2023 Fab 50: The Offensive Linemen

The complete effort to formulate the Fab 50 can very much be seen in the selections on the offensive line.   It is here that the Prep RedZone staff went to work, looking for the eight very best players responsible for doing all the dirty work for some prolific scoring machines. To do that, we had to evaluate all five positions individually.    In some cases, there were a few crossovers. Multiple of the eight seniors we selected here routinely stepped in elsewhere. One even flipped which side of the line he called home.   All of them were elite.    [player_tooltip player_id='208333' first='Slayton' last='Stokes'] C, Hartsville   The Red Foxes' season didn't end until after Hartsville had racked up 5,413 yards of offense and 491 points. The most consistent part of it all was Stokes (pictured), a Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas selection who has been a three-year starter and about as productive a center as you'll find. Stokes is a load at 6-foot-5 and 325 pounds, and yet his combine stats provide he's pretty agile for a man of his size. As this clip shows, even when he got knocked back, he had a recovery skill usually not seen from high school players.    [player_tooltip player_id='996935' first='Bryant' last='Ham'] C/G, Irmo    Ham is among the more versatile interior linemen in the state, as he has no problem switching back and forth between center and guard while clearly being big, strong and quick enough to jump outside to tackle. For instance, check out the second highlight from 6-foot-2, 275-pound senior. During that play (against Myrtle Beach in the playoffs), he uses his right arm and legs to create noticeable leverage without using his left arm. Ham was a monster for a Yellow Jackets' offense that ran through darn near everyone on the schedule.    [player_tooltip player_id='589058' first='Justin' last='Joe'] LG, South Florence   We've loved watching Joe over the course of the last two years, when he went from a lightly regarded interior linemen to one of the very best guards in the whole state. The 6-foot-1, 285-pounder is an ox up the middle, and he proved that constantly despite South Florence essentially re-tooling its entire offense midway through the year. Even with that, the Bruins ran for 4,443 yards and played for the Class 4A state title.     [player_tooltip player_id='996854' first='Steven' last='O'Dell'] RG, Broome   While O'Dell took snaps at tackle and even center, the 6-foot-7, 305-pound guard was a sure-fire lock for Class 3A All-State honors and a Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl nod after a strong senior season. The Furman commitment opened up a ton of holes for 1,800-yard rusher [player_tooltip player_id='473001' first='Jaylen' last='McGill'] and 1,200-yard rusher/1,500-yard passer Kamajay Brackett-Brannon. O'Dell had no issue pulling across the backfield or getting downfield. And when he had a head of steam, opposing defenders rarely stood much of a chance.     [player_tooltip player_id='771066' first='Dylan' last='Barbrey'] RT, Airport   We're going to break habit some by not posting Barbrey's highlight reel, but a brief clip of quarterback Jesse Hoover breaking off a nice run. Near the end of the play, see where Barbrey is - and know the two players are deeply connected. You see, Hoover being a southpaw gave Eagles coach Shane Fidler every excuse to move Barbrey from left tackle to right. The 6-foot-6, 270-pounder was nothing short of dominant and spurred a huge leap forward for Airport football.    [player_tooltip player_id='267450' first='Braydn' last='Kesselring'] LT, Midland Valley   At 6-foot-3 and now pushing 290 pounds, Kesselring was vital in helping to put together one of the single-best individual performances this state has ever seen. Midland Valley tailback [player_tooltip player_id='91348' first='Traevon' last='Dunbar'] eclipsed 3,000 rushing yards. But that's not all. The Mustangs also had another 1,000-yard rusher in [player_tooltip player_id='272712' first='Preston' last='McNair'] and a 1,000-yard passer in Preston Butler. Kesselring has an explosive first step off the line that allowed him to overwhelm nearly everyone who lined up opposite of him.     [player_tooltip player_id='139295' first='Josiah' last='Thompson'] LT, Dillon   Thompson's length has been a major issue for would-be edge rushers for the better part of three years. At 6-foot-7 and 290 pounds and with excellent footwork, Thompson almost never gave up the corner and never allowed a sack. What's more, Dillon's run-first scheme meant he was charged with not only putting a defensive end on the ground, but often a linebacker, too. Dillon tailbacks made a living out of getting to the second level, and often that meant simply following Thompson as far as he could take them.    [player_tooltip player_id='1142430' first='Watson' last='Young'] LT, Daniel   While the Fab 50 is not a career award - we really do hit the reset button each time we do this - we'd be remiss to not mention that Daniel lost only one game in the four seasons Young was starting on the Lions front line. The Clemson commitment and Mr. Football finalist has been seen repeatedly muscling defensive linemen right on through the end zone and had no issue stepping in at center when it was required. All the while, the Daniel offense powered all the way to another Class 3A state title on the backs of an insane 6,500 yards of offense.

The complete effort to formulate the Fab 50 can very much be seen in the selections on the offensive line.