LEGACY RUNNING BACKS

Leaving A Mark

Leaving behind a legacy means more than just people remembering your name. For these RBs, it has meant/does mean that the kids sitting in the stands want to be like them, and while the numbers and stats are important, they aren’t everything. When we may not be able to recall their statistical prowess, we’ll still remember the fact that they got it done on the field under the Fright Night Lights.

CRITERIA

Years of Eligibility – C/O 2010-Present
Schools of Eligibility – Blitz territory only: Banks, Commerce, Dawson, Habersham, Jefferson, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, White
Statistical Threshold – MUST include a minimum of 2,750 total yards (rushing/receiving) and/or 30 total TD, AND at least 2 years as the starting RB.
Ranked – by total TD (tie-breaker rushing yds) NOTE: this is not a ranking of best/most talented RB to least on the list. Ranked only by TDs

#1 · Sammy Brown

Jefferson c/o 2024
93 TD (98 total TD)

RUSHING: 5,869 yds, 82 TD
RECEIVING: 641 yds, 11 TD
TOTAL: 6,510 yds, 93 TD

Sammy Brown busted onto the scene as a freshman at Commerce, racking up 1,368 yards and 14 TD on the ground, adding 181 and 4 in the receiving game. He transferred over to Jefferson, and immediately showed why he was ranked a 5-star recruit and the nation’s #1 linebacker for the Class of 2024. Even though his prowess is moreso on the defensive side, his speed and athleticism show why he’s a Legendary RB. In 2021, he posted 753 rushing yards and 11 TD while limited with injuries, playing only seven games. Oh, and technically he has 3 additional TDs, a pair of KO returns and blocked kick for a TD. During his junior year, Brown had a 6-TD game against #3 undefeated Loganville in which he had 282 rushing yards and 5 TD and 55 receiving and another TD. That season saw him rush for a career-high 1,459 yards and 21 TD, and also a career-high of 246 receiving yards and 3 TD. 2023 took on another level for Brown, who put up new career-highs with 2,289 rushing yards and 36 TD, both surfacing in the record books. The latter ranked 27th-best in state history at the time, and the former 44th-most in a single season. He added 202 receiving yards and 4 TD, and even threw for 71 yards and 2 TD. That gave him 42 total scores as a senior, and 98 for his career (82 rushing, 11 receiving, 2 passing, 3 defense/special teams). Brown was a 4-time All-American and All-State selection, winning 15 BLITZ Player of the Week awards, and finished 21st all-time in Georgia in rushing TDs in a career. Brown had 4 4-rushing TD games as a senior. Of his numerous special outings was a 5-TD game in the second round against Hiram in which he rushed for 354 yds and 4 TD and threw for a 9-yd TD. He also had 3 200-plus yard performances. While all this is incredible, he also finished with 153 tackles that season and 345 for his career. His career totals are 5,869 rushing yards and 82 TD, and 641 receiving yards and 11 TD.

#2 · Colby Wood

Jefferson c/o 2018
89 TD

RUSHING: 5,785 yds, 79 TD
RECEIVING: 852 yds, 10 TD
TOTAL: 6,637 yds, 89 TD

Wood nearly entered the elite territory of 6,000 career rushing yards. He had 5,785 and 79 TD, and added 852 receiving for 10 more TD. That’s a total of 6,637 yards and 89 TD. At the time of his graduation, he was 15th in state history in rushing TD with 79. He had 2,119 rushing yards as a sophomore in 2015 with 32 TD. He had 1,642 and 20 as a junior and 1,539 and 19 as a senior.

#3 · Chaz Thornton

Stephens County c/o 2013
72 TD

RUSHING: 6,309 yds, 68 TD
RECEIVING: 278 yds, 4 TD
TOTAL: 6,527 yds, 72 TD

The senior season for Thornton was incredible – 1,756 rushing yards and 24 TD. He finished with 6,309 rushing yards, surpassing the likes of Herschel Walker to be the 6th leading rusher in state history at the time of his graduation. This dude was a HOSS for 4 full seasons at Stephens County….we liked to call him the Chazmanian Devil!

