South Jersey's Running Backs to Watch for 2024 season

Who are the best players to run with the football?

Here are some of the top running backs in South Jersey heading into the 2024 season.

We ranked our top 10 running backs. Now, here's your chance to vote for your choice with the poll at the end of the story.

Running backs to Watch

10. Denzel Lee, Cherry Hill East. Few closed out the 2023 season better than Lee. He rushed for 170 or more yards in seven of his final eight games, finishing with 1,465 yards and 18 touchdowns.

9. Daviyon Jackson, Salem. One of the most productive runners, Jackson accumulated over 1,200 yards in just eight games last season. He rushed for over 100 yards in seven of those contests, including a season-high total of 273.

8. Jahcere Ward, Holy Spirit. After logging just three games last season, Ward returns for his senior season with the Spartans. He had a breakout year as a sophomore, rushing for 961 yards and 19 touchdowns. At 5-10, 230 pounds, "Pops" is tough to bring down.

7. Mason Widman, Gloucester. In a program built on tough running backs, Widman added his name to the list with a breakout season last fall. He rushed for over 1,400 yards, including a career-high 230 in a game, and 18 touchdowns.

6. Aamir Dunbar, Cedar Creek. One of the best young runners in South Jersey, Dunbar enjoyed a breakout season last fall, rushing for 1,371 yards and 10 touchdowns. Will be fun to see what the next step for this young back will be.

5. Bryce Belinfanti, Woodstown. Belinfanti played a major role during one of Woodstown’s most successful seasons. He rushed for a program-record 1,741 yards, a total which ranked among the best in the state and is the highest total for a returning running back in South Jersey.

4. Murad Campfield, Cherokee. The senior thrived in the Cherokee backfield last fall, rushing for over 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns. How fast is Campfield? He was clocked at 22.5 mph during a training session earlier this month.

3. Julian Turney, St. Augustine . The workhorse became the eighth running back in Hermit history to break the 1,000-yard mark in a season. He registered a touchdown in each of the final seven games (15 over the stretch) and finished with 19 rushing TDs for the season.

2. Daniel Russo, Delsea. One of the most punishing runners in the Garden State. Russo racked up 1,673 yards rushing with 26 touchdowns for the state champion Crusaders. The Penn commit boasts over 3,200 rushing yards and 43 rushing touchdowns for this career.

1. Kenny Smith, Glassboro. With more than 3,500 career rushing yards in three seasons at Hammonton the senior has a new home and he’s in position to challenge the 5K mark, which only five RBs have topped in South Jersey history.

Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com . Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: South Jersey's Running Backs to Watch for 2024 season