The 2027 running back class in Colorado is deep, fast, and frankly a little ridiculous. We've got Ivy League offers, a Pittsburgh offer sitting on a linebacker's desk, a kid who improved his rushing output by 843% in one year (we checked the math twice), and the fastest verified athlete in the state running a 4.36 forty while Harvard and Yale fight over him like he's a rare first-edition textbook.
We ranked 30 backs. We watched a concerning amount of Hudl film. We timed B-gap entries with a stopwatch like a bunch of football nerds because that's exactly what we are. Here's where we see every senior back heading into the 2026 season.
The number hasn't changed. The ranking hasn't changed. Mangrum is the best running back in Colorado.
The 1.21 B-gap time is the fastest in this class by a margin that borders on unfair, and it captures something the forty never will: this kid processes the game faster than everyone else on the field. State rushing leader with 2,001 yards at 11.5 YPC and 30 touchdowns as a junior. A verified 4.49 forty. A 99-yard long run, which, for context, means he literally could not have run any further without leaving the stadium.
The play we keep coming back to is the one where the strong safety is filling the frontside B gap at full speed and Mangrum identifies it pre-contact, redirects to backside A through a window most backs wouldn't even see, and scores because his tackle executes a second-level block. That is not athleticism. That is a running back who sees the game in slow motion while everyone else is buffering. NAU already offered. First Team All-State. First Team All-Conference MVP. Denver Post 101 Impact Players to Watch. End-around mesh-to-perimeter times consistently under 1.5 seconds. The film with a stopwatch tells the whole story.
The fastest verified athlete in the state. Period.
A 4.36 laser-timed forty at the PRZ Stock Up Showcase. A 10.71 100m. The fastest 40 across all PRZ combine events nationally. When Harvard and Yale are both offering you, the academic profile is elite, and when the athletic testing backs it up with numbers like these, you're looking at a prospect whose ceiling is genuinely the highest among Colorado running backs.
Releford nearly tripled his rushing output from sophomore to junior year (576 yards to 1,601 yards at 7.7 YPC), earned CHSAA 5A All-State honors, and was named the PRZ Stock Up Showcase Colorado MVP. The 4.27 shuttle and 6.90 L-drill confirm the lateral quickness matches the straight-line speed. He is one of the most difficult ball carriers to bring down in the open field in the state. He's also got 20 TDs and a long of 76 as a junior. The receiving game is developing too: 9 catches for 172 yards at 19.1 YPR with 2 TDs shows legitimate after-the-catch ability. The senior season hasn't even started yet.
The most complete back in this class. Not close.
When we say "complete," we mean it in the way that makes offensive coordinators sleep well at night: Payne runs, blocks, picks up blitzes, reads the field at an advanced level, and does all of it with a physicality that contradicts his 165-pound frame. The 1,533 yards and 20 TDs as a junior tell part of the story. The 365-pound squat at 165 pounds body weight tells the rest.
Payne is a verified 10.68 100m sprinter (All-State in track), which makes the 90-yard long run on his film less surprising and more "yeah, that checks out." He initiates contact. Runs with low pad level. Lowers his shoulder to stay on a north-south track rather than dancing laterally. The differentiator is the blitz pickup ability: he reads inside-out for threats and steps up to protect pocket integrity like a veteran who's been doing it for a decade. The sophomore-to-junior leap (751 yards to 1,533, more than doubling every rushing category) shows a development curve that's still climbing. Two-time First Team All-Conference, All-State in both football and track, nine 100+ yard games in 12 contests. The complete package.
Best frame in the class. The kind of body college S&C coaches dream about.
At 6'1" 205, Modrzewski has the physical tools that make you pull out a whiteboard and start drawing up plays. He's a true two-way producer at 5A: 609 rushing yards and 11 TDs on offense, 64 tackles and 12 TFL and 2 INTs on defense. The South Dakota offer validates what the film shows, which is a football player with legitimate positional versatility who can line up split out as a receiver, find soft spots in zone coverage on scramble drills, and then turn around and rack up 12 TFL on the defensive side.
