year, there's never going to be a shortage of quality prospects at the position heading to the Tide.
Just like Justice Haynes, Richard Young is Bama-bound (at least for now), giving head coach Nick Saban the nation's best 1-2 punch at the position. Some recruiting websites list them as two of the top two runners in the class, but here, they'll have to settle for Nos. 3 and 4.
Young visited Oklahoma, Oregon, Florida, Notre Dame, Georgia and others this summer before he decided on the Crimson Tide on July 29, just 12 days after Haynes pledged. Is he truly done with the recruiting process, though?
The 5'11", 200-pound prospect from Lehigh Acres, Florida, has been to Gainesville for unofficial visits each of the past two weeks to take in the Gators' win over Utah and loss to Kentucky. He seems to be locked on Bama, though.
Young is a big, strong, fast runner who should thrive on wherever he ultimately winds up. Saban typically doesn't lose commits like this, so expect him to stick. He has the potential to be one of the best college running backs before his career is finished.
2. Rueben Owens, El Campo (Texas) HS
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The Louisville Cardinals' recruiting footprint seems to have expanded in a big way in the NIL era. If head coach Scott Satterfield can keep on landing elite prospects, he'll soon have a much different team than the one that opened the season with an embarrassing loss to Syracuse.
The Cardinals currently have the No. 17-ranked class on the 247Sports composite, including seven 4-star commits. It's headlined by 5-star Rueben Owens, the nation's top-ranked running back on the composite.
Gabe Brooks of 247Sports compared the 5'11", 190-pound runner to NFL running back Rashaad Penny. While teams like Texas, Alabama, Georgia and others were after him hard, he took a visit to TCU, showed interest in Jackson State and wound up pledging to Louisville in an interesting turn of events where he called himself a "trailblazer" on Twitter.
Owens has long strides, terrific speed and the type of frame that can hold more weight. The native of El Campo, Texas, looks like a star in the making who could shred ACC competition. If he sticks with Louisville, he will give the Cardinals the type of playmaker who can help them close the gap with Clemson, Miami, Pittsburgh and others.
Owens can catch passes out of the backfield, has enjoyed incredible production playing in the football-is-life world of Texas high school football and has the ability to be the best running back in his class.
1. Cedric Baxter Jr., Edgewater (Florida) HS
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Cedric Baxter Jr. isn't the top-ranked running back in the 247Sports composite rankings, but he's the best runner in the nation. It may not even be that close.
Baxter's 247Sports profile likens him to former Arkansas great and NFL star Darren McFadden, which is a terrific comparison. A player his size shouldn't be able to gallop as fast as he does, but the Texas Longhorns commit has the potential to be a generational playmaker.
Are those lofty expectations? Yes. But he is the type of player who can step right in when Bijan Robinson heads to the NFL and have everyone know his name by the end of his freshman season in Austin.
No one else in the 2023 running back class can do what Baxter can on the field. Even though other prospects' production may be higher, Baxter's ceiling is limitless.
At 6'1" and 215 pounds, Baxter looks like an NFL back right now. He has a laser-timed 4.5-second 40-yard dash, according to 247Sports, and neither linebackers nor defensive backs want to get in his way once he gets his shoulders set. He can catch passes, too.
Against the top-ranked team in New Jersey earlier this year, Baxter racked up 274 rushing yards and two touchdowns, according to Longhorns Country's Brian Smith.
Florida, Florida State and others are trying to sway him away from Steve Sarkisian's program for obvious reasons.
On3 has it right. Baxter is the top running back in the 2023 recruiting class.
All stats courtesy of CFBStats and Sports Reference. Player rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
Follow Brad Shepard on Twitter, @Brad_Shepard.
