Dylan Brush is emerging as Arizona's top young running back

Horizon sophomore running back Dylan Brush opened the 2026 season with numbers that stand out on their own.

411 rushing yards. Eight touchdowns. 39 carries.

But those numbers leave out perhaps the most impressive part: Brush played only the first half in each of Horizon's first two games.

Against Verrado, the 5-foot-11, 187-pound sophomore rushed 26 times for 235 yards and four touchdowns, averaging nine yards per carry. A week later against Apollo, Brush needed just 13 carries to add another 176 yards and four touchdowns, this time averaging 13.5 yards per attempt.

By halftime of both games, his night was over.

In roughly four quarters of football across those two games, Brush had already accumulated 411 rushing yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 10.5 yards every time Horizon handed him the ball.

His third game brought his first full workload of the season.

Against Cactus, Brush carried the ball 27 times for 131 yards and three touchdowns. It wasn't the same explosive efficiency as his first two performances, but it gave him a third straight 100-yard game and pushed his season total to 542 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 66 carries.

Through three games, Brush is averaging 180.7 rushing yards per game and 8.2 yards per carry while finding the end zone once every six rushing attempts.

And he's doing it as a sophomore.

Brush's production didn't begin this season. As a freshman, he rushed for 902 yards and nine touchdowns on 101 carries, averaging 8.9 yards per attempt despite playing his first season of varsity football.

A year later, Brush says he's a different running back.

"Last year, I was just running," Brush said. "This year I'm more mature, bigger, stronger and faster, and I know the game way better."

The biggest change might be what happens before he ever touches the football.

Instead of simply taking the handoff and reacting to what's in front of him, Brush has started trying to understand what the defense is giving him before the ball is snapped.

"I try to see the formation before the play, figure out who's unblocked and who's blocked, and zone everything out when I get the ball," Brush said.

That development has shown through the opening weeks of his sophomore campaign. Brush has already scored more rushing touchdowns through three games than he did during his entire freshman season.

Add the two seasons together and Brush has already rushed for 1,444 yards and 20 touchdowns on 167 carries at the varsity level, averaging 8.6 yards per attempt.

He has much bigger numbers in mind.

"My goal is to get 2,000 rushing yards this season," Brush said.

After 542 yards through his first three games, Brush is already more than a quarter of the way there. Reaching the mark would require another 1,458 yards over the remainder of Horizon's schedule.

But his goals aren't limited to his own stat line.

Brush wants his sophomore season to end with Horizon playing for a championship.

"My goal is for Horizon to make it to state and win," Brush said.

Away from the field, Brush describes himself as a "big family guy" who loves relaxing. On Friday nights, however, there hasn't been much relaxing for the defenses trying to stop him.

Three games into his sophomore season, Brush has already rushed for 542 yards, scored 11 times and established himself as the centerpiece of Horizon's rushing attack.

Last year, as Brush puts it, he was "just running."

This year, he's reading the defense, running with a purpose and chasing 2,000 yards.