The 200+ rushing yard performance in a 5A quarterfinal playoff win against Arvada West is the kind of game that makes college coaches lean forward in their chairs. Accelerates extremely well through the hole once he commits. Great field vision tracking blockers and finding space in traffic. Makes decisive zone cuts and trusts his reads. Lines up split out and functions as a legitimate receiver, 9 catches for 125 yards and 2 TDs at 13.9 YPR. Shows a quality inside pass rush move and good ball awareness in zone drops. The 57-yard long run demonstrates second-level speed and breakaway ability. The frame has room to add functional mass, and the football IQ is already operating at a level that translates.
PRZ's #9 overall prospect in the entire Colorado 2027 class. That's not just a running back ranking. That's every position.
The recruiting validation on Vialpando is significant: Prep Redzone has him top-10 overall, Denver Post recognized him, Blue-Grey All-American Combine Rocky Mountain Regional invited him. At 6'1" 180, the frame projects to 200-210 at maturity, fitting a college OLB or nickel body type. He's a monster two-way player contributing at RB, LB, and safety for Columbine, showing the kind of positional versatility and football IQ that makes defensive coordinators at the next level start planning their scheme around him before he even arrives on campus.
Led his team in interceptions as a sophomore (3 INTs), demonstrating ball-hawking ability from the LB/S position. 75 tackles, 3 pass deflections, and a TFL as a junior. Multi-sport athlete in football, basketball, and baseball, which gives you the lateral quickness, hand-eye coordination, and overall athleticism that show up on Fridays. The Ducks 7v7 work in the offseason shows he's investing in pass coverage and receiving skills. The senior season should be special.
Swiss-army-knife doesn't even begin to cover it. Plays RB, WR, slot, OLB, MLB, and has lined up at QB. Verified 11.30 100m. Weight room numbers at 192 lbs (265 bench, 425 squat, 405 deadlift, 205 power clean) are the kind of strength profile you usually see from kids 20 pounds heavier. Sophomore-to-junior all-purpose yards jumped from 448 to 1,132. 4.1 GPA. AuroraTV Athlete of the Month. His ceiling hasn't been found yet.
Verified 10.88 100m as a sophomore is elite, full stop. Averaging 75 snaps per game at slot and cornerback. 14 knockdown blocks as a slot receiver show physicality beyond a speed guy. Father played RB in the NFL for the Patriots and was USC All-Pac-10, grandfather played at CU and USC. 6 pass breakups, an INT, and 17 tackles at corner. 3.8 GPA. Fun fact: two Monarch backs in the top 7. That's a 4A program.
Pittsburgh offered. We don't think Pitt is in the business of offering kids out of charity. 122 total tackles as a junior in the 5A Centennial League against Cherry Creek, Eaglecrest, Grandview, and Arapahoe. 17-tackle game vs ThunderRidge. Broke the school tackle record. Defensive Player of the Year. Let's be honest: this is a D1 linebacker with a Pittsburgh offer, and that's the most valuable recruiting asset on this entire list.
College-ready from a physical standpoint right now. At 5'10" 205, this is a running back you could hand the ball to at the FCS level tomorrow. He wins on timing, pad level, and build speed. Eight 100+ yard rushing games in 11 contests at 5A tells you the consistency is there. PRZ Colorado 2027 Watch List and Camp Gamechanger recognition.
An 843% rushing improvement. We checked if someone accidentally added a digit. They didn't. From 146 yards as a sophomore to 1,378 as a junior. The 6'1" 180 frame has room to grow through a college strength program. All-State Second Team. If he runs a verified 4.5 to 4.6 at camps this summer, we're having a completely different conversation about his ceiling.
The receiving breakout is the story. Going from 4 catches as a sophomore to 28 for 278 yards and 3 TDs as a junior is the kind of development modern three-down back recruiting is built on. Career 1,022 rushing yards and 6.6 YPC across two varsity seasons. PRZ #164 overall in CO 2027 class.
6'3" 195-pound two-way destroyer playing 6-man football in Otis, Colorado. All-State First Team. 23 catches for 319 yards and 8 TDs at 13.9 YPR show soft hands beyond just being the best athlete on a 6-man field. The frame could project to DE, OLB, TE, or physical H-back at the next level.
If this kid runs a 4.7 at camps this summer, phones are going to ring. Physically imposing is the polite way to describe 6'2" 220 with a 475-pound deadlift. The less polite way is to say he looks like he was assembled in a lab specifically designed to make offensive linemen uncomfortable. Projects to TE, FB, or OLB.
