2023 Rankings Update: Year of the Athlete

Ian Guerin January 7, 2022 @ 11:38 AM

The best Swiss Army knives of the 2023 class come in many forms. But each of them bring more than just one skill set to the table. From the quarterbacks who may move back to their regular positions to guys who get after it on offense, defense and special teams, these eight players deserved a spot in our Class of 2023 rankings due to their diversity of abilities. [player_tooltip player_id="263160" first="James" last="Peterson"], Lake City Ask Lake City coach Ronnie Baker where Peterson will play next year, and Baker have to shrug his shoulders. Peterson (pictured) will plan defensive back and return punts and kickoffs. But he also might be the team’s featured tailback or quarterback. That’s the type of leeway Peterson provides the Panthers, who will be looking to put the track standout’s speed to use in a lot of ways. [player_tooltip player_id="262702" first="Elijah" last="Barnes"], Byrnes Barnes did a fine job picking up a lot of the rushing slack when the team’s top tailback went down. And at 6-foot and 200 pounds, he has the traditional make-up of a shotgun rusher. He can see where he needs to go then make the necessary cuts (he averaged 6.3 ypc last fall). But even after Barnes likely transitions back to more of an H-Back role as a senior, you better believe he’ll be in the backfield plenty, too. [player_tooltip player_id="262701" first="Demarius" last="Foster"], Dorman If Foster’s current path continues, we’ll likely transition him to the running back position in the rankings before the end of his career. After all, he was Dorman’s leading rushing last season - going for 966 yards and 11 touchdowns. His ability to make plays in the passing game make him a solid multi-faceted threat. He was among the team leaders last season in receiving yards, too, as he caught 14 passes for 154 yards. [player_tooltip player_id="262674" first="Tyleke" last="Mathis"], Saluda Mathis was a starter on the 2019 state championship team as a defensive back, and his role on the team has only grown since. As a junior, the 5-foot-10, 170 pounder led Saluda with 49 receptions, 538 yards and nine receptions, put up 428 kickoff/punt return yards and recorded four picks, 47 total tackles, four tackles for loss and three forced fumbles on defense. There was more, we’re sure. But we started to lose track of everything he did. [player_tooltip player_id="262638" first="Campbell" last="McCurry"], Summerville McCurry was the team’s starting quarterback last year before his season was put on the shelf with an injury. But it didn’t take long for us to see some of his skills. Yes, he’s an adept passer. But his athleticism was on full display with designed runs and even some moderate RPO action early on in the year. McCurry (5-foot-10, 200 pounds) could be developed into a true all-around type of offensive weapon next year. [player_tooltip player_id="262616" first="Chance" last="Jennings"], Gilbert Jennings was a quarterback for most of 2021, but only because coach Chad Leaphart needed him to be after the starter went down. Jennings performed well, and the lefty showed some touch and arm strength that few saw coming. Still, he is every bit of a receiver/backfield star in the making. He’s broken a 4.5 in the 40 a few times, and he has experience in big-game situations in two sports (baseball and football). Jennings is getting plenty of college attention. [player_tooltip player_id="91161" first="Maleik" last="Williams"], Silver Bluff A year ago, a lot of folks looked at us funny when we put the 5-foot-8, 165-pound quarterback in the rankings. Williams made us look like we know what we’re doing. As a junior, he threw for 1,237 yards and 11 touchdowns (while completing 68 percent of his passes) and rushed for 482 yards and another eight scores. All that production helped push the Bulldogs to the Class 2A state finals - a place many expect Silver Bluff to be again next year. [player_tooltip player_id="124455" first="Clay" last="Pender"], Barnwell Barnwell is a tried-and-true running team. The War Horses carried the ball on 88 percent of their offensive snaps last season. The main reason they broke ranks was because of Pender. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound standout caught 27 of the team’s 53 pass receptions (for 429 yards and five touchdowns). It was a nice addition to his 21.5 total tackles and an interception from his spot on defense. Pender.