#4 · Charlie Woerner

Rabun County c/o 2016
66 TD

RUSHING: 2,358 yds, 36 TD
RECEIVING: 2,703 yds, 30 TD
TOTAL: 5,061 yds, 66 TD

Woerner, who went on to a solid career as a TE at UGA and eventually to the NFL (49ers), is the most unique on this list as he also is a Legendary WR/TE. He was a hybrid who had nearly identical stats as a runner (2,358-36) as a pass-catcher (2,703-30). He had 1,187 rushing yards and 11 TD along with 690 receiving yards and 6 TD in his junior campaign. He topped 1,000 total yards in 3 straight seasons at Rabun. Oh, by the way, Charlie also had 428 career tackles and 12 INT. Unbelievable talent.

#5 · Jaiden Daniels

Commerce c/o 2025
55 TD (58 total TD)

RUSHING: 4,896 yds, 55 TD
RECEIVING: 76 yds, 0 TD
TOTAL: 4,972 yds, 55 TD

Jaiden Daniels busted onto the scene as a freshman with 1,425 rushing yards and 13 scores! He built on that with a monster sophomore season as well that saw him put up 1,484 rushing yards and 19 TD, both career-highs. He also threw a 70-yd TD that season. Daniels’ junior season was nothing short of spectacular, as he rushed for a career-high 1,965 yards and 23 TD, and had a 31-yd TD pass to boot. His efforts led the Tigers to a Quarterfinals run and a Region Championship!

#6 · Mason Sullens

Lumpkin County c/o 2024
54 TD

RUSHING: 3,641 yds, 53 TD
RECEIVING: 255 yds, 1 TD
TOTAL: 3,896 yds, 54 TD

Mason Sullens started showing out as a sophomore in limited reps, racking up 243 rushing yards and 2 TD in 2021. In his junior 2022 season, he became a household name with 1,101 rushing yards and 18 TD, adding 148 receiving and another score. Sullens became at one point the state’s leading rusher for several weeks in his special senior 2023 campaign. He rushed for a school record 2,281 yards and 33 TD while guiding the Indians to their first-ever Quarterfinals run and Region Championship. Sullens had 4 200-yard rushing games in his final season, including a school record 268 against White County with 4 TD in a 4 OT thriller. He had three 4-TD games, and finished his career with 3,641 rushing yards and 53 TD, and 255 receiving and another TD. Sullens left his mark as a two-time 1,000-yd back and one of the best to ever play for Lumpkin.

#7 · Zach Matthews

Lumpkin County c/o 2017
50 TD

RUSHING: 3,804 yds, 47 TD
RECEIVING: 217 yds, 3 TD
TOTAL: 4,021 yds, 50 TD

Matthews was a beast. He tallied 3,804 total rushing yards, including 1,131 as a junior and 1,352 as a senior. He had 14 TDs in both of those seasons, and had around 200 career tackles from the LB position as well.

#8 · Lang Windham

Rabun County c/o 2023
49 TD

RUSHING: 3,108 yds, 35 TD
RECEIVING: 1,323 yds, 14 TD
TOTAL: 4,431 yds, 49 TD

Lang Windham is a speedy back who gets it done in the ground game and in the passing game. After a 1,378-yard sophomore season with 17 total TDs, he was set for a bigger junior year. In 2021, he had over 1,400 total yards, going for 812 on the ground (13 TD) and 664 yards receiving (9 TD). He closed his career with 4,431 total yards and 49 total TD. That includes 3,108 rushing yards and 35 TD. His senior season had a final tally of 918 rushing yards, 10 TD, and 162 receiving yards.

#9 · Cole Chancey

Commerce c/o 2017
46 TD

RUSHING: 3,644 yds, 44 TD
RECEIVING: 271 yds, 2 TD
TOTAL: 3,915 yds, 46 TD

Chancey led the Tigers with 3,644 rushing yards and 44 TD, and added another 2 TD in the receiving game. He was dynamic, and didn’t take a play off (tallied over 100 career tackles as well).

