Grand Strand’s Offseason Watch List, Part II

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A few weeks ago, we cranked through some names along the Grand Strand to watch over the course of the next three months.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We left out some key ones, intentionally or not.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These five players up and down Horry County could jump way up their respective teams's priority list while rarely - if ever - putting on pads between now and the opening of fall camp at the end of July. There are a couple baseball players, others working on the track and at least one who will use this spring to concentrate on football.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Even if they are minimally active during the March open season or spring ball in May, we're not ignoring any of them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='267459' first='Ricky' last='Escobar'] LB, Myrtle Beach</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we mentioned earlier this month, Escobar missed all of the 2022 season after suffering a knee injury in spring ball 10 months ago. The Seahawks moved some pieces around to fill his spot, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that he was missed (Myrtle Beach allowed 37 points per game). With seven other returners - not including Escobar, who started as a sophomore - coming back next year, Myrtle Beach should be able to cut that figure down significantly. Now, the really good news. Escobar is running with the track team already and any strides he makes on the track will count toward his football comeback, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Aiden Suggs</strong> LB, Loris</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Replacing [player_tooltip player_id='202730' first='Cameron' last='Faircloth'] will be no easy task. The three-year starter wrapped up his Lions career with 117 solo tackles, another 84 assisted stops and 27.5 tackles for loss. Yet, defensive coordinator Adrain Grady didn't hesitate to say that Suggs (pictured) was up to the task. Despite playing just seven varsity games last fall (mostly in late-game situations), Suggs had 14.5 tackles and five tackles for loss. While getting full reps this March and May, Suggs may just jump right into that main role. After all, he'll have plenty of productive returners surrounding him, adding even more to his comfort level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='997250' first='Derek' last='Grant']</strong> WR, Conway&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Josh Pierce era at Conway begins in March. And in his first comments after accepting the job, he mentioned quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='208332' first='Devin' last='Grainger'] and how special he was. Grant is one of the targets coming back who might have the best relationship with the signal caller. In seven games last season, Grant hauled in 17 receptions for 391 yards and three scores. Over the coming two months, he might just morph into a strong No. 1 receiver. After all, he and Grainger solidified their connection during another season on the basketball court together.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142820' first='Ethan' last='Hamilton']</strong> QB, Carolina Forest</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While nothing is set in stone, Hamilton has a leg up to replace record-setting quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='202739' first='Scott' last='Saylor']. He got a few back up reps at the position, even breaking off a long touchdown run against Summerville in mop-up duty early in the season after also getting in the end zone during the season opener the week prior. And while he didn't see much time behind center from then on, the rising senior is no stranger to the field. He played significant snaps at safety last season and recorded 38 tackles, including seven in the regular-season finale against St. James and again the next week in the playoff opener against River Bluff.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='459924' first='JacQari' last='Witherspoon'] OL, North Myrtle Beach</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're still not sure exactly where Witherspoon is going to end up long term. He was 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds during his sophomore season, when he started inside and made plenty of progress for a team that was starving to compete. The Chiefs' offense struggled more often than not, but if Greg Hill's rebuild is going to take hold, it will be because of guys like Witherspoon on the line. Whether or not he transitions to tackle will be determined over the next three months, and with his tools, he might just blow up in a hurry.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->