2027 Rankings: GSPD, Lowcountry Leading Charts

Of the 26 players who made the initial cut for the Prep Red Zone South Carolina Class of 2027 rankings, more stemmed from the coastal areas than any other pockets of the state.   We can look at the trends and see why.    From the Grand Strand and Pee Dee down to the furthest stretches south into the Lowcountry, rare playing time opportunities gave these 10 an opportunity to pounce. All of them are starting. All of them are producing. And all of them have the attention of their fan bases and well beyond.   [player_tooltip player_id='1036782' first='Jagger' last='Spivey'] WR, Ashley Ridge   The second-leading receiver on a team that started the year 7-1 and has a shot at a region title isn't the team's all-star tight end or even two additional upperclassmen who have been bouncing around the program. It's the fresh-faced, 5-foot-10, 155-pounder who still looks very much like a freshman. He doesn't play like one. Spivey has become adept at coming out of the slot and even straight to the outside. He's got excellent footwork off the line and knows how to use his hands to break free of defensive backs. Everything we've seen in person tells us he's got strong career numbers ahead of him.    [player_tooltip player_id='1036776' first='Israel' last='Harris'] OL, James Island   We've heard about quick growth, this is sort of ridiculous. From the time we started evaluating the big lineman until today, he's grown another inch and added 15 pounds. All of a sudden, the kid they call “Shank” is 6-foot-2 and 330 pounds and just turned 15 last week. James Island is still tinkering with him somewhat this fall, having him play both guard and tackle depending on sets. And while his footwork and quickness is still unrefined, his pure power is being put to use in the here and now. If James Island makes a deep run in the Class 4A playoffs, the attention he'll garner will only grow.     [player_tooltip player_id='1036774' first='Amare' last='Patterson'] WR, Beaufort    Patterson hasn't re-invented the wheel at Beaufort, but he hasn't hurt coach Bryce Lybrand's slight philosophical tweak, either. The freshman receiver hauled in his first career touchdown reception in early October and it added a nice early exclamation point to what was already on the wall. Four of Patterson's first seven receptions went for 29 yards or longer and almost all of them were mid-range throws, at best. Patterson is all about finding cracks in the defense after he makes the catch and allowing his feet to do the rest.    [player_tooltip player_id='1036773' first='Lamar' last='Singleton'] ATH, Baptist Hill    Singleton's numbers through his eights five games have already got us wondering what he might accomplish with four full seasons of varsity football. Ready for a list? After five contests where he played on offense, he rushed for 101 yards and two scores and hauled in six passes for 62 yards and two more touchdowns. He's an even bigger producer at defensive back. In his first eight games there, he had 41 total tackles (20 solo), an interception and a forced fumble. Projecting those throughout a career he's only just beginning made us think he was an easy choice for a early ranking.   [player_tooltip player_id='1036772' first='Raheim' last='Saunders'] DL, Whale Branch   Defensive tackles are typically players where size is necessary. That often means coaches are looking to juniors and seniors, players who have had more time to develop in the weight room or simply mature physically. Saunders is already there. At 6-foot-2 and 305 pounds, Saunders has brute strength in the middle that allows him to muscle past opposing centers and guards to the tune of an early double digits in tackles to go along with five tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble.    [player_tooltip player_id='1036769' first='Maleek' last='Dukes'] LB, Kingstree   Brian Smith is loving the Dukes brothers. The next one is Maleek, who exploded onto the scene on September 8 with a seven-tackle, six-tackle-for-loss, four-sack night against Green Sea Floyds. Dukes has great sideline-to-sideline movement and loves creating momentum to rush the passer. Dukes still has some growing to do, as well. He has more than three seasons left to do that, and Smith's comfort level will only increase.    [player_tooltip player_id='1036756' first='Jordan' last='Bovain'] ATH, Hampton County   Bovain wasn't one of two freshmen in the state invited to the Joanne Langfitt challenge by mistake. The 5-foot-11, 160-pound Swiss Army knife will likely be the team's tailback of the future, but for now coach Rob Hanna is just making sure Bovain is on the field. He's played defensive back (15 tackles, one pass break up), receiver (seven receptions, 213 yards, three touchdowns) and running back (20 carries, 154 yards, touchdown). He's one of those names you're going to hear about a lot in the playoffs.     [player_tooltip player_id='1036752' first='Owen' last='Bex'] LB, Trinity Collegiate   Want a long linebacker who is capable of wrecking the best-laid plans? In this class, it starts with Bex. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound freshman has every tool in place to succeed long term. He's got an on-field mentor in [player_tooltip player_id='272703' first='James' last='Herbert'] - another standout in his class - and plenty of time to learn by fire. In nine games so far, he's piled up 47 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, three sacks, three fumble recoveries and a blocked punt.     [player_tooltip player_id='1036733' first='Henry' last='Rivers'] QB, Berkeley    Rivers (pictured) probably only needs a few more plays to surpass the 2,000 combined passing/rushing yardage mark this year. It all starts with his right arm, which has led to 1,654 yards and 19 touchdowns while completing 57 percent of his passes. Rivers can run, too. He's got 306 more yards on the ground and six more touchdowns. What's more, his two 300-yard passing games both came against Class 5A opponents. Freshmen quarterbacks aren't supposed to be able to do that.    [player_tooltip player_id='378969' first='Jaiden' last='Kelly-Murray'] DB, Summerville   Kelly-Murray initially projected as a receiver at Summerville … next year. The Green Waves' receiver room is overflowing as it is. Yeah, no. Coach Ian Rafferty wasn't going to wait to put him on the field. Kelly-Murray won a spot at safety in August and immediately went to work. All he's done is put himself into some national conversations and in the minds of Power 5 coaches who will now have plenty of time to get him ready for the next level. Not too shabby for a kid who took his first high school class two months ago.

Of the 26 players who made the initial cut for the Prep Red Zone South Carolina Class of 2027 rankings, more stemmed from the coastal areas than any other pockets of the state.