College-ready frame. Right now. Today. You could suit him up. All-State First Team. The 57-yard long run confirms he can create explosive plays in space, not just between the tackles. He projects as a college linebacker who hits with the functional strength of a wrestler. That's not a metaphor. He literally is a wrestler.
Done everything right. Camped at Power 5 schools. National Honor Society. Doubled his rushing output. All-State Second Team (CHSAA/MaxPreps). Academic Excellence Award and Einstein Award recipient, which is a sentence we've never typed before in a running back evaluation but here we are.
From 299 yards to 1,135 yards. The development trajectory is a straight line pointing up. Physical, downhill running style. Two-way contributor at linebacker. Ball security on 169 carries is a quiet but important data point. The frame at 6'0" 185 has room to develop.
1,673 rushing yards. 82 tackles. 12 TFL. 5 sacks. And 100+ career wrestling wins. This kid's motor has a motor. Career 2,568 yards and 245 tackles. 245-pound bench at 170 body weight. Traveled to Atlanta for exposure events from rural Colorado. The effort and physicality translate to any scheme.
Tripled his carry volume while maintaining elite efficiency and eliminating fumble issues. Career 7.3 YPC across 220 varsity carries. Five 100+ yard games. Punt return TD. Handles kickoffs and punts too. The production is already there.
The frame is the first thing you notice. The second is the 7.8 YPC. The third is that he's only been starting for one year. At 6'2" 190 with room to carry 210-215, the projection makes this ranking feel conservative. If the senior year builds on the junior breakout, Monte Vista might have the biggest riser in the class.
Vision, jump cuts, and natural pass-catching ability at 5A Regis Jesuit. Nearly doubled rushing yardage while improving YPC from 3.5 to 5.9. Rugby background translates to tackling technique and contact balance. PRZ "Diamonds in the Rough" and "Breakout Watch" features.
Note: 2028 prospect (sophomore stats). Including him because the production demands acknowledgment. 245 bench and 350 squat at 180 pounds as a sophomore. Full-season starter on both sides at 4A Longmont. 79-yard long run. A name to track for the next two years, not just one.
28 receptions for 450 yards at 16.1 YPR with 8 TDs. That's not incidental receiving production. That's a legitimate pass-catching weapon who also rushes for 22 TDs at double-digit YPC. The 200-yard, 4-TD performance on just 8 carries (25.0 YPC) versus Sargent makes you do a triple-take.
True three-phase player: runner, receiver, defensive back. All productive. 13.2 YPR shows he can run routes and create mismatches against LBs in coverage. 2 INTs and 5 TFL from safety show ball-hawking instincts.
18.6 yards-per-reception on 37 catches is the best receiving line in this entire class. Dynamic development from part-time RB/LB at Overland (5A) to dominant all-purpose weapon at Montbello (4A). 315 squat. 21 tkl, 3 TFL, a sack, and an INT on defense as a sophomore.
Efficiency numbers are almost comically good. Jump from 6.3 YPC soph to 9.1 YPC junior while increasing TD output from 2 to 16. Ball hawk with 8 career interceptions. 2,668 career all-purpose yards. Three-year varsity starter with 28 career games.
The best projection here might be safety. At 6'1" 175 with verified agility (4.52 shuttle, 7.18 L-drill), the frame and movement skills project to box safety or strong safety. Scout evaluation praises backpedal, hip fluidity, and run-game physicality. Multi-sport athlete in lacrosse and track.
Three years of varsity production since freshman year. 32 games of experience. PRZ describes him as a "mixture of a weaver and bruiser." Does not go down on first contact. PRZ Colorado 2027 Watch List #220. The senior year film should complete the picture.
All-State at linebacker AND tight end on a 4A state championship game team. Championship-game interception vs Dakota Ridge. 285 bench, 385 squat. An instinctive, downhill linebacker in a gap-control scheme at the FCS level is a legitimate outcome.
State champion. Elite shiftiness, explosive jump cuts, and the ability to make the first defender miss. Advanced vision: reads second-level defenders before committing. PRZ #93 in Colorado 2027 class. MileHigh Prep Report Preseason 2A POY Candidate.
Exceptional relative strength. 280-pound bench at 173 pounds. Three-year varsity contributor since freshman year. Two-way player at RB and OLB. Senior season benefits from a top QB and senior OL around him. The production numbers are about to catch up to the talent.