College Football Recruiting 2012: Ranking the Top 25 Running Back Prospects

Ah yes, the rock toters. Now we arrive at the third revision of their board.

This is a coveted position every recruiting cycle, as it's a position that can be an impact spot early on for a program. This year, we have several talented rock-toters who I think can play as freshmen and several others I think will be starters after a year or two.

Here are the top 25 running back prospects, with a couple sleeper and honorable mention types.

Sleeper: Imani Cross

Cross is a big and physical runner who stands in the 6'1", 226-pound range. He attacks the line of scrimmage with square shoulders and comes downhill on each carry.

His biggest asset is his run strength, as he flashes good tackle breaking ability and a knack for getting yards after contact. Some even he could be a better linebacker

Cross is headed to Tennessee.

Honorable Mention: Chris Mangus

Mangus is a dangerous and versatile player on offense. He's 5'11", 170 pounds and can double as a RB or a slot WR.

He's been timed at 4.4 in the 40 multiple times and has elite break away speed and quickness. He plays with light feet and great elusiveness with the ball in his hands.

He's committed to Virginia Tech, where I think he will work wonder for Frank Beamer's offense in Blacksburg.

25. D.J. Foster

He's 6'0", 185 pounds, and while he needs to tack on some more mass on his frame, he does show great speed and playmaking ability.

Foster can make a defender miss with some serious shake 'n' bake moves as a RB, and can catch the ball like a receiver.

24. Vonte Jackson

A slickster as a runner, Jackson stands 6'0", 185 pounds and is a very elusive running back.

He's a got a long and lean frame and his game based on speed, quickness and agility.

He's primed to rush for over 1,000 yards this season after falling just short at 956 last year.

Committed to Wisconsin.

23. Drew Mankins

6'1", 205 pounds, Harris is a workhorse type who can shoulder the running game for an offense by himself.

As a junior, Harris carried the ball 227 times for 1,960 yards and 28 touchdowns. His sophomore year saw him tote the rock over 300 times. He's a downhill, physical runner with solid run strength to push piles and break tackles.

22. Keivarae Russell

Russell is a back who has a game predicated on quickness. He can jump, pick and slide to holes very quickly, get up field in a flash, make a defender miss in tight spaces and has great elusiveness.

He's only 170 pounds, but his 5'11" frame can put on some weight to hold up in college. Russell can also factor as a returner.

Look out for USC, Cal and U-Dub.

21. Jovon Robinson

Robinson is a big, rugged back with a 6'1", 220-pound frame.

He won't wow you with his speed or ability to make dazzling long runs and highlight plays, but at the end of the game, you'll know he was there.

Robinson is very physical, shows good vision, flashes patience and is very decisive in his decision making with the ball.

He's all Auburn's.

20. Jonathan Williams

Williams, 5'11", 205 pounds, has a bit of a no-nonsense approach to running. When he sees a hole or alley forming, he sticks his foot in the ground and bursts to get there.

He shows some juice to scoot through and can beat a linebacker to the alley. Williams also has solid speed and can even factor as a receiver out of the backfield on third downs.

Committed to Missouri.

19. Kenyan Drake

Drake, who's pledged to Alabama,  has a chance to really develop into a major part of his offense in college, as he has a fine skill set.

At 6'0",195 pounds, he is a super athlete who can really explode with the football.

I can easily see him becoming a jack-of-all-trades type of offensive weapon, where he can split time between the running back and receiver, lining up in the slot on third downs.

18. Mike Davis

Davis feels as if he's been slighted a bit by recruiting websites, and he's out to prove people wrong.

Weighing in at 5'10", 195 pounds, Davis is dangerous in the open field. But what makes him special is his explosion out of cuts at the junction point of routes in the passing game. Linebackers will have fits trying to cover Davis in college.

He's headed to Florida.

17. T.J. Yeldon

6'1", 200 pounds, Yeldon is the top RB prospect in Alabama this year. He has excellent size, but has home run potential since he shows a good burst and long speed on tape.

I expect Yeldon to tack on some more weight and get stronger in college, thus making him a likely every-down runner.

Auburn has him lined up.

16. Brian Kimbrow

Kimbrow is a bit undersized for a rock-toter at 5'9", 165 pounds, yet he makes up for it in other ways. The Memphis native claims he has been clocked at 4.25 in the 40-yard dash.

Quick, slippery, elusive and explosive, Kimbrow is a versatile offensive weapon. 

He's the Vanderbilt class headliner.

15. William Mahone

Mahone is a 6'0", 195-pound back with solid pop and quickness. He's a quicker-than-fast athlete who also has good run strength.

