Pennsylvania's top high school running backs entering 2025 include trio of Harrisburg rushers

Pennsylvania's top high school running backs entering 2025 include trio of Harrisburg rushers originally appeared on The Sporting News

Messiah Mickens is the king of Pennsylvania’s Class of 2026 when it comes to running backs.

Mickens, an elusive 5-foot 10-inch 200-pounder who is committed to Penn State, rolled up 1,214 yards on 155 carries a year ago for a healthy 7.8 yard average. He found the end zone on 21 of those attempts, and those numbers are even more impressive considering the talent he was up against in his own backfield. Junior transfer D’Antae Sheffey was also on the roster after two productive seasons at State College Area High School.

Sheffey was the feature back for the Little Lions as a freshman in 2022, piling up 1,725 yards and 22 touchdowns while leading his team to the third round of the playoffs. A 27-7 loss there to Harrisburg ended their season one game shy of a shot at the PIAA Class AAAAAA championship. His role was de-emphasized at State College as a sophomore, and the Lions stumbled to a 7-4 finish, including another 20-0 loss to Harrisburg.

In a case of “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” Sheffey then transferred to Harrisburg High for his junior season in 2024 and totaled 519 all-purpose yards. Mickens still logged most of the carries and was rewarded for his big season by winning the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year award.

Even with both Mickens and Sheffey to call upon, Harrisburg was unable to get past Pittsburgh’s Central Catholic in the Class AAAAAA semifinals. Since then, reports have surfaced that Sheffey has transferred back to State College for his senior season. For the moment, he is still listed with Harrisburg on major recruiting sites, and his X.com feed lists Harrisburg, too. But if he’s back in State College for his senior season, then we could see another duel between two of Pennsylvania’s best runners when Harrisburg pays a visit to State College on September 5.

Pennsylvania's top high school running backs entering 2025

Shavane Anderson, William Penn (York) Bearcats – Sr.

(Ht) 6-1 (Wt) 195, Uncommitted

Anderson has been a key cog in William Penn's backfield the past two seasons and holds offers from Kent State, Old Dominion, and Syracuse at the FBS level. He remains uncommitted for now, and despite rushing for more than 1,300 yards in 2024, it didn't translate into team success for the Bearcats who stumbled to a 2-8 finish after a 6-4 ledger in 2023.

Ezekiel Bates, Malvern Prep Friars – Sr.

(Ht) 5-11 (Wt) 220, Minnesota Golden Gophers

With 461 yards and 8 touchdowns in seven games a year ago, Bates has established himself as a steady force that can move the chains. At 5 foot 11 inches and 220 pounds, he's a powerhouse to contend with, and he's already earned a scholarship offer to the Big Ten's Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Sy'eer Coleman, Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia) Panthers – Sr.

(Ht) 6-2 (Wt) 200, Uncommitted

Coleman didn't carry the ball often last year for Imhotep Charter, but he made the most of his 38 carries with 405 yards and five touchdowns. At 10.66 yards per carry, he averaged a first down every time he touched the ball, and major colleges took note. He holds offers from Big Ten power programs like Oregon, Penn State, and Wisconsin, and even SEC teams have come calling with South Carolina and Texas A&M extending invitations to join the fold.

Armand Hill, West Mifflin Titans – Jr.

(Ht) 5-8 (Wt) 170, West Virginia Mountaineers

Hill is just a junior, and he's not big. But his numbers are, and "big" might not even be doing them justice. As a freshman, he ran for 1,526 yards and 20 touchdowns, and last season, he put up another 1,693 yards with 23 more scores. His career total stands at 3,219 yards and 43 touchdowns. He's managed all that on just 302 carries, matching Coleman's average tote at 10.66 yards. He's already committed to West Virginia with two more seasons to add to his totals.

Nazir Jones-Davis, Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg) Crusaders – Sr.

(Ht) 5-11 (Wt) 190, Eastern Michigan Eagles

Jones-Davis burst onto the scene as a sophomore in 2023, finishing just shy of a thousand yards with 978 and 10 touchdowns. But last year was a true revelation – the future Eastern Michigan Eagle romped through opposing defenses for 1,657 yards and 18 touchdowns. Surprisingly, EMU is his only FBS offer at the moment, but it wouldn't be a shock to see some bigger names come calling later this fall.

Messiah Mickens, Harrisburg Cougars – Sr.

(Ht) 5-10 (Wt) 200, Penn State Nittany Lions

Mickens is our lead story above, and he'll continue to be the engine for the Cougars' offense in 2025. His junior highlight reel below speaks for itself.

Desmond Ortiz, La Salle College High (Wyndmoor) Explorers – Sr.

(Ht) 5-8 (Wt) 190, Brown Bears

Ortiz ran for 403 yards on 85 carries a year ago but also proved to be an effective dual threat, catching 21 passes for 231 yards. He scored a total of seven touchdowns and plans to go the Ivy League route having committed to the Brown Bears.

D'Antae Sheffey, Harrisburg Cougars – Sr.

(Ht) 5-11 (Wt) 180, Syracuse Orange

If reports are correct as noted above, Sheffey will be back on the sidelines at State College Area High where he played his first two seasons before transferring to Harrisburg last fall.

Kemon Spell, McKeesport Tigers – Jr.

(Ht) 5-9 (Wt) 205

A future teammate of Mickens at Penn State, Spell is currently listed as the No. 1 running back in the entire nation for the Class of 2027.

The McKeesport star is only a junior this fall, but he put up eye-popping numbers a year ago in his breakout season. He was no slouch as a freshman in 2023 running for 517 yards on just 37 carries – 12 of which went the distance for touchdowns. But last fall, he was the feature back in the Tigers’ offense running for 1,681 yards and 24 touchdowns on just 157 carries. In two seasons, he’s averaged an absurd 11.33 yards per carry.

McKeesport needed every bit of it to recover from a 1-4 start, but with Spell leading the way, the Tigers rolled to a 6-0 finish in the WPIAL’s Class AAAA Greater Allegheny Conference.

McKeesport RB Kemon Spell scores one of his 24 touchdowns last season against Aliquippa.

Marquez Wimberly, Nazareth Area Blue Eagles – Sr.

(Ht) 5-9 (Wt) 190, Sacramento State Hornets

Wimberly has steadily increased his output over three seasons in the Nazareth Area High backfield. He put up 386 yards as a freshman in 2022 before adding another 642 in 2023. As a junior last fall, he had his best season yet with 851 yards rushing. Along the way, he's struck pay dirt 29 times, and his 1,879 career rushing yards have come on just 320 carries – a solid 5.87 per average clip.

Top RB head-to-head matchups on Pennsylvania's 2025 football schedule

Spell will lead his McKeesport Tigers into battle on October 3 against Armand Hill's West Mifflin Titans. It could be a track meet with both players averaging more than 10 yards per carry in their careers.

Mickens – and Sheffey if he’s still in Harrisburg – will also go head-to-head with Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, PA) running back Sy’eer Coleman in the season opener on August 23. Coleman is uncommitted but has offers from several Big Ten schools including Penn State where he could be teammates with Mickens.

Coleman will also go head-to-head on September 12 with another running back on our list, Minnesota commit Bates of Malvern Prep. Prior to that, Bates will showcase his talents on August 29 against La Salle College and their future Ivy League running back Ortiz who’s committed to Brown.