#10 · Ashely Lowery

White County c/o 2011
43 TD

RUSHING: 3,815 yds, 40 TD
RECEIVING: 608 yds, 3 TD
TOTAL: 4,423 yds, 43 TD

One of the top RBs we’ve seen is Ashely Lowery, who wound up playing for the Wildcats at the University of Kentucky. He had a giant senior season of 1,340 rushing yards and 15 TD to go with 258 receiving and a TD. He also had 112 tackles in that season along with 2 INT. His junior season was pretty impressive as well, with 1,175 rushing yards and 12 TD. He compiled over 200 career tackles, and had 4,423 total yards and 43 TD.

#11 · Javin Gordon

Stephens County c/o 2025
41 TD (42 Total TD)

RUSHING: 3,137 yds, 38 TD
RECEIVING: 381 yds, 3 TD
TOTAL: 3,518 yds, 41 TD

Javin Gordon was special from the get-go. Despite being a freshman backing up a solid RB in 2021, he still managed to rack up 485 yards and 5 TDs. Then it was his time in 2022. As a sophomore, Gordon reached 1,017 rushing yards with 13 TD, and added 108 receiving and a score. He became the relied-upon option for the Indians in that Region Championship, 2nd Round run season. In his junior 2023 season, Gordon became one of the state’s top rushers with 1,635 rushing yards and 20 TD, and added 273 receiving yards and 2 TD. He had 8 100-yard rushing games that year, including a career-best 201 yards against Franklin County with 6 TDs, putting him among the elite for a single-game scoring list.

#12 · Trevae Cain

Banks County c/o 2016
41 TD

RUSHING: 3,015 yds, 38 TD
RECEIVING: 393 yds, 3 TD
TOTAL: 3,408 yds, 41 TD

Cain was electric with the ball in his hands. He tallied 3,015 rushing yards and 38 scores, along with 393 receiving yards and 3 TDs to give him a grand total of 3,408 and 41. His 2015 senior year was his best by far – 1,339 rushing yards and 18 TD, and 143 receiving for 2 TD. Cain also had over 50 tackles on defense.

#13 · Kyle Oakes

Towns County c/o 2022
41 TD

RUSHING: 2,815 yds, 38 TD
RECEIVING: 282 yds, 3 TD
TOTAL: 3,097 yds, 41 TD

Kyle Oakes was a beast in his final two years at Towns County. Multiple times in both seasons he was the state’s rushing leader in Class 1A Public. He finished with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, and took the Indians to new heights they hadn’t seen in decades. He finished his career with a 1,648-yd rushing season with 21 rushing scores in 2021, adding 147 in the receiving game with a pair of TDs. That gave him over 3K total yards and over 40 TD in his career!

#14 · Sevaughn Clark

Dawson County c/o 2019
40 TD

RUSHING: 2,663 yds, 31 TD
RECEIVING: 177 yds, 0 TD
PASSING: 965 yds, 9 TD
TOTAL: 3,805 yds, 40 TD

Clark is unique on this list, as he forewent his senior season as the featured RB to step in as a dual threat QB. That gave him an additional 965 yards and 9 TD, but even without that, he had over 2,700 yards rushing and receiving with 31 scores. His junior season in 2017 was one of the best we’ve seen – 1,806 rushing yards and 16 TD, and another 157 in receiving yards.

#15 · Michael Babers

Habersham Central c/o 2017
38 TD

RUSHING: 2,852 yds, 34 TD
RECEIVING: 163 yds, 4 TD
TOTAL: 3,015 yds, 38 TD

Babers could have done so much more, but was injured much of his senior season. That held him to only 641 yards and 8 TD that season (not shabby for such little time on the field), but his junior season was crazy good (1,264 rush yds, 16 TD; 163 rec yds, 4 TD). He finished with 2,852 yards and 34 TD on the ground, and 3,015 total yards and 38 scores!

