2024 Rankings Update: Offensive Stockrisers

Ian Guerin January 12, 2023 @ 07:46 AM

The offensive firepower around South Carolina was bolstered by a few players making significant strides in the last four months.   Yes, they were already ranked.   No, we weren't sure if they'd have this type of impact on our rankings. The following six players moved up a combined total of 240 spots - nearly 90 more than the total number of players we currently have in the latest rankings update.    Translation: This isn't your average crop of Stockrisers.   CUTTING IT (ALMOST) IN HALF   [player_tooltip player_id='265222' first='Turbo' last='Richard'] finished ninth in the state in rushing last season, putting up just shy of 2,093 yards and 24 touchdowns. Oh, yeah, he also caught 23 passes for 185 yards and another score. His complete immersion into an offense that passed for 3,700 yards this fall was only icing on the cake, and another reason for us to bump him seven spots to No. 11 overall.   Another big-yardage player isn't as high up the rankings, although he's now much closer to the top of the spectrum. Eight days after Powdersville quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='448984' first='Eli' last='Hudgins'] and his team lost the Class 3A state championship game, he showed up to Myrtle Beach for the Joanne Langfitt Junior Showcase and reminded everyone of the type of athlete he is. After all, despite being held in check in Columbia, he finished the season with 2,792 yards and 27 touchdowns passing and another 843 and 16 rushing. Taking home MVP honors from Langfitt, then, showed us he isn't done trying to push himself. As such, he's up 41 spots to No. 45 overall.   SPEED KILLS   No, we didn't base everything we did here off the Langfitt, but we also weren't immune to a specific part of it, either. Namely, the Catapult vests everyone was wearing.   Case in point, Aiken's [player_tooltip player_id='208338' first='Braylon' last='Staley'] and Midland Valley's [player_tooltip player_id='267472' first='Antrone' last='Butler']. Staley, a likely future NCAA Division-I receiver (offers from 17 schools … so far) was clocked at an event-high 20.49 miles per hour that night.   Butler - a true slash who catches passes, rushes the ball out of multiple sets and returns kickoffs - was tied for third-fastest at 20.17 miles per hour.    Now's a good time to let you know that these weren't timed sprints (40s or otherwise). Those college-level MPH times happened in shortened-field, live drill action. We used that extra bit of evidence as another reason to move Staley up 22 spots and Butler 27 spots up the ladder.   FAB 50 MOVES   Two juniors who found themselves in our Fab 50 back in December had already convinced us of their skills.   First, Trinity Collegiate athlete [player_tooltip player_id='208350' first='Brycen' last='Scott'] made a leap. If not for a pre-game forfeit that cost him a Friday night, he might have been the only player in the state to go for 1,000 yards rushing and receiving this year. As such he ended 2022 with 1,006 receiving and 978 rushing - to go along with 18 offensive touchdowns. The 58-spot jump to No. 19 was obvious.   [player_tooltip player_id='448987' first='Wushi' last='Ravenel'] also made his way into our Fab 50 in December, so yes, we moved him way up the charts - 85 spots, to be exact. It was a direct reaction to him catching 51 passes for 1,167 yards (22.9 ypc) and 14 touchdowns.

The offensive firepower around South Carolina was bolstered by a few players making significant strides in the last four months.