The updated Rivals250 for the 2024 class was unveiled Tuesday, and it's now time to dive into the position rankings. The offensive position rankings are being released today, and up next are the running backs.
NEW POSITION RANKINGS: Running back | All-purpose RB | Pro-Style QB | Dual-Threat QB
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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK
Sunday: Who should be No. 1?
Monday: Five-Star Countdown | Meet the new five-stars
Tuesday: Rivals250 revealed | Biggest risers | Gorney's position-by-position
Wednesday: Offensive position rankings revealed | Teams that should be pleased | QB rankings spotlight
Thursday: Defensive position rankings revealed
Friday: State rankings revealed
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NO. 1 AT THE POSITION: Jerrick Gibson Â
Gibson has bounced around high schools a little bit, but now he’s landed at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy and he’s thriving.
The No. 1 running back in the 2024 class has all the tools – speed, toughness, power, vision and more – to be a special prospect. After being committed to Florida early on he’s been back on the market and many teams are interested.
Originally from Gainesville, Fla., Gibson is taking a second look at the Gators and a strong start to the Billy Napier era could go a long way to getting the four-star back in the fold.
Georgia, Oregon, Miami, Texas A&M, Florida State and others are also coming hard after Gibson as his recruitment remains open early in his junior season.
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TWO PROGRAMS TO WATCH: Florida and Notre Dame Â
Florida looks good for Gibson, but if the Gators strike out on the IMG Academy standout there are still a lot of options close to home where they can land an outstanding running back. Four of the top seven running backs in the 2024 class are from the state of Florida, so that coaching staff should be able to load up at that position if needed down the road.
Notre Dame is the other interesting school to watch. Wisconsin might have an edge with Waukesha (Wisc.) Catholic Memorial’s Corey Smith, who recently moved up in the rankings, but the Irish and many others are making a push. Hannibal, Mo., standout Aneyas Williams is also strongly considering the Irish and letting him out of the Midwest would be a significant miss.
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THREE PROSPECTS TO WATCH: Quinton Martin, Stacy Gage, Ronnie Royal
Martin is from Belle Vernon, Pa., so a battle among Penn State, Pitt and others could be on the way. The Nittany Lions have had a lot of elite players decommit and head to the SEC this recruiting cycle, which has been an issue to tackle, so a top prospect like Martin cannot be allowed out of the state. The Belle Vernon standout is too talented not to get noticed by those schools.
One of the top running backs at IMG last season, Gage has since transferred to Tampa (Fla.) Wharton and his recruitment has gotten a lot more interesting as well. Oklahoma is definitely a team to watch since he’s originally from that state and has wanted to play for the Sooners, but Florida State, Ohio State and others could also be involved.
Not enough people are talking about how talented Royal is, but the Gulf Shores, Ala., standout will make some team happy. Royal was one of the best performers at the Rivals Underclassmen Challenge this summer and Mississippi State, UCF, Florida State and others have been reaching out. But Royal should have more than a dozen offers, and he looks like a steal in this class right now.