#16 · Braylen Rader

Union County c/o 2024
36 TD

RUSHING: 2,077 yds, 29 TD
RECEIVING: 409 yds, 7 TD
TOTAL: 2,486 yds, 36 TD

Braylen Rader got only 2 full seasons to showcase his talents for the Panthers. In 2022, his junior year, he rushed for 805 yards and 9 TD, adding 162 receiving with 2 more scores. Rader put up a career-high of 203 yards against Providence Christian Academy. He entered his senior year as one of the top players for Union County and helped guide them to a second round appearance. In that senior year, he rushed for 1,272 yards and 20 TD, adding 247 receiving yards and 5 TD. His career tallies included 2,077 rushing yards and 29 TD, while having 409 receiving yards and 7 more scores. He had 8 multi-TD games in 2023, and rushed for 4 TDs twice, and a season-high 188 yards against East Jackson.

#17 · Kaleb Crane

White County c/o 2018
35 TD

RUSHING: 2,011 yds, 30 TD
RECEIVING: 254 yds, 5 TD
TOTAL: 2,265 yds, 35 TD

Crane didn’t get a chance to really be the featured back for very long. He did most of his damage in his senior season – 1,616 rushing yards for 23 TDs and 185 receiving for another 2 TD. He was a bowling ball that season, but finishing his career with over 2,200 yards and 35 TD. He also tallied over 100 tackles on defense.

#18 · Brison Beck

Rabun County c/o 2019
33 TD

RUSHING: 2,128 yds, 29 TD
RECEIVING: 325 yds, 4 TD
TOTAL: 2,453 yds, 33 TD

Brison Beck gets in with his monster senior season – 1,423 rushing yards and 21 TD; 186 receiving yards and 1 TD. He did nearly all his damage that season, but also had nearly 1,000 yards as a junior and 10 TD then as well. A solid career for Beck!

#19 · Jonah Daniel

Union County c/o 2021
30 TD

RUSHING: 2,248 yds, 27 TD
RECEIVING: 425 yds, 3 TD
TOTAL: 2,673 yds, 30 TD

Daniel missed almost the entire senior season, but still gets in with 2,673 total yards and 30 TD (exactly the amount needed to make the list). He went OFF as a junior in 2019 for 1,570 rushing yards and 16 TD and another 237 in the receiving game for 2 TD.

#20 · Ryan Fowler

White County c/o 2024
29 TD

RUSHING: 2,406 yds, 26 TD
RECEIVING: 451 yds, 3 TD
TOTAL: 2,857 yds, 29 TD

Ryan Fowler’s numbers are staggering, especially knowing he did this damage in really just two seasons. He missed a lot of time to injury, but showed up a little as a sophomore with 200 rushing yards and a TD. In his breakout junior 2022 season, Fowler ran for 667 yards and 9 TD, while adding 251 receiving yards and 2 TDs. Then as a senior, he led the Warriors to a playoff run with 1,539 rushing yards and 16 TD, adding 200 receiving yards and a TD. That gave him 2,406 rushing yards in his career with 26 TD, and 451 yds and 3 TD receiving. He had 10 100-yd rushing games as a senior, including a career-high 247 in a 4 OT game against Lumpkin, and a 203-yd game against Dawson.

#21 · Jackson Clouatre

Habersham Central c/o 2021
21 TD

RUSHING: 2,673 yds, 20 TD
RECEIVING: 267 yds, 1 TD
TOTAL: 2,940 yds, 21 TD

The TD total is misleading. Clouatre was a consistent, hard-working RB who outplayed his size. He finished with 2,940 total yards and 21 TD. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons to close out his Habersham career.

Kevin Ellison

Habersham Central c/o 2012
98 TD

RUSHING: 5,100 yds, 83 TD
PASSING: 1,412 yds, 15 TD
TOTAL: 6,512 yds, 98 TD

Ok, so Ellison is one of just a couple of players that shows up on another Legacy list for us (Ellison is also a ‘Legacy QB’). As a RB-turned-QB, he is sort of separate on this list because a HUGE chunk of all his rushing numbers came from the QB position. He has 98 total TDs, but spent his first couple of seasons as an all-around athlete, some at RB, before transitioning to taking over the QB roll in a run-first, option-based offense. 5,100 career rushing yards and 83 TD. That’s insane! It’s was good for 10th all-time in state history when he graduated.

