Top high school running backs to watch in Acadiana during 2023 season
Here are the top high school running backs to watch in the Acadiana area for the 2023 football season:
Bryan Allen
Eunice, Jr.
Why: Eunice will implement a one-two punch at the tailback spot but Allen is the workhorse of the stable for the Bobcats. Coaches have labeled the 5-5, 170-pound running back the hardest worker on the squad.
Cashmere Batiste
Carencro, Sr.
Why: The Bears' offense last season was a pretty well-oiled machined and Batiste played a big role in that. The 5-7, 180-pounder, the team's top rusher and receiving back last year, will be Carencro's featured back in 2023 and is expected to be a bigger senior campaign.
Davonte Charlot-Goins
Beau Chene, Sr.
Why: Charlot-Goins will be tasked with providing Beau Chene explosiveness out of the backfield. And the coaching staff will move him around to create and take advantage of mismatches.
Joseph Emilien
Rayne, Sr.
Why: The 5-9, 175-pound back possesses elite speed mixed with some physicality. Emilien will head up Rayne's rushing attack this season.
Colin Faubacher
Southside, Sr.
TOP QBS IN 2023 Top high school quarterbacks to watch in Acadiana during 2023 season
TOP HIGH SCHOOL GAMES IN 2023 These are the top high school football games in Acadiana for 2023 season
Why: The 5-9, 175-pounder is a fast tough kid who has great instincts as a runner and gives the Sharks a one-two punch at the position.
D'Shaun Ford
Opelousas, Jr.
Why: Ford is listed as a four-star recruit and the second-best tailback in Louisiana in the 2025 class, holding offers from LSU, Texas A&M, Auburn and Florida State. Opelousas' go-to option on offense broke out last season, rushing for 1,300 yards with 22 touchdowns.
Mason Hebert
Erath, Jr.
Why: Hebert paced Erath in 2022 in rushing yards and touchdowns. Nicknamed "The Bus," the 5-8, 180 pound junior adds physicality to the Bobcats' rushing attack and coaches expect him to return to form after two shoulder surgeries over the offseason and a knee operation as well.
Ezekiel Hypolite
Acadiana, Sr.
Why: Like most Acadiana running backs of late, Hypolite has had to wait his turn to be the featured wrecker for the Wreckin' Rams. And there won't be much of a dropoff from last year's star Keven Williams and Hypolite, who got ample playing time last season and shining in Acadiana's famed split veer offense.
Davian "Diamond" Jackson
Westgate, Jr.
Why: Westgate coach Ryan Antoine will utilize Jackson in multiple ways, but where he may be most vital for the Tigers is at the running back spot. At 6-2, 170, Jackson is big enough to fall forward for the tough yards but is athletic enough to make guys miss in open space.
Vernel Joseph
Southside, Sr.
Why: Joseph (5-10, 215) returns in the backfield for Southside and coaches believe he’s primed for a big senior campaign.
Jaheim Moore
Church Point, Jr.
Why: Losing Tylon Citizen won't be easy, but the Bears' coaching staff hope that a running back by committee approach will relieve some of the sting. Moore will be the first back in the rotation and for Church Point to have success on offense, it'll need the 5-7, 165-pounder to shine.
Hutch Swilley
St. Thomas More, Sr.
Why: Swilley is committed to football for the Naval Academy and he'll look to close out his prep career on a high note. The big bruising runner, at 5-9, 195, piled up 1,081 rushing yards and 17 TDs in 2022 and STM expects him to do bigger things.
Isaiah Thomas
Eunice, Sr.
Why: Thomas is one of the more experienced players on Eunice's roster heading into 2023 and the offense will lean on the three-year starter when it needs to. Thomas (5-5, 205) is the bigger of the Bobcats' two backs and over the course of the last three seasons, have been a consistent and reliable playmaker for the team.
Doug E. Viltz
Teurlings Catholic, Jr.
Why: Teurlings' coaching staff is ready to rely on Viltz, who is assuming the starting tailback role following Tanner Brinkman's departure. The 5-10, 175-pounder brings more shiftiness to the Rebs' backfield and has plenty of breakaway speed.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Top high school running backs to watch in Acadiana during 2023 season
