With space opening on their college football rosters, could these two freshmen running backs see some action in the upcoming CFB season?
There are two new faces in the SEC division to keep an eye on. College football running backs Justice Haynes and Kedrick Reescano are two of the best in the class and might not take long to make an impact. One will step into Alabama’s running back room, looking to potentially earn some of the reps vacated by Jahmyr Gibbs, and the other will fight for playing time at Ole Miss behind Quinshon Judkins.
Alabama recruit Justice Haynes is picking up some hype going into his freshman year, while Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels appear to be looking forward to seeing Kedrick Reescano’s career develop on campus. Let’s take a look at their college football fantasy potential this season and find out a little more about them.
Justice Haynes – Running Back, Alabama
Justice Haynes was recruited out of Buford High School in Georgia and is a five-star recruit who was branded the number one running back in the nation according to Rivals.com.
There were a bunch of rumors in late 2022 that Haynes would flip his commitment from Alabama to Georgia, staying in his home state and playing where his father played, but the young running back dismissed those claims in a hurry. He enrolled at Alabama in early 2023, closing down any doubts that he would in fact play for the Tide.
He’s an explosive talent who will bring some of that Jahmyr Gibbs essence to the Alabama offense, arriving at five foot eleven and 200 pounds. He has a massive 7,574 rushing yards and 95 touchdowns to his name at Buford, with 23 of those touchdowns coming as a senior. The young talent chose Alabama over 30+ alternative options having been a highly recruited high school prospect, including an offer from the Georgia Bulldogs.
Kedrick Reescano – Running Back, Ole Miss
Kedrick Reescano is a four star recruit that Ole Miss recruiters and the coaching staff couldn’t be more excited about. He was originally committed to Michigan State, but when he decommitted he became a hot commodity late in the recruiting cycle. Ole Miss prevailed and brought him in despite heavy competition.
Reescano is coming out of New Caney, Texas, and is ranked the number five running back in the state of Texas within his recruiting class. He managed over 5,000 total yards of offense at New Caney High School, and rushed for 1,849 yards in his senior year.
His highlight tape shows a tonne of balance and the ability to keep his feet churning to battle through contact. He can then flat out run away from the pack and could be a valuable addition for the Rebels in the next few seasons.
2023-2024 CFB Season Opportunity
Justice Haynes
Senior Jase McLellan will be the main man for Alabama this season, but there is certainly opportunity for a freshman running back behind him. Nick Saban has proven he doesn’t fear throwing guys into the fire in their freshman year, as he did with Josh Jacobs.
The freshman Alabama running back will be able to compete for some of the reps vacated by Jahmyr Gibbs, who was the Crimson Tide’s leading rusher in the 2022-2023 campaign. Gibbs was drafted 12th overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL draft, and leaves an open spot on the roster at Alabama.
Gibbs took 151 carries last season while McLellan had 111, with each back picking up seven touchdowns during the season. Now senior Roydell Williams had 253 yards and four touchdowns as additional depth last year, so he likely starts out ahead of Haynes, but could easily be challenged for those reps as the season plays out.
Kedrick Reescano
Reescano has a little more competition out in front of him at Ole Miss, but I would argue that the competition and depth is a little less talented than what Alabama currently has. That might mean Reescano has the potential to force his way into the rotation early.
The star for the Rebels is Quinshon Judkins, who had 275 carries for 1,567 yards last season while accumulating 16 touchdowns on the ground. He was one of the best backs in college football last year and will likely continue that form this season in Lane Kiffins’ offensive scheme.
Zach Evans was a very strong RB2 last year with 144 carries of his own for 930 yards and nine touchdowns, but he then moved on to the NFL and is now with the L.A. Rams. Outside of those two guys, quarterback Jaxson Dart carried the football 87 times for 699 yards of his own, and that’s about it.
Reescano comes into the roster behind Judkins, but beyond him there are no proven running backs in the group that are confirmed to get carries in front of him. Sure they have the experience in their favor, but they haven’t proven anything yet on the field for the Rebels.
Pro’s and con’s for playing time
Justice Haynes
The key for Haynes is going to be his size and frame. Not many freshmen arrive at college already built at 200 pounds worth of lean athletic muscle. If you go and watch the spring game, he could easily be a senior. He doesn’t look like a 170 pound freshman at all, and he doesn’t need to hit the weight room before he earns his way onto the field.
Nick Saban seems to be excited about him, and looking at what he brings you can see why. He found the end zone three times in Alabama’s spring game, with two red zone rushing scores and a reception that he caught over the middle and scampered home with too. His ability to run the football between the tackles and pick up receptions in the pass game will work in his favor, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nick Saban putting him out there this year.
The downside might be his level of experience against college football’s defensive lines, but that would be true for any freshman. He will work it out in a hurry and the pros far outweigh any cons that might come with having little experience at the college level.
Kedrick Reescano
Lane Kiffin loves the run game. Judkins and Zach Evans combined for over 400 rushing attempts last season as well as Jaxson Dart taking off 87 times himself. Ole Miss have become one of the country’s strongest rushing offenses, as was the case with Matt Corral and co. when he was there too.
Much like Haynes, Reescano is ready to go. He’s six foot tall and 210 pounds and can absolutely compete for the role that’s been vacated by Zach Evans.
The pro for playing him is Ole Miss’ current situation in looking for the support act for Quinshon Judkins. He’ll compete with the likes of redshirt sophomores Matt Jones and Fred McAfee, and will have to beat those guys out if he wants to see the field.
The risk and potential con of Reescano getting playing time is the fact that Ole Miss didn’t use any of their backs last year outside of Judkins and Evans. RB3 was Ulysses Bentley, and he had 15 carries on the season, while Matt Jones had three.
Why draft him in CFB fantasy leagues?
Justice Haynes
Because I can’t see how he doesn’t at least get on the field for 50+ carries this season. It looks like he’s already RB3 on the roster, and could very realistically earn the RB2 role before training camp is over.
When Nick Saban gives a glowing review of a freshman he’s usually right, and those guys usually see plenty of action. It was the same for Josh Jacobs, and for Jaylen Waddle when he burst onto the scene too, and that’s just two examples.
Justice Haynes is already ready to go physically, now he just needs to make that jump from a high school talent to a college football athlete, understanding gaps and assignments and getting used to the college game.
Kedrick Reescano
Because if he earns the Zach Evans role, the upside is ridiculous in terms of fantasy value versus draft position. Kedrick is about as boom or bust as it gets, because if last season is anything to go by, the top two running backs will get 95% of the work.
Reescano either falls into that category and gets 100+ carries as a freshman, or he slips to RB3/4 and gets 10 carries or less. If you like playing a risky game or have a spare pick to use and already have a strong group of running backs, maybe in a college football devy league, then he might be your guy.
Stock radar as an NFL prospect
Justice Haynes 10%
When you arrive at the college level looking like Justice Haynes does, and that college is Alabama, you expect the pedigree to prevail. Haynes could very easily join a long list of Alabama running backs who turned pro, including Josh Jacobs and Derrick Henry.
When McLellan moves on after this season Haynes could and likely should be RB1, which elevates his stock in anticipation of that. So we’re starting out at 10% for the true freshman running back prospect.
Kedrick Reescano 6%
Ole Miss is a great fit for Reescano. Look at what they’ve been able to do on the ground these past couple of years. Over 2600 yards for their two running backs last year is great for future guys coming into the program, including Reescano.
The Ole Miss running back might not get his chance this season, but if he waits a year Judkins will be in the NFL and the RB1 spot will be wide open for him to claim.