One Last Ride: 2024 New Additions Sneak Peek

One week from today, we're going to release the final rankings update for the Class of 2024.    This group has seen a lot together, and now a lot of those names are going to be sharing a coveted spot in our rankings. While we're currently sitting at an addition of 50-plus players who will be fully unveiled next week, we wanted to give you a glimpse of what we noticed over the course of the 2023 season.   Here are 15 of the ones who left us with zero doubt.    [player_tooltip player_id='1142578' first='Jayden' last='Benjamin'] OL, Dillon   Had it not been for playing the right tackle spot opposite [player_tooltip player_id='139295' first='Josiah' last='Thompson'] (South Carolina's Mr. Football), Benjamin's own star might have risen a little faster. Still, the 6-foot-4, 315-pound lineman is here now after helping the Wildcats to yet another undefeated region title behind a powerful ground attack that averaged 246 yards per game.   [player_tooltip player_id='1142680' first='Rashawn' last='Cunningham'] WR, Chapman   The 6-foot-1, 185-pound receiver didn't waste any time making a splash with his senior season. Through his first six games, he topped 120 yards four times. Like Benjamin, he was a Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl selection. And in December, he signed to continue his career at Charleston Southern.    [player_tooltip player_id='1142563' first='Luke' last='Gray'] QB, Pendleton   Gray's video-game passing numbers resulted in a state-leading 53 touchdown passes (against only four interceptions and 3,811 yards. That figure ended up third in the state, and he fell behind only two players who made runs to their respective state championship games, meaning they each played three more games.   [player_tooltip player_id='451894' first='Brooks' last='Horton'] OL, Andrew Jackson   Horton is huge. As in, he was 6-foot-5.75 and 336 pounds the last time we got an official measurement on him (nearly a year ago at the Palmetto Combines). And he used that size to abuse opposing defensive linemen and set up plenty of open road for tailback [player_tooltip player_id='317140' first='Trey' last='Thompson'] - who went for another 2,107 yards rushing this fall.    [player_tooltip player_id='1142605' first='Joaquan' last='Howze'] LB, Lewisville   Howze was one of the standouts on a defense that was flat-out dominant for most of the season. He averaged 11.9 tackles per game, added four picks and forced a fumble during the regular season. As a result, he was the named the SCFCA's Class 1A Defensive Player of the Year.    [player_tooltip player_id='976815' first='Tray' last='Knox'] RB, Loris   Probably the only thing that prevented Knox (pictured) from reaching 1,000 rushing yards this season was Loris losing a non-region game (hurricane) against a porous defense during the early portion of the schedule. That didn't stop him from reaching 944 rushing yards, adding another 186 receiving or scoring 16 total offensive touchdowns.   [player_tooltip player_id='1142625' first='Syree' last='Livingston'] ATH, South Florence   The one-year Bruins star put together one of the more memorable second halves of the season we saw statewide. After South Florence had to adjust it's offense, Livingston provided some serious punch, rushing for 25 touchdowns and 1,280 yards, almost all of it coming out of wildcat sets when everyone knew what was coming.   [player_tooltip player_id='1142616' first='Jeremiah' last='Minor'] DL, South Pointe   Much like Benjamin with Thompson at Dillon, Minor was often overshadowed by the otherworldly play of fellow defensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id='139304' first='Chris' last='Dixon']. But South Pointe clearly feasted with both of them. Minor finished the season with 44.5 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, nine QB hurries and a forced fumble.    [player_tooltip player_id='1142590' first='Ashton' last='Mozone'] OL, Midland Valley   Obviously, [player_tooltip player_id='91348' first='Traevon' last='Dunbar'] was an elite talent who sits at the top of our 2024 rankings for a reason. The tailback's 3,000 rushing yards this season was next level. He'll be the first to tell you that he wasn't blocking for himself. Mozone, the team's right tackle, chimes in at an impressive 6-foot-5 and 345 pounds and spent the season imposing his will.   [player_tooltip player_id='1142562' first='Sam' last='Riddy'] DL, North Charleston   The 6-foot-5, 260-pound edge is heading to East Carolina next year, and expectations for him in a college program are quite high. This past season, Riddy accumulated 49 total tackles (39 solo), 15 tackles for loss, two sacks, 17 quarterback hurries and a forced hurry for the Cougars and their first-year coaching staff.   [player_tooltip player_id='1142659' first='Cody' last='Segars'] LB, Hampton County    While Hampton County's defense was an all-hands-on-deck unit that held opponents to less than 12 points a game, it was often Segars who was doing the dirty work. He led the team with 85 total tackles while chipping in 14 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and five QB hurries en route to the Hurricanes' Lower State title appearance.   [player_tooltip player_id='1142639' first='Bryce' last='Surratt'] LB/RB, Lancaster   The Bruins' postseason of surprise wasn't as much of one when considering what they did during the final four weeks of the regular season. And it was Surratt who was pulling a lot of double duty for Lancaster in the late-season improvement push. He was a bruising tailback and a hard-hitting linebacker all in one.   [player_tooltip player_id='1142696' first='James' last='Willingham'] RB, Richland Northeast   Anyone who wasn't aware of Willingham's rushing capabilities before certainly was after the first round of the state playoffs. He ran for 330 yards and five scores against Bluffrton. For the year, Willingham finished with 1,450 rushing yards and 15 ground touchdowns. Not bad for a kid who hit about 150 yards as a junior.   [player_tooltip player_id='1142713' first='Deon' last='Winsley'] LB, Dutch Fork   At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Winsley emerged as the Silver Foxes' top tackler in 2023. Much of that damage came during Dutch Fork's Class 5A championship run, as Winsley amassed 27 solo tackles (and eight more assisted stops). That total figure eclipsed his tally from his junior season.    [player_tooltip player_id='1142644' first='Najib' last='Yunusah'] DB, York   Yunusah had three picks and eight pass deflections during his senior campaign. And while all that was vital to the Cougars' eight-win season, his ability to move off his initial coverage and patrol the flat was big against a bunch of run-first teams on York's schedule. He's getting some college looks and offers in large part to his versatility on the island.

One week from today, we're going to release the final rankings update for the Class of 2024.