Southwest Florida high school football: Top 12 returning running backs in 2024

Here are the top ball-carriers to watch in Southwest Florida this fall

Malik Allen of the Estero High School football team gains yards against Cape Coral High School on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. Estero won 38-0. He returns in 2024 after rushing for 1,293 yards and 10 TDs last year. / Andrew West/The News-Press / USA TODAY

Southwest Florida has long been known for churning out top-quality running backs (see Edgerrin James and Noel Devine among others). This upcoming high school football season should be no different.

There's a ton of talent coming back to backfields in Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties, including multiple 1,000-yard rushers and the area's leading rusher from 2023.

Here are the top returning running backs to look out for this season (in alphabetical order):

Malik Allen, Estero: Allen rushed for 1,293 yards and 10 touchdowns last season and was a huge reason the Wildcats (9-3) had their best season in two decades. Allen also had 694 yards as a sophomore.

Cole Hayes, Riverdale: The latest in a long line of bruising Raiders backs, Hayes (5-foot-11, 205 pounds) plowed his way to 1,621 yards last year. He averaged seven yards a carry and scored 17 total touchdowns.

Riverdale running back Cole Hayes drags defenders into the end zone for a touchdown during against the Lehigh Lightning on Oct. 26, 2023. Hayes rushed for more than 1,600 yards and 17 touchdowns last fall. / Ricardo Rolon/USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA

Trayvon Jean, Naples: Jean was the breakout star of Southwest Florida in 2023, amassing 1,683 yards and leading Golden Gate to its first district championship. Now he's transferred to Naples High where he'll be in an offense that runs the ball 90 percent of the time.

Deshon Jenkins, Bishop Verot: The Vikings have perhaps the area's best passing attack behind QB Carter Smith. However, Jenkins showed that Bishop Verot can run the ball too by churning out 1,260 yards in 2023 and picking up an offer from West Virginia.

Victor Jenkins, South Fort Myers: Jenkins just missed out on breaking the 1,000-yard barrier last year, but he did average more than 100 yards per game. He rushed for 925 yards and nine scores in nine games.

Nino Joseph, Lely: Joseph might have been the area's best freshman last season. He finished with 825 yards and seven touchdowns in just nine games. The 5-7, 170-pound speedster averaged 7.9 yards per carry.

Gearvis Leaphart, Island Coast: The 5-8, 190-pound back ran for 1,000 yards last season, scoring six touchdowns. He also impressed coaches enough to get scholarship offers from Memphis, Utah and UMass.

Ike Perry, Port Charlotte: Perry was impressive with 856 yards and a stunning 19 touchdowns last season. But even more impressive, he did it as the team's No. 2 back. He's in store for a huge senior season after the graduation of Edd Guerrier (1,146 yards last year).

Lazaro Rogers, East Lee: Another big and powerful back, Rogers (5-11, 215) muscled his way to 1,515 yards last season. He found the end zone 18 times and also had a receiving touchdown.

Shawn Simeon, Naples: Simeon led Southwest Florida in rushing and scoring last season with 1,869 yards and 27 touchdowns. In the regional finals he amassed a school-record 395 yards in the regional semifinals, plus seven touchdowns, an FHSAA playoff record.

Naples Golden Eagles running back Shawn Simeon (5) on the run against Venice during a spring game at Venice's Powell-Davis Stadium on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. / THOMAS BENDER/HERALD-TRIBUNE / USA TODAY

Chris Singleton, Dunbar: Last season the 5-9, 165 pound junior was the leading rusher on a team that went 11-3 and won a regional championship. He had 1,085 yards and averaged 6.4 yards per carry.

Frank Starks, Fort Myers: Starks is not tall (5-8), but he's solid (185 pounds). He had 837 yards and 11 touchdowns a year ago as the Green Wave went 8-3.

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