2023 Rankings: Deepest Position Groups

Ian Guerin May 24, 2021 @ 12:46 PM

The 70 players in Prep Red Zone South Carolina’s updated Class of 2023 rankings find themselves stemming in large part from five position groups. In short, it’s all about the trenches and those lining up directly behind them. We broke down the top five positions tallies, as well as some of the top names in those spots. LINEBACKERS (10) Right off the bat, Class of 2023 No. 1 player [player_tooltip player_id="89333" first="Jalen" last="Rambert"] from Powdersville brings some serious muscle to the linebacker corps. But the 6-foot-1, 240-pound mega-recruit is only the beginning. He’s joined by the likes of Wren’s [player_tooltip player_id="89334" first="Luke" last="Schuller"], Timberland’s [player_tooltip player_id="91142" first="Omari" last="Jenkins"] and Southside’s [player_tooltip player_id="91157" first="Kazi" last="Bland"]. DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (10) To think that two different teams sport a pair of defensive linemen on our list is an impressive feat. Camden is represented by the position’s top-ranked player, [player_tooltip player_id="89338" first="Xzavier" last="McLeod"], and the flexible [player_tooltip player_id="91155" first="David" last="Copley"]. While Oceanside Collegiate’s [player_tooltip player_id="146357" first="Tim" last="Castain"] and [player_tooltip player_id="146374" first="Marcus" last="Adams"] have done their own share of early damage. Throw in a few other big names - such as Beaufort’s [player_tooltip player_id="89341" first="Eamon" last="Smalls"] and Sumter’s [player_tooltip player_id="146354" first="Monteque" last="Rhames"], and there’s no shortage of pressure on offensive lines around the state. OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (10) Oceanside’s [player_tooltip player_id="89337" first="Monroe" last="Freeling"] has had a huge offseason, one bolstered by Power 5 offers for the 6-foot-7, 275-pounder. Four other offensive linemen - Dorman’s [player_tooltip player_id="91355" first="Markee" last="Anderson"], Northwestern’s [player_tooltip player_id="89343" first="Jordan" last="Knox"], Seneca’s [player_tooltip player_id="89342" first="Cam" last="Johnson"] and Indian Land’s [player_tooltip player_id="91138" first="Jack" last="Beachum"] - join him in the overall top-15 for the state. Toss in a Ridge Spring-Monetta’s [player_tooltip player_id="91139" first="Kanaan" last="Ligons"], and you’ve got yet another inside the overall top 20. So, yes, this is a deep position grouping. QUARTERBACKS (11) There is a lot of different looks with the elite 11 (it was too easy) players at quarterback in our most recent ranking. From new rivals [player_tooltip player_id="89339" first="Raheim" last="Jeter"] (Spartanburg) and [player_tooltip player_id="89340" first="Grayson" last="Loftis"] (who transferred to Gaffney), to the cannon-armed [player_tooltip player_id="89345" first="Zolten" last="Osborne"] at Fort Dorchester or the highly effective [player_tooltip player_id="91150" first="Carson" last="Black"] at Nation Ford, the arms are going to be a driving force for this position and this class. RUNNING BACKS (11) The running backs from the Class of 2023 may turn out to be among the best in recent memory in South Carolina. Just about everyone knows about Dutch Fork’s [player_tooltip player_id="91136" first="Jarvis" last="Green"] (Pictured), Irmo’s [player_tooltip player_id="91137" first="Naahzeikial" last="Mays"], Oceanside Collegiate’s [player_tooltip player_id="89344" first="Vaughn" last="Blue"] and Stratford’s [player_tooltip player_id="146353" first="Jaedon" last="Alston"]. They’re all in the top-20 overall rankings in the state. The rest of the crop all has the potential to be special, too. Keep an eye out this fall for McCormick’s [player_tooltip player_id="91145" first="A’Chean" last="Durant"] and Spring Valley’s [player_tooltip player_id="146359" first="Evan" last="Javis"], among others.