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Forrest City running backs Kevin Young Jr. (left) and Mason Ball (right) at last weekend's Rivals Camp.
The Rivals Camp Series made a stop in Coppell (Texas) last weekend where gridiron prospects from around the region met at Coppell High School to display their skills. A couple of the participants included the Forrest City backfield duo of Kevin Young Jr. and Mason Ball.
Young, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound 2026 prospect, had a breakout season for the Mustangs in 2024 and currently owns offers from Arkansas State, Arkansas – Pine Bluff, Kansas State, Missouri, Murray State and Vanderbilt. He plans to take an official visit to Kansas State on June 20.
Ball, 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, is a 2027 prospect who recently transferred to Forrest City from Jacksonville. He currently holds offers from Arkansas and Vanderbilt.
The Rivals Camp Series puts the athletes through NFL-style combine drills that include the 40-yard dash, 3-cone drill, shuttle run, broad jump and vertical jump. Ball and Young had the opportunity to work with former NFL running back and two-time Super Bowl Champion Brandon Jacobs. Both felt like Jacobs got the most out of them.
"I have been through those drills before, but the energy and speed that he wanted was fast," Young said. "He wanted tempo but also did not want us to mess up."
"(It was cool) Having a guy that has been in the NFL with that experience and teaching the little things about how every step matters in those drills," Ball said. "He was making sure we had it down before we moved on to other things. We did a passing drill that I felt like I got a lot of good tips on. To see everyone out there working just encouraged me to do more."
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Under first-year head coach Reggie Swinton, a former Little Rock Central standout who compiled a Hall of Fame career at Murray (Ky.) State University and also played in the NFL, Forrest City rebounded from a consecutive one-win campaigns in 2022 and 2023 to clinch a berth in the 4A state playoffs last season.
Young's efforts played a large part in the turnaround, as he finished with 1,280 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging a solid nine yards per carry. Ball eclipsed over 1,000 all-purpose yards last fall during his sophomore campaign at Jacksonville. Adding Ball to a talented collection of skill players will give Swinton and his staff more opportunities to expand the playbook.
"Having those two in the backfield allows me to do a lot more when it is a key situation or when everyone knows the ball is going to Kevin," Swinton said. "Now they can not solely focus on Kevin so it is going to spare his body and keep him fresh, but we also have more playmakers outside.
"We scored a lot of points last year, but the play calling this year is going to be a lot more fun."
Young echoed his coach's statements on having some help in the backfield.
"I'm excited [to have Mason] because it gives me a break," Young said. "Say if I run for a 75-yard touchdown I do not have to just rush back in and run the ball again. We can also help each other out, so if he is tired I can come in for him."
Young added that he and Ball's talents do not stop with the ground game.
"We both help the receivers out too because we can catch and run routes so it really just helps the team out in general."
Though Ball's two offers are from the SEC, considered by many to be the top league in college football, he feels the work for him is just beginning in his fresh start with a new team.
"I hold myself to a very high standard," Ball said. "Whether it is SEC, ACC, or whatever conference it is [that I get looks from] I am going to give my best. I believe to be the best you have to play against the best."
Three of Young's six offers are from the Power Four ranks, which he pointed out is not only good for himself individually, but also some of the talent that tends to go unnoticed in the area.
"My goal was to put Forrest City on the map because this is a small city and a lot of people do not get seen," Young said. "We just want to show that we have way more talent than most of the schools around us, but since we're a small school and have not won that much nobody has really come and looked at us."
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