Advertisement
football Edit

Commit Fit: Running backs

Najee Harris
Najee Harris

Sometimes it’s not always the highest-rated prospects that fit the best with the school of their choice. In our Commit Fit series, Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell picks five players at each position he thinks fit seamlessly into the schemes at the schools they’ve chosen. Today we look at the running backs.

RELATED: Commit Fit: QBs | NSD Preview: Big Ten

Advertisement

Harris isn’t the power back that guys like Derrick Henry and Bo Scarbrough have been, but he’s got size, he’s very explosive and he has excellent balance. He can also make people miss. A big, athletic back headed to Alabama? That seems to be a fit.

Akers is a physical, strong and powerful runner who played quarterback in high school for the most part but was an electric runner. It’s easy to see him fitting in the same mold as Dalvin Cook with his speed and power and ability to catch the ball.

Swift has a strong lower body, is a patient runner with good vision and explodes through the hole when he finds an opening. Sound familiar? It sounds like Nick Chubb, who is a smidge quicker than Swift but equally decisive and hard to tackle.

Carr is speedy and elusive and can catch the ball with ease, so I could see him playing that old Reggie Bush role at USC. Yes, Pete Carroll is gone, but the offensive style at USC hasn’t changed that much and they will get the ball in the hands of a dynamic back like Carr in many ways. He’s also sneaky strong between the tackles.

Barrett is fast around the corner, can do things inside or outside the tackles and he can be a slot receiver at times as well. In Auburn’s run-heavy offense, he can be the lightning to a bigger back’s thunder and will be a home run hitter and touchdown threat from anywhere on the field.

Advertisement