Up & Coming

These RBs are on the radar statistically and currently playing.

Tysean Wiggins – Commerce c/o 2025 (2,451 total yds, 24 TD)
Aucy Jacobs – Banks County c/o 2025 (1,446 total yds, 18 TD)
Reid Giles – Rabun County c/o 2026 (1,500 total yds, 17 TD)
Jacari Huff – Commerce c/o 2025 (1,027 total yds, 14 TD)
Antonio Cantrell – Habersham Central c/o 2025 (716 total yds, 12 TD)
Noah English – Rabun County c/o 2026 (704 total yds, 8 TD)
Connor Schuknecht – Union County c/o 2025 (1,160 total yds, 7 TD)
Hayes Gunn – Habersham Central c/o 2025 (306 total yds, 5 TD)
Gerald Walker, Jr – Lumpkin County c/o 2025 (157 total yds, 4 TD)
Dustin Barrett – Towns County c/o 2026 (555 total yds, 3 TD)
Noel Lammers – White County c/o 2026 (369 total yds, 3 TD)
Mickell Pittman – Jefferson c/o 2025 (276 yds, 2 TD)
Morgan Walker – Towns County c/o 2026 (238 total yds, 2 TD)
Dallas Russell – Jefferson c/o 2026 (475 total yds, 1 TD)
Kane Justice – Rabun County c/o 2027 (253 total yds, 1 TD)
Luke Smith – Dawson County c/o 2025 (225 total yds, 0 TD)

Notable Honorable Mentions (1,500 yds+ and/or 20 TD)

Cal Drummond – Rabun County c/o 2016 (2,406 total yds, 28 TD)
Bo Lynch – Union County c/o 2016 (2,322 total yds, 28 TD)
Clayton Dykhouse – Banks County c/o 2017 (2,640 total yds, 27 TD)
Terrence Walker – Banks County c/o 2019 (2,331 total yds, 27 TD)
Silas Mulligan – White County c/o 2022 (2,527 total yds, 25 TD)
Andrew Shockley – Banks County c/o 2023 (2,279 total yds, 24 TD)
Hudson Spurlock – Stephens County c/o 2020 (2,167 total yds, 24 TD)
Tre Reece – Gainesville/Jefferson c/o 2023 (1,320 total yds, 23 TD) *1/2 as WR, 1/2 as RB
Hassan Brown – Stephens County c/o 2017 (2,011 total yds, 21 TD)
Maurice Sutton – White County c/o 2015 (1,621 total yds, 21 TD)
Dalton Whitfield – White County c/o 2014 (2,113 total yds, 20 TD)
Ian McIntosh – Lumpkin County c/o 2015 (1,935 total yds, 20 TD)
Dreylan Martin – Commerce c/o 2022 (1,734 total yds, 19 TD)
Shawn Thomas – Dawson County c/o 2020 (1,636 total yds, 19 TD)
Hunter Mitchell – Dawson County c/o 2016 (1,926 total yds, 18 TD)
Jordan Perry – Jefferson c/o 2022 (1,605 total yds, 18 TD)
Isaiah Grindle – Dawson County c/o 2021 (1,674 total yds, 17 TD)
Ahmad Kamara – Dawson County c/o 2018 (1,518 total yds, 17 TD)
Aaron Scott – Banks County c/o 2024 (1,780 total yds, 16 TD)
Zach Martin – Dawson County c/o 2013 (1,662 total yds, 16 TD)
AJ Howard – Stephens County c/o 2017 (1,583 total yds, 16 TD)
Tyson Everett – Stephens County c/o 2023 (1,526 total yds, 14 TD)
Roman Haynes – Banks County c/o 2022 (1,500 total yds, 14 TD)