It’s a comeback season for many high school tailbacks in Oklahoma high school football.
Several premier running backs had their 2023 campaigns cut short due to injuries, but they’re ready to replenish their teams’ backfield depth this year.
For others, it’s time to build after breakout football seasons a year ago. Expect to see plenty of electric touchdown runs when these dominant stars take the field this fall.
Here’s The Oklahoman‘s ranking of the state’s best running backs, from 10 to 1:
More: Who are Oklahoma high school football’s underrated senior players for 2024 season?
10. Kenny Golston, Jr., Valliant
Golston is a cousin to Oklahoma State freshmen and former Del City stars Rodney and LaDainian Fields, and he has shown he can produce like them. As a sophomore, he rushed for 929 yards on 179 carries with 13 touchdowns. Golston recently visited Oklahoma State and holds offers from Oregon State, UNLV, UTSA, and Washington State.
9. LT Simmons, Sr., Carl Albert
The newest member of the back-to-back Class 5A state champion Titans has his own postseason experience to contribute. His dominance in the backfield as a 5-foot-10, 180-pound speedster was a driving force behind Choctaw’s journey to the Class 6A-II state semifinals last year. While sharing touches as a junior, Simmons rushed for 509 yards with 11 total touchdowns while catching 28 passes out of the backfield.
8. TJ Bradford, Jr., Newcastle
Bradford emerged in his sophomore season at Newcastle and looks to pick up where he left off following his breakout sophomore campaign. Through 12 games, Bradshaw spearheaded the Racers’ efforts in the backfield to a 9-3 record, exploding for 1,358 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on 7.7 yards per carry.
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7. Rashaud Hurt, Sr., Lawton Eisenhower
Despite the setback of an ACL injury in his right knee, Hurt’s potential remains undeniable. His return from injury has been marked by a demonstration of his explosiveness in 7-on-7 camps over the summer. He has already received offers from Missouri, North Texas and Tulsa, and more are expected by the end of the season.
6. Hudson Howard, Sr., Washington
Howard returns as one of the top running backs in Class 2A, where Washington has dominated opponents en route to winning the last two state championships. Howard operated as a workhorse in 2023, rushing 174 times for 1,605 yards and 26 touchdowns.
5. PJ Wallace, RB, Muskogee
The reigning Class 6A-II champion Roughers added Wallace from Bartlesville. He joins a Muskogee backfield featuring The Oklahoman’s 2023 All-State Offensive Player of the Year and star quarterback, Jamarian Ficklin. Wallace rushed for 1,700 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior.
4. Ravian Larry, Sr., Idabel
Despite missing most of last season due to a knee injury, Larry has shown great potential to recover fully this summer. His injury came after a solid start to the season, where he rushed for 323 yards and scored six touchdowns in his first two games. Larry had offers from the likes of Colorado, North Texas, Sam Houston State, SMU and Texas-San Antonio before his injury.
3. Demarius Robinson, Sr., Edmond Santa Fe
After a challenging sophomore season marred by injury, Robinson dominated in his return to the field. He led Class 6A-I in rushing last season with 2,176 yards and 28 touchdowns. Robinson broke multiple school records and is committed to Arizona State.
2. Caden Knighten, Sr., Pauls Valley
Knighten was a star at Wynnewood. Now at Pauls Valley, the Baylor commit looks to help the Panthers win their first Class 3A state championship. Knighten erupted for 2,278 rushing yards and nine touchdowns as a junior.
1. Kaydin Jones, Jr., Jenks
Jenks is in for a big year with transfers coming in on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, it still has Jones, one of the country’s top-recruited running backs, in the 2026 class. As a sophomore, he ran for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns, totaling 2,205 yards while receiving out of the backfield. Jones is a four-star prospect according to the 247Sports composite rankings and holds 22 offers from Alabama, OU, Oklahoma State, Oregon and Tennessee, among others.
Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jdavis34_. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Top OSSAA football players in 2024? Ranking RBs in Oklahoma
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