He doesn't shy away from tugging it up the middle and will bang with the big boys as a runner. He plays faster than many think in my opinion.

Pitt, Notre Dame, Penn State and Michigan State seem to be main schools in the race.

14. Wes Brown

Brown is solid in all areas of his game and stands at 6'0" and 190 pounds.

He can pick and slide to holes and he has the juice to skate through. Look for Brown to develop into a very solid back down the line.

He works hard on his game and has pretty good character.

13. Greg Garmon

6'2", 200 pounds, Garmon is a tall back, with solid size and good vision. He shows a solid trait of being able to make good and quick decisions based on alignments.

Once he makes his selection of where to attack, he sticks his foot in the ground and charges upfield, showing excellent speed. He should be an exciting player in college.

12. Byron Marshall

5'10", 195 pounds, Marshall makes most of his money on the edges. He's quick to escape to turn the corner, and if he gets his shoulders square upfield, he's gone.

Some have question his toughness for not showing enough inside runs on film, but he may just a perimeter preferred runner.

Cal, USC, Oregon, Notre Dame are just a few to name in the hunt. 

11. Alex Ross

We get to a physical runner who never backs down from defenders

6'1", 205 pounds, Ross, a future Sooner, loves to mix it up in between the tackles and dares tacklers to challenge him in alleys.

Ross gets to and through holes with solid explosion and decisiveness. He wastes no time and knows what he wants to get out of each carry.

10. Barry Sanders, Jr.

5'9", 190 pounds, Sanders has excellent elusiveness and quickness in the open field and just enough long speed to get to the house.

He displays great balance to take hits and shoves in the box, and he can still stay on his feet and get up field.

Oklahoma State, Alabama, Florida State and Stanford are the finalists for Sanders.

9. Mario Pender

I had to move Pender into my top 10. I just can't get over him averaging nearly 15 yards a carry last year in Florida. Wow.

6'0" and over 200 pounds, he has fantastic speed to hit creases and skate through. He does a solid job of banging inside and can break a few tackles as well.

Committed to Florida State.

8. Brionte Dunn

Dunn is your classic big-back prospect. He's a bruiser who does the dirty work in between the tackles and loves to mix it up in run alleys. At 6'1", 215 pounds, he's a chugger who relishes contact.

I like the way Dunn finishes runs and plays to his size upon contact. He's physical and has excellent run instincts.

Pledged to Ohio State.

7. Trey Williams

5'8", 170 pounds, Williams, who's pledged to Texas A&M, is a stick of dynamite in the backfield and can score any time he touches the rock.

He uses his lack of height to his advantage, sliding and hiding behind his line, then darting when he sees a crease. He may not be an every-down back in college, but I still expect him to be very productive.

6. Warren Ball

Ball is a 6'2", 200-pound running back who is equally good as a receiver out of the backfield. .

He can run well as an RB, then he can also be be used as a featured pass-catcher in the air assault portion of his team's offense. 

Ball is committed to Ohio State.

5. Randy Johnson

Johnson, a Miami "kid", shows athleticism that speaks to me as being quicker than fast. At 5'9", 180 pounds, he's an elusive ball carrier who can shake and bake with the best of them.

Dangerous in the open field, he always looks for even the smallest crease to skate through and can hide well behind his blockers to pick and slide to holes.

4. Matt Jones

A Florida commit, Jones is a big-back prospect who stands a large 6'3", 210 pounds. Most big backs are stiff, straight-line bruising types, but Jones is the contrary.

He has very good athleticism and has good wiggle for a big back. He is decisive with his reads, hits holes hard and can also be used as a receiver.

3. Keith Marshall

Marshall shows a skill set that is based on speed and quickness. 

He's an elite-caliber recruit at 5'11", 185 pounds with nimble feet and is a pure home run hitter. Marshall can score from anywhere on the field in every way possible. 

Georgia, Florida, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech will get visits.

2. Rushel Shell

5'11", 215 pounds, Shell has elite vision, awareness and run instincts to go along with great speed and run strength.

Shell will be an every-down carrier as a collegiate player, as he shows the toughness, size and run strength to stay between the tackles, while also solid hands and speed as a receiver out of the backfield.

He is slated to make his decision perhaps next month, with Pitt looking in good shape.

1. Johnathan Gray

At 5'11", 195-pounds, Gray has elite vision, feel, instincts, elusiveness, speed and quickness. He's as complete a running back as there is in the nation and maybe to come out in the past several years.

With production that amounts to over 6,000 yards and 109 touchdowns over the past two seasons alone, Gray has a chance to firmly entrench himself into the Texas and U.S. High School football record books this 2011 season.

He's a future Longhorn.