2022 Rankings Update: Stock Risers
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With every round of player ranking updates comes significant movement. Consider the Prep Red Zone Class of 2022 updates shook. In total, 21 players increased their stock at least 30 spots. There were quarterbacks who improved their already lofty status…
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Continue ReadingWith every round of player ranking updates comes significant movement.
Consider the Prep Red Zone Class of 2022 updates shook.
In total, 21 players increased their stock at least 30 spots. There were quarterbacks who improved their already lofty status and previously unknowns outside their schools who proved themselves valuable beyond compare.
Here is every player who forced our hands into big-time leaps.
Ky Tayo Ky Tayo 6'0" | 280 lbs | DL Spring Valley | 2022 State SC , DL, Spring Valley (↑ 31 spots)
Even at 6-feet tall, Tayo’s worth was immeasurable for the Vikings. He then parlayed it into a scholarship offer from Sun Belt school Georgia Southern, where he’ll be moving on to play on Saturdays.
Prometheus Franklin II Prometheus Franklin II 6'3" | 195 lbs | QB Greenville | 2022 State SC , QB, Greenville (↑ 32 spots)
Franklin was part of a star-studded offense at Greenville that ultimate ended up making the state semifinals. The dual-threat signal caller was the key piece, however. The Red Raiders will miss his tenacity and calm behind center.
Jonathan Chavis Jonathan Chavis 6'2" | 245 lbs | DL Camden | 2022 State SC , DL, Camden (↑ 33 spots)
A family situation was the only thing that prevented Chavis from being able to compete in the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl. And while that may have boosted his stock, his performances during the postseason did the same.
Will Mattison Will Mattison 6'4" | 190 lbs | QB Northwestern | 2022 State SC , QB, Northwestern/ Ryan Burger Ryan Burger 6'3" | 175 lbs | QB Myrtle Beach | 2022 State SC , QB, Myrtle Beach (↑ 34 sports)
Two of the state’s four all-star selections were coincidental bumps in the Prep Red Zone rankings. What wasn’t a coincidence was why. They both continued to develop when everyone knew exactly what their respective offenses were trying to accomplish.
Jy Martin Jy Martin 5'10" | 165 lbs | DB Byrnes | 2022 State SC , DB, Clover (↑ 35 spots)
While playing big-class football, Martin was asked to go above and beyond down the stretch and play some receiver. It didn’t stop him from continually slowing down opposing teams’ top receivers. Martin was a stat monster of a cornerback.
Terry McKithen Terry McKithen 6'0" | 180 lbs | RB West Florence | 2022 State SC , RB, West Florence (↑ 39 spots)
“Terry with a T”, as he’s known to Knights fans, was a huge reason West Florence made it to the Lower State finals, as he rushed for 1,815 yards and 28 touchdowns. His durability gave us every reason to bump him up a peg (or 39).
Tavarius Hooks Tavarius Hooks 5'8" | 160 lbs | RB North Myrtle Beach | 2022 State SC , RB, North Myrtle Beach (↑ 41 spots)
Hooks was sort of a one-year wonder for a North Myrtle Beach team that managed to knock off a No. 1 seed in the playoffs. He rushed for 1,112 yards and eight touchdowns in just 10 games for the Chiefs.
Eric Cooper Eric Cooper 6'0" | 195 lbs | LB South Florence | 2022 State SC , LB, South Florence (↑ 43 spots)
Cooper was among the fastest on-field performers for a South Florence squad that decimated most of its opponents with pure speed. He had 65 total tackles, four tackles for loss and an interception in 11 games, many of which he wasn’t playing in after halftime.
Mac Walters Mac Walters 6'6" | 275 lbs | OL Myrtle Beach | 2022 State SC , OL, Myrtle Beach (↑ 46 spots)
You can teach a lot of things, but height on the offensive line isn’t one of them. Walters, all 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds of him, was instrumental in keeping opposing defenders at bay and allowing the high-powered Seahawk offense to do it thing.
