Zone Reads: Pee Dee/Grand Strand's Impact On 2026 Rankings

Potential New Subscribers: Take advantage of our 40% off special by using the coupon code Guerin40 at checkout. With rankings releases all month long and showcase updates galore, get in the game for all of 2023 at this discounted rate.   Nearly one-fifth of the current crop of 2026 players we have ranked in our system after this week's update come from the Grand Strand and Pee Dee.    What that tells us is that certain schools are flexible enough to warrant early experimentation. And, in these cases, a nice payoff from such a young group of players.   These seven each seized their relative opportunity and ensured their place in our rankings after just two cycles of updates.    [player_tooltip player_id='473025' first='Andre' last='Grate'] ATH, Waccamaw    We're not exactly sure what Grate's career is going to shape up to be at Waccamaw. But this much is for certain, the Warriors' staff is going to keep tinkering with him in any way that keeps him involved in the offense. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound gadget guy caught passes, carried the ball and even threw a couple of passes during his freshman season. Most of those came in spite of more experienced players at the positions. Simply, he forced his way into the plans and made sure he will remain in them for years to come.   [player_tooltip player_id='205556' first='Josiah' last='Oxendine'] QB, Dillon   Thanks to our network, we had a good idea of what Oxendine would do one day when he got to the high school level. And by that, we figured it would be as a junior, or maybe even a sophomore. First-year guys rarely see significant playing time at Dillon; they certainly aren't usually the starting quarterback. For as many areas of growth as we see with Oxendine (most notably his completion percentage), we can't ignore his strengths. He had only seven turnovers in 195 combined pass attempts/rushes, accounted for 15 total touchdowns and put up 1,504 combined yards.    [player_tooltip player_id='617662' first='Jamie' last='Williamson'] DL, West Florence    We want to take you back to August 19 real quick. West was playing a home game to open the 2022 season against Lexington, an eventual Class 5A playoff school. The Knights were loading up their usually strong defense again, and at least three future Division-I guys were the focal points. Williamson and his 6-foot-1 and 290-pound frame jumped into the mix. He put up four tackles and a TFL against the Wildcats. He chased it with the same figures (along with a sack) in the second game. Minus the three games he missed, that type of productivity remained against a brutal schedule that didn't end until the state semifinal.    [player_tooltip player_id='473017' first='Kyler' last='Johnson'] OL, Trinity Collegiate   We know that the term “project” might be thrown around with Johnson at some point next year. Don't buy that for a minute. At 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, he isn't simply some kid who developed early and lucked his way into some playing time. Trinity was among the top programs in its SCISA class and it has been built to compete. So, why might he be called a project? Because there's a good chance the Titans are going to fidget some with how much he stays on the field. While he's projected to contribute more on offense, the staff is also going to struggle to not put his athleticism on the defensive line, too. Either way, there's plenty of opportunities to work out that balance.    [player_tooltip player_id='473018' first='Landon' last='Conner'] DL, Loris   Conner has made sure that his own flexibility will fit nicely into a defense that has clearly made the trait is biggest positive in the past few years. By shifting guys up toward the line and then back into run support or even into coverage, Loris has maximized a bunch of dudes who fit Conner's size. It shouldn't have been that much of a surprise, then, when he ended his freshman season with 38 solo stops, 27 assisted tackles, 14 tackles for loss, a pair of sacks and a forced fumble. This is the sort of production the Lions have gotten out of a bunch of older players, and Conner (above) is a picture-perfect representation of the scheme.   [player_tooltip player_id='473016' first='AJ' last='Grate'] ATH, Waccamaw    No, this isn't a duplicate entry. Much like his twin brother, AJ is quickly learning to be a jack of all trades for the Warriors. In nine games last season, he put up 64 total tackles, picked off two passes, had a pair of tackles for loss and two interceptions - one of which he returned for a touchdown. On the other side of the ball, he rushed for 177 yards and hauled in 43 yards worth of passes for another score.    [player_tooltip player_id='473015' first='Tyleek' last='Dukes'] ATH, Kingstree   The 6-foot, 170-pound burner in training because a regular starter for the newly formed Kingstree program last fall. Primarily, he's a corner. However, many of the teams on Kingstree's schedule aren't exactly airing it out, something that allows the Blazers the opportunity to test his 4.6 speed at safety. What's more, Dukes is a developed route-runner on offense and add a handful of receptions to his freshman haul that also included 24 solo tackles, three fumble recoveries, two pass deflections, two blocked punts and an interception.

Potential New Subscribers: Take advantage of our 40% off special by using the coupon code Guerin40 at checkout. With rankings releases all month long and showcase updates galore, get in the game for all of 2023 at this discounted rate.