2027 Rankings: The Stockrisers
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In the grand scheme of things, we’ve seen so very little from the Class of 2027. The most games any freshman in the state played last season was 15, and those were only in very rare circumstances. Yet, at the…
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Continue ReadingIn the grand scheme of things, we’ve seen so very little from the Class of 2027.
The most games any freshman in the state played last season was 15, and those were only in very rare circumstances. Yet, at the same time, we’ve seen a lot, too.
Since we unveiled our initial rankings for this class on October 11, we’ve been exposed to nearly 100 more freshmen who earned varsity playing time and even more who might just making headway to do the same by the time the 2024 season fires up next August.
When it comes to making headway in our rankings, though, we need to see something big from players in limited field time.
We found exactly that with these 10 players in particular.
FROM UNRANKED TO TOP 20
Reed Paolucci Reed Paolucci 6'4" | 250 lbs | OL Blythewood | 2027 State SC OL, Blythewood
We expect that Paolucci is going to start getting some college looks sooner rather than later. He’s 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, started at guard and moves extremely well. Blythewood had no issue moving him around post snap, something that allowed him to make use of his solid foot work and long arms.
PJ Chancellor PJ Chancellor 5'9" | 145 lbs | ATH Daniel | 2027 State SC ATH, Daniel
Daniel had done extremely well over the years developing multi-faceted players capable to playing on both sides of the ball. Chancellor appears to be the next success story. During his freshman season, he caught 32 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns on offense and added 14 tackles, a pick and a sack on defense.
Trenton Lynch Trenton Lynch 5'9" | 185 lbs | RB Spartanburg | 2027 State SC RB, Spartanburg
Whatever’s in the water with this class and its tailbacks in the Upstate zone, Lynch is drinking it. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound running back led the Vikings with 828 rushing yards while averaging 7.3 yards per carry and getting into the end zone five times. His three 100-yard games all came against Class 5A opponents, including the regular-season finale against Dorman.
Ray Harris Ray Harris 6'2" | 260 lbs | DL South Aiken | 2027 State SC DL, South Aiken
An opposing coach told us that Harris was the biggest problem his team faced when playing South Aiken’s defense last season. That heady compliment wasn’t lost on us, nor were Harris’s 30 total tackles, three tackles or loss or a forced fumble/recovery. Harris has some pretty good size for a freshman and an even better mobility for someone asked to play the edge in Class 4A ball.
Klyn Gordon Klyn Gordon 6'0" | 160 lbs | ATH Baptist Hill | 2027 State SC ATH, Baptist Hill
The Bobcats have had a tendency to put up some big numbers in the passing game the last few years, so we weren’t exactly shocked to see Gordon get into the mix early there. His 329 yards and five touchdowns on offense paled in comparison to his 64 tackles and four interceptions from his spot at safety. Gordon is already north of 6-feet tall and moves well in space – on offense or defense. (No film available.)
Aiden Manavian Aiden Manavian 5'11" | 175 lbs | QB Oceanside Collegiate | 2027 State SC QB, Oceanside Collegiate
We understand why the announcers during the Class 2A state championship kept saying Manavian was older than he actually was. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound quarterback put on a clinic in the win over Gray Collegiate, throwing for 367 yards and a pair of touchdowns. In four games as a starter, he amassed 1,010 yards and 10 touchdown passes.
MOVING ON UP
Israel Harris Israel Harris 6'1" | 315 lbs | OL James Island | 2027 State SC OL, James Island (Up four spots)
Even though Harris played more than half of the season as a 14-year old, not too many people would mistake him for a kid. Already 6-foot-1 and 315 pounds, Harris was a downright violent guard who had no issue stepping in at right tackle when asked. Harris is a vertical growth spurt away from attracting some serious attention.
Rahiem Saunders Rahiem Saunders 6'2" | 295 lbs | DL Whale Branch | 2027 State SC DL, Whale Branch (Up two spots)
Yet another massive freshman, Saunders was listed at 6-foot-2 and 305 pounds. Needless to say, Whale Branch found a spot for him on both the offensive and defensive lines. As a defensive tackle (where we think he has a slight edge now), Saunders is a clog-up the middle type. As an offensive guard, he’s bigger than 95 percent of the folks lining up against him.
Trevon Williamson Trevon Williamson 6'0" | 200 lbs | RB Gilbert | 2027 State SC RB, Gilbert (Up 15 spots)
It’s often easy to forget that Williamson had 43 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hurries and three pass breakups on defense. That’s because as a tailback he topped 1,400 yards and rushed for 20 touchdowns. Williamson is already a big back at 6-feet and 180 pounds. He’s got a productive stride and is an excellent pass catcher out of the back field or when he lines up out wide.
Henry Rivers Henry Rivers 5'11" | 160 lbs | QB Berkeley | 2027 State SC QB, Berkeley (Up two spots)
When Rivers threw for six touchdowns and topped 400 yards combined in his first two games back in August, we had a feeling he might be pretty good. But when he sustained and even advanced his own production throughout the course of the 12-game Stags’ schedule, bumping him up a couple spots into the top three felt natural. His 2,859 total passing/rushing and 33 touchdowns put the rest of the Lowcountry on notice for the next three seasons.