Tre Phillips Tre Phillips 6'4" | 220 lbs | DL Myrtle Beach | 2022 State SC , DL, Myrtle Beach (↑ 51 spots)
As good as Walters was on the offensive line for Myrtle Beach, Phillips was the standout on the defensive one. The NCAA Division-I and II offers have started to follow, and it appears to be only a matter of time until he finds the right fit.
Kazarius Adams Kazarius Adams 5'8" | 170 lbs | RB Gray Collegiate Academy | 2022 State SC , RB, Gray Collegiate (↑ 52 spots)
A finalist for South Carolina Mr. Football, Adams’ numbers in 2021 were downright laughable. In leading Gray to the Class 2A state title, he rushed for 3,343 yards and 40 touchdowns. Sort of hard to believe Georgia State even recruited him.
Alvin Wilson Alvin Wilson 6'3" | 240 lbs | DL Beaufort | 2022 State SC , DL, Beaufort (↑ 53 spots)
While his teammate Eamon Smalls Eamon Smalls 6'3" | 300 lbs | DL Beaufort | 2023 TX gets plenty of pub, this was Wilson’s year. The inside-out defensive lineman spent enough time in opposing backfields to warrant a jersey change. His tackles for loss figures were through the roof and coordinators game-planned against him.
Demetrius Watson Demetrius Watson 6'3" | 250 lbs | DL Fort Dorchester | 2022 State SC , DL, Fort Dorchester (↑ 67 spots)
By the end of the year, some media members were opening wondering whether Watson was the best defensive lineman in a state full of them. He had huge game after huge game, and then capped it off with an all-star appearance he’ll remember forever.
Jesus Gutierrez Jesus Gutierrez 6'4" | 350 lbs | DL Green Sea Floyds | 2022 State SC , OL, Green Sea Floyds (↑ 71 spots)
The 6-foot-4, 350-pound tackle cut his ranking exactly in half with a huge push in the final weeks of the regular season, two rounds of playoffs and then a strong performance in the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl.
Cj Wicker Cj Wicker 5'11" | 210 lbs | LB Dutch Fork | 2022 SC , LB, Dutch Fork (↑ 86 spots)
We could play a six degrees of Kevin Bacon game and find someone you’re connected to who Cj Wicker Cj Wicker 5'11" | 210 lbs | LB Dutch Fork | 2022 SC tackled this year. The Silver Foxes’ senior linebacker was everywhere. He may have been the most reliable player on the the defense, and that’s saying something.
Avion McBride Avion McBride 6'6" | 215 lbs | TE West Florence | 2022 State SC , TE, West Florence (↑ 89 spots)
Like Adams, McBride is another Georgia State signee plucked out of the Palmetto State. And consider this: McBride wasn’t so much as a blip on the West Florence plans until this summer. The 6-foot-6 tight end changed everyone’s mind in a hurry.
DJ Black DJ Black 6'2" | 175 lbs | WR Chapman | 2022 State SC , WR, Chapman (↑ 93 spots)
What else can we say about Black that hasn’t already? Let us try anyway. The electric Chapman wideout is going to end up getting whichever college coach signs him in February a raise. He is a game changer on the outside.
Tre McLeod Tre McLeod 6'2" | 185 lbs | DB Trinity Collegiate | 2022 State SC , DB, Trinity Collegiate/ Dylan Ramirez Dylan Ramirez 6'2" | 200 lbs | QB Broome | 2022 State SC , QB, Broome (↑ 132 spots)
We mentioned coincidences above, but this one takes the cake. Ramirez and McLeod were two of the three athletes we selected for the Prep Red Zone Fab 50. They crushed it this fall, McLeod as a defensive back and running back and Ramirez as a quarterback and linebacker.
Carlton Terry Carlton Terry 6'0" | 165 lbs | WR Conway | 2022 State SC , WR, Conway (↑ 166 spots)
Admittedly, we left Terry pretty low the last time around because we still weren’t sure exactly how well he’d play in his one and only year at receiver. We’ve corrected our mistake. The former QB lit up fields along the coach all season and was then named one of the MVPs of the Touchstone Energy Bowl.