AKDear

Even though he was of the top high school running backs to come out of Mississippi in the past decade or so, Akylin Dear remained focused on the little things. "Not many people get this where I am from," Dear, who rushed for 2,016 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior at Quitman High. "I'm going to stay humble, keep working and make these dreams come true. It all feels great, but it is not going to change me. I will just keep working." What was even more remarkable about his success in high school is that he scored 22 of the 27 touchdowns in his junior year during the final five games of the season. Dear also threw three touchdown passes that year. That followed up on the 21 touchdowns he had as a sophomore in high school.