Balance, it is all about balance. Strength is important, but it has to be balanced with fexibility, conditioning, hand-eye coordination and knowledge/understanding. It sounds like he is in fantastic physical condition, yet he is only 14 and has alot of physical and mental maturing to go through in the next 4-5 years. Keep in mind too that politics is prevalent in sports, so other less-skilled and capable athletes will sometimes rob the limelight because of other connections or attractions but if he just stays focused one day the right opportunity will open up for him. Also, being that he is 14 he should be cautious of overworking his body because it has been scientifically evident that too much weight training, conditioning and exercise in the pre-teen and early teen years can lead to stunted growth and other issues relating to physical development. Lastly, many top athletes were "late bloomers" and only began play, and training for, a particular sport a few short years before their college or pro careers. Whereas, youth who push too hard get burned out and their productivity begins to drop just when it is time to push to the next level for a scholarship or otherwise.

Speed improvement for young athletes...Ill have to check that out. Ya know one thing I don't understand, He is so explosive. His Vert is 32" and rising. He's used jumpsoles for about two years (While I was on my mission) and they have helped him get airborne! I always thought vert would have a direct correlation with speed. Maybe it is his technique? On film though, he has some really good game speed. Just not the 40 time to dazzle the coaches to give him a chance at varsity RB this year. One thing i have noticed when you watch Christopher Johnson of ECU is his stride. He has a long stride and his feet always land directly under his hips. His legs look so smooth as they kick back and they move so fast it looks like those things on the wheels of trains. I guess who better to try to learn form from the Chris Johnson (Fastest Electronically timed 40) and Asafa Powell (Fastest Man in the World). I think besides form I need to find a way to develop Fast Twitch fibers Type IIb.

And Slugger I just read your post...I think you made a very good point. He is still so young. Hes only played since 7th grade tho and started lifting the summer before 9th grade (So last summer). I think I over-train him and push him too hard. I'm not even a father and I think I push him the way some dads push their kids to succeed. Stunting his growth was something I have worried about but at 5'10" he is as tall as me and i'm the tallest in my family so I dk that with his genetics he will even grow taller. I need to learn to post highlights on Youtube so i can get an opinion of you guys think, His freshman year he came off the bench to score 13 touchdowns so he does have potential to be good.

Don't sweat speed so much. Elite players run in the 4.3s. Lightning quick run in the 4.4's. Your typical RB will run in the 4.5 (very fast) to 4.7. There is a lot more to game-speed than the 40, so don't worry about speed.

At 14, the most important thing he can do is be football savvy. Like you are saying, he still has room to grow/fill-out. The better all-around athlete he can become, the better. His junior year he should be fairly "set" in his position and then really work on attributes associated with that position, but until then its more important to become a great football player vs. great running back.

I think Pwride brings up a good point. One of the things I struggled with the most with high school football was seeing the why of what I was doing. If I'd have understood football as well then as I do now I would have been a much better player. Look at players like Cameron Jenson, Scott Johnson, and Matt Bauman; they bring a lot to the table when it comes to understanding the game.