2026 Rankings: The New Additions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The next influx of talent in South Carolina is already here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These 27 new faces in the Class of 2026 rankings all took advantage of their game reps last fall, proving that they're not just auditioning for the next time around. Even those who weren't starting contributed in the here and now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And while we've added some quarterbacks and receivers to the mix, don't ignore what we saw in the trenches, linebacking corps or defensive backfields, either. These are some of the names we're going to be talking about quite a bit next fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SPECIALIST</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165169' first='Curt' last='Horton'] K, Andrew Jackson - 56-of-58 on PATs plus six-of-six on FGs equals Welcome To The Rankings</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DEFENSE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165171' first='Elisha' last='Smalls'] DB, Berkeley - Has quick adjustment skills with ability to blitz when asked.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165165' first='Jaylen' last='Singletary'] DB, Hampton County - Has sky-high potential at safety - and probably tailback, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165163' first='Zamaurious' last='Robertson'] ATH, Dillon - Put up four picks, forced a pair of fumbles and had five six total TDs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165159' first='Jordan' last='Strong'] ATH, Lewisville - Defensive back put up 45 tackles, seven picks and four TFLs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165156' first='Drake' last='Porter'] LB, Ben Lippen - Averaged better that 12 tackles per game as a sophomore.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165145' first='Clayton' last='Folse'] DB, West Florence - Productive safety might be making the jump to linebacker.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165126' first='Kelvin' last='Smalls'] LB, Baptist Hill - Will most likely reach 200 career tackles in his next game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165125' first='Gabe' last='Hackett'] ATH, Ninety Six - Hackett's role in the program is growing by the month.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165123' first='Mac' last='Burch'] LB, Trinity Collegiate -&nbsp; Small school, 6-foot-3, 220-pound talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165105' first='Trent' last='Garner'] DL, Pendleton - We still think 20.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks in a season is good.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165099' first='Darriyarn' last='Baxley'] LB, Chester - Puts his explosiveness on display over and over again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165096' first='Jaxx' last='Wilson'] LB, Westside - Hit his season peak at the exact right moment and earned a ring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165092' first='Tylin' last='Drakeford'] DB, Camden - Put up 37 tackles during the Bulldogs' playoff run alone.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165076' first='Marcus' last='Henderson'] LB, Berkeley - You can't hide 133 tackles and a ton of potential to increase that figure.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OFFENSE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='797160' first='Moon' last='Gerald'] QB, Loris - Lions' signal caller of the future got some quality reps during 2023.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165153' first='Gavin' last='Thoma'] QB, Seneca - This time next year, Thomas might have shot way up our board.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165148' first='Jachin' last='Davis'] QB, Stratford - Put up 2,000 total yards of offense and 20 touchdowns.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165147' first='Carnell' last='Warren'] WR, Bluffton - Big-bodied receiver is a couple adjustments from hitting the big time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165146' first='Noah' last='Thomas'] QB, Belton-Honea Path - There's a pretty good QB in that backfield, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165144' first='Tony' last='O'Banner'] ATH, Thomas Heyward - Takes Wildcat to the extreme, like 2,300 rushing yards extreme.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165128' first='RJ' last='Brown'] QB, Lancaster - For three weeks in November, Brown was the state's favorite quarterback&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165108' first='Zori' last='Pierce'] QB, Lamar - Young QBs who don't making young QB mistakes tend to offer something special</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165106' first='Bryson' last='Moore'] OL, Irmo - Moore ready to rip that under-the-radar tag off his chest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165104' first='Julius' last='Hippenstiel'] QB, Hanahan - Possesses a strong arm and a quicker-than-normal release</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165103' first='Anthony' last='Baxter'] OL, South Pointe - Only a matter of time until the recruiting parade begins.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1165081' first='Kendall' last='Byrd'] WR, AC Flora - 1,000-yard receiver has potential to be so much more.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->