Franklin’s Alex Leugers should again be one of the toughest backs in the state to contain this fall.
Daily Journal file photo
Some running backs are blessed with top-end speed. Some rely on raw power. Others have a field vision that enables them to see holes opening before they’re actually there.
Franklin coach Chris Coll hasn’t had many who possessed all three of those traits, but he’s got one now in senior Alex Leugers.
“He’s a difference-maker for us, and he’s a difference-maker for our opponents in a weekly game plan,” Coll said. “He’s just a very, very good football player. … He’s one of the better ones I’ve had, for sure.”
The 6-foot, 195-pounder heads into this season as one of the top running backs in the state of Indiana and the cornerstone of the Grizzly Cubs’ offense. Leugers rushed for 1,389 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior, adding 13 pass receptions out of the backfield — but judging from the work he’s put in since, he wasn’t at all satisfied with that output.
He’s done the work in the weight room, adding about 10 pounds to his frame since last year. In the spring, Leugers ran track in an effort to improve his speed and athleticism, and he wound up qualifying for the state meet in the 100-meter dash after running a time of 10.93 seconds at the regional.
Leugers hasn’t lacked for motivation through his high school career.
Pegged as a potential star before his sophomore season, he broke his collarbone in the first half of the 2022 opener against Danville — his first varsity start — and didn’t return until the postseason. Though he didn’t particularly enjoy watching from the sideline, it did give him some useful perspective.
“I just learned so much more about the game,” he said, “and my knowledge about positions and how certain players play — 100%, my knowledge just went up a ton.”
Coming out of the gates with a vengeance last fall, Leugers ran for more than 120 yards in each of Franklin’s first six games. He capped that stretch with a 232-yard performance in the Grizzly Cubs’ 29-26 upset of Mooresville, then added a 221-yard, four-touchdown effort against Greenwood two weeks later.
He earned All-County and All-Mid-State Conference recognition, but was not chosen for the AP or IFCA All-State teams — “so that’s definitely the chip on my shoulder this year,” Leugers said.
This season will be a big one for Leugers in a number of ways. For starters, he’s going to be counted on to carry an outsized load for a Franklin team that lost its starting quarterback, its top three wide receivers and three starting offensive linemen. Despite the turnover, though, Leugers is confident in the guys around him — junior QB Greyson Betts has a good deal of varsity experience, and the linemen stepping into regular roles for the first time have earned Leugers’ respect.
“Just knowing that the dudes that are stepping up this year have put in the work in the offseason, I can trust them to do their job,” he said.
Additionally, Leugers is playing to secure his football future. The transfer portal has made it more difficult for high school seniors to land early scholarship offers, as more colleges opt to wait on older transfers to become available rather than bring in 17- and 18-year-olds.
Coll has no doubt that Leugers can cut it at a high level.
“He’s a Division I prospect,” the coach said. “Now whether he gets an offer at the Division I level, I can’t tell you. … But he’s going to end up somewhere.”
For his part, Leugers just uses those recruiting slow-plays as further motivation. He’s looking to put his best foot forward every day.
“It definitely stays in my mind when I’m in the weight room and out on the field out here,” he said. “I’ve always got to do something to make myself better.”
A frightening prospect for opposing defenses.
2024 SCHEDULE
Date;Opponent;Time
Aug. 23;at New Albany;7 p.m.
Aug. 30;Mt. Vernon;7 p.m.
Sept. 6;Perry Meridian;7 p.m.
Sept. 13;at Whiteland;7 p.m.
Sept. 20;Martinsville;7 p.m.
Sept. 27;at Mooresville;7 p.m.
Oct. 4;Plainfield;7 p.m.
Oct. 11;at Greenwood;7 p.m.
Oct. 18;Decatur Central;7 p.m.
SCOUTING THE GRIZZLY CUBS
Coach: Chris Coll
Last season: 5-5, lost at Terre Haute South in Class 5A sectional semifinal
Who’s back?: DB Landen Basey, LB Isaac Broughton, DB Ryan Calloway, OL Eli Jewell, RB Alex Leugers, WR Jayden Oliver, WR Cade Petty and LB Harjot Singh, seniors; QB Greyson Betts, WR Braeden Bonesteel, OL Mason Ford, DB Collin Owens, OL/DL Blake Smythe, RB Isaiah Stultz, juniors
New faces to watch: WR Wyatt Mitchell and DL Dax Richards, seniors
What to expect: The Grizzly Cubs suffered some notable graduation losses but also return a pair of potential All-State players in Leugers, who was arguably the top running back in the area last season, and Smythe, a massive presence on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Betts assumes the starting quarterback role after seeing some time there in each of his first two years, and Bonesteel is the most experienced of a promising group of receivers.
The top priorities for Coll will be finding some more dependable starters on the offensive and defensive lines and at linebacker — perhaps some from a promising sophomore class — as well as limiting big plays in the passing game. An experienced secondary led by Basey, Calloway and Owens should help at least somewhat on that last front. Aside from a likely cakewalk in next week’s season opener at New Albany, the schedule is a difficult one with no weeks off. Franklin should be able to compete in the Mid-State Conference, but how many games it can win remains to be seen.
