The running back position has dealt through its knocks relative to its importance and longevity in football, but at every level, backs with homerun type ability still resonate.
In the state of Florida, there are well-documented prep talents at the position in the class of 2025, 2026 and beyond -- but there is another group of backs emerging beyond the large metro areas of the state.
Rivals takes a closer look at three making recruiting noise this spring.
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A rising-senior back who has climbed up recruiting boards this offseason, Love has established himself as a three-down threat with tangible speed. This offseason he has flashed the hands, but probably made more heads turn with a 10.64 100-meter dash time in mid March. Love has since visited Ole Miss and set official visits to West Virginia (June 7), Pitt (June 20) and Tulane (June 13).
On tape, Love runs with ferocity in getting to top speed quickly, where he is dominant in space despite a smaller stature. The receiving ability was tangible as a junior, where he racked up nearly 300 yards via the air, and he has continued to display strong ball skills during the camp and 7-on-7 circuit. Love begins his ratings journey at Rivals as a very high three-star going into the always-critical spring football season.
Another smaller back who is turning heads in a big way, Mason has added recruiting momentum and just set an official visit to Rutgers for the first weekend in June. Also comfortable in the passing game, the junior is a decisive runner in the open field with enough wiggle to beat defenders with speed or skill. The one-cut style and ability in space could help his recruitment widen throughout the offseason.
Mason also sports a sky-high GPA (4.1) to his name coming out of Fort Meade (Fla.) High School, so the opportunities to see more interest from college coaches won't come with any caveats during the evaluation period. Also an accomplished basketball player, Mason registered 16 offensive touchdowns in nine games of action in 2023.
Another balling outside of a large metro area is a fast-riser in the 2026 class. Clemson has some of the most fun running back tape we've recently evaluated, along with a great frame at 6-foot-1, so it's little surprise to see his recruitment taking off in real time. Florida State, Miami and Ole Miss each joined the scholarship offer list over the last month following Clemons' 25-touchdown campaign at Mariana (Fla.) High School as a sophomore.
Florida also recently hosted Clemons on an unofficial visit. He works with a strong combination of speed and power in the open field, where his vision and redirection ability shine. There's also a physicality to Clemons that could become an added strength as he fills out said frame, something we even get a sample of on defense early in his prep career.
