Georgia, Oklahoma, Oregon leading the way with top 2027 running back commitments
· Yahoo Sports
As the month of March comes to a close, the majority of the nation’s top 2027 running back recruits are still on the board.
Of the top 20 players at the position in the Rivals Industry Rankings, only three have announced their commitments so far. That means there’s a long way to go in determining who signs the best class, but a few schools in particular have strong early starts in that regard:
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Georgia
The Bulldogs have the biggest early prize on the list in five-star Kemon Spell, who committed to UGA in February over Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Miami and more. Long considered the top running back in the cycle, Spell made an early commitment to Penn State, but he came back on the board after the firing of head coach James Franklin. After a winding recruiting process that saw him name multiple leaders and continuously shift visit dates, Spell opted not to wait any longer and gave his verbal to Kirby Smart. In nine games as a junior, he totaled 1,755 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns.
His running mate, Noah Parker, is no slouch either. An in-state pledge for Georgia out of Macon County, he pledged back in November and was one of the first additions to the class. The 5-foot-10, 200-pounder is eager to team up with Spell to create a dynamic duo in the backfield.
“With both of us committed, I feel like we set the bar high,” Parker told UGASports earlier this month. “We’re trying to build something special in this class.”
Oklahoma
Brent Venables and the Sooners are off to a scorching-hot start and currently hold the No. 1 class in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. They’ve invested heavily on the offensive side of the ball with more than of their commits projected to play there in college. And the running game in particular has been a major focus. OU has four early commits along the offensive line and a pair of backs committed in four-star Keldrid Ben and three-star Jaxsen Stokes.
Ben has seen his stock skyrocket in recent months, going from completely unranked when committing to the Sooners back in December and to now a top-100 recruit. He is coming off a junior season where he finished with 1,560 yards and 15 touchdowns on 10.3 yards per carry, while catching 16 passes for 299 yards and three more scores.
Stokes, meanwhile, has been a do-it-all threat for Sierra Canyon (Calif.) over the past two years. Across 21 games over the past two years, he has totaled more 1,700 all-purpose yards and 24 touchdowns.
Oregon
After landing a pair of blue-chip running backs last cycle in Tradarian Ball and Brandon Smith, the Ducks have another pledge early in this class to continue stacking talent.
Four-star Cadarius McMiller out of Tyler (Texas) chose the Ducks in February over a multiple other Power 4 offers and brings elite speed to their class. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound McMiller has 10.2 speed in the 100-meter dash, and as a junior he used his speed to rush for 943 yards and 17 touchdowns with 186 more yards receiving and three scores.
“I’m a run hard running back,” McMiller told Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong. He can also play in the slot. “I’m not doing all that dancing. I’m straight downhill into somebody’s face.”