Photo Credit: Jason Duchow

 As we head towards a new football season, IdahoSports.com is once again getting fans ready by unveiling the Top 10 players at each position.  These lists feature players from all corners of the state, and from all six classification levels.  Each week, we'll publish a new list of Top 10 players.  Here's the schedule:

July 6 (Offensive Linemen)

July 14 (Defensive Linemen)

July 17 (Special Teams)

July 24 (Running Backs)

July 29 (Linebackers)

August 3 (Wide Receivers/Tight Ends)

August 10 (Defensive Backs)

August 17 (Quarterbacks)

These selections are listed in alphabetical order by school.  These opinions are my own, and I made these selections based on a number of factors, including: returning All-State or All-Conference pedigree, college recruiting hype, and the good old-fashioned eye test.

Disagree?  Send me an email at brandon@idahosports.com.

Without further ado, here are the Top 10 Running Backss to watch out for in 2026.  

Tito Villano, 12, Century

Villano is a 6-foot, 205-pound senior who enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2025.  After rushing for just over 600 yards as a sophomore, Villano nearly doubled that effort last fall, running for 1,219 yards and 18 touchdowns while averaging 6.9 yards per carry. 

Jon Denke, 12, Coeur du Christ

No back on this list carried a higher per-yard average in 2025 than Denke, the explosive senior at Coeur du Christ Academy.  Denke ran for 1,083 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 76 carries for an astounding average of 14.3 yards per carry.  The 5-foot-9, 160-pound senior enters his third year as a starter for the Saints, which is also how many seasons the private Catholic school in Coeur d’Alene has been playing football.

Casen Knight, 11, Hagerman

The 6-foot, 180-pound Knight certainly didn’t play like a sophomore in 2025, rushing for 1,209 yards and 17 touchdowns on just 127 carries (good for an average of 9.5 yards a pop).  He also caught 28 passes for 594 yards and 7 scores. 

Griffin Tamagni, 12, Lakeland

Lakeland has resembled a running back factory in recent years, rolling one bell-cow after another off the assembly line.  The 5-foot-9, 160-pound senior rushed for 1,219 yards and 19 scores in 2025. He is a standout baseball player as well.

Baxter Covington, 12, Logos

I’m not exactly sure where Covington will play on offense in 2026.  It could be at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, or…possibly all three.  Just look at his 2025 totals:

20-of-26 passing, 261 yards, 6 TDs
87 carries, 1206 yards, 17 TDs 
10 receptions, 102 yards, 2 TDs

Just focusing on the rushing totals, Covington averaged 13.9 yards per game.  For a Logos team competing in 11-man football for the first time in school history, they’ll need that kind of production again from Covington.

Mark Lungu, 11, Notus

Lungu burst on to the scene as a sophomore in 2025, with several opposing coaches and players describing the 5-foot-10, 210-pound wrecking ball as “tough to tackle.”  That’s putting it mildly, to say the least.  Lungu ran for 1,179 yards on 144 carries (8.2 yards per carry) while finding the end zone 12 times.

Zach Permann, 12, Rockland

As far as I can tell, Permann was the only player in Idaho last season to accumulate over 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving.  With 31 total touchdowns to his ledger, the 5-foot-7, 125-pound senior rushed for 1,390 yards and totaled 1,043 receiving yards.

Oakley Baxter, 12, Rocky Mountain

Baxter profiles as a home-run hitting speed threat, as he ran the 100-meter dash in 11.01 seconds this past spring.  On the gridiron, the 1st Team All-Conference back ran for 998 yards on just 136 carries, good enough for a 7.3 average and 13 touchdowns. 

Jensen Sheetz, 12, Sandpoint

The 5-foot-7, 195-pound Sheetz is a compact runner who isn’t afraid to plunge right into the heart of the defense between the tackles.  Sheetz bulldozed his way to 1,214 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2025.

Drake Sage, 12, West Side

Death, taxes and a West Side wingback qualifying for our Top 10 list.  Drake’s older brother Crew once graced this list, and the family honor continues here.  Last season, Sage rushed for 1,202 yards and 15 touchdowns on 176 carries (6.8 yards per carry).