Class of 2022 Rankings: Best Player By Position

Ian Guerin September 15, 2021 @ 09:00 AM

Want to put together the ultimate list of seniors in South Carolina? Start with the best player at every position according to the Prep Red Zone statewide rankings. Obviously it doesn’t fill a full 22 and special teams, but what this list does - aside from tell you the top-ranked player for the updated Class of 2022 charts - is give a dream all-star roster. Chances are, we’ll likely see most, if not all, of these players in either the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas or the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl in December. These are the top-ranked players in every position group. Long Snapper - [player_tooltip player_id="91196" first="Blake" last="Shirley"], Eastside Shirley gets a rankings bump because he’s such a dynamic middle linebacker for Eastside, but his long-term potential is getting the ball back to the punter and then doing some damage on to any potential return game. He’s precise with the snap and gets downfield in a hurry. Punter - [player_tooltip player_id="91244" first="Daryl" last="Simmons"], Aiken Simmons isn’t a tried and true punter. In fact, he’s played more positions the last two years than we can count. But when it comes time for Aiken to kick it away, he can punt the snot out of the football. Kicker - [player_tooltip player_id="91237" first="Drew" last="Stevens"], North Augusta Unlike Simmons, Stevens is an every day specialist. There’s a reason Iowa came after him so hard and he’s going to be a Hawkeye soon. Stevens drilled nine of his first 12 kicks this year and will likely be a featured weapon in the Big 10 sooner rather than later. Linebacker - [player_tooltip player_id="59462" first="Jaylen" last="Sneed"], Hilton Head Sneed is among the superstars of the Class of 2022 in South Carolina, a linebacker who can destroy anything in front of him. He blows up running and passing plays alike. Simply, he’s as reliable as it gets. Sneed committed to Notre Dame over the summer. Defensive back - [player_tooltip player_id="59459" first="Jeadyn" last="Lukus"], Mauldin The top overall player in South Carolina for this class, Lukus has been high-profile for a long, long time. The ultra-mobile cornerback and potential college return man verbally committed to Clemson not long ago capping what may have been the worst-kept secret in the state. Defensive lineman - [player_tooltip player_id="59466" first="DJ" last="Aiken"], Bluffton Aiken is one of those players who causes jaws to drop when he gets off the bus. Aiken is 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds. It’s why he’s got offers from all over the ACC and SEC. In the meantime, he’s going to keep wrecking some offenses. Offensive lineman - [player_tooltip player_id="59461" first="Collin" last="Sadler"], Greenville Pass blocking. Check. Run blocking. Check. Pulling. Check. Standing up, hand in the dirt, etc., etc. Sadler does it all for Greenville, and the future Clemson Tiger could play any one of the spots along the line later on. He’s got the tools to succeed, something he’s already proved. Tight end - [player_tooltip player_id="91171" first="Joshua" last="Sapp"], Greenville We list Sapp as a tight end, but he’s more like an overgrown receiver. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, though, he’s frequently lined up next to tackle (see, above) and gives Greenville and even more imposing blocking presence, one who happens to be able to catch anything. Receiver - [player_tooltip player_id="59464" first="Adam" last="Randall"], Myrtle Beach Randall took his offseason as seriously as it gets. He ran, lifted and caught passes just about every day, and he looks the part because of the regiment. Randall’s 2021 campaign was delayed, but he put up yet another highlight reel in Myrtle Beach’s opening game. Running back - [player_tooltip player_id="59468" first="CJ" last="Stokes"], Hammond School Stokes isn’t the biggest back in the class. Or the fastest. Or the best catching passing out of the backfield. But he is the best of all worlds. The Michigan commit is playing for the SCISA front runner, and after a few departures, he’s even more of the focus. Quarterback - [player_tooltip player_id="59469" first="Zan" last="Dunham"], Chester Every time we hear that Dunham is no longer a quarterback, that he’s a future college safety, he does what he did last week against Northwestern. It was then that he put up 350 total yards of offense and made a match-up against a 5A school closer than most would have expected.