As complicated as college football recruiting can become, sometimes it feels like the opposite.
The latter is the case with four-star Northport (Ala.) Tuscaloosa County running back Kevin Riley, who just went public with a verbal commitment to Mario Cristobal and Miami just a day or so after returning home from his official visit to Coral Gables.
The trip to south Florida was the first official visit on record for the rising-senior, who tallied 1,300-plus yards and 11 touchdowns on Friday nights as a junior. The balanced, workhorse-like back also flashed in the passing game, adding three more scores to his 2022 impact through the air.
Riley becomes the second back to commit to Miami this cycle, joining Chris Wheatley-Humphrey, the local speedster out of Hollywood (Fla.) South Broward -- so let the thunder and lightning talks commence surrounding a program nicknamed after severe storms.
Riley had offers from Georgia as well as in-state Alabama and Auburn before ending the process on Monday evening, so the win is strong in the optical department for The U. In breaking down his game, there is reason for the Hurricane fanbase to celebrate beyond the initial victory, too.
Strengths
There is a modern frame and game when digging into Riley, who is beyond 6-feet tall and close to 200 pounds. Sure, there is a natural lean and power he plays with, as perhaps one my have expected based on the measurables, but there are samples of suddenness throughout Riley's profile just the same. He can run through defenders but also set them up in the open field, winning leverage with a jump cut or even a bound at times.
The Under Armour All-America selection blends classic and modern together in one of the more critical areas for a back -- decisiveness. He can scream into a hole with reckless abandon or hit the jets after allowing his blocks to take shape, not as common a maturity point in evaluating the modern back. There is minimal wasted movement whether in traffic or out in the open field, so one less headache for offensive coordinators and running backs coaches with the newest Cane.
Riley also works well at the contact point, very well. On one run in 2022, we counted seven defenders missing Riley on initial contact. Some whiffed in the hole and in close quarters, while others were avoided in space, including one via a lengthy and sturdy stiff arm.
Areas for Improvement
Riley wasn't used a lot in the passing game in 2022, hauling in about a dozen passes, but he looks comfortable working away from the ball. The next step in that evolution would be to set up defenders within the route like he does with the ball in his hands. The physical ability and precedent exists, so this is more of an assurance of pure balance. All backs have to catch the ball and work well in space, but great backs make that the cherry on top of their foundation.
There aren't many samples of Riley getting caught from behind, at least not on tape, and playing against strong state of Alabama competition should reassure that. Still, long speed may not be a current strength, but it could project as more of an unknown. Plays to the contrary include great (and willing) kick off coverage and of course a bevy of longer scoring runs.
With another year of prep ball ahead of his days in the ACC, though, Miami fans have to be excited about another Rivals250 back joining an all-of-a-sudden deep stable of backs at The U. It also signed a pair of backs, one bigger and one more well known for speed, in the 2023 cycle.
