2024 Preview: Irmo Yellow Jackets

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Having settled on a future college, Irmo quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='272713' first='AJ' last='Brand']</strong> (pictured) is focused on winning another state title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Having won in boys' basketball, he looks to win a title for the Yellow Jackets' football team. Instead of Class 4A, where Irmo won 13 straight games before losing 28-21 to South Florence in the Lower State final, Brand will look to fulfill his mission in Class 5A out of ultracompetitive Region IV with crosstown rival and defending state champion Dutch Fork.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“It's a lot of weight off my shoulders just knowing now that I can focus on the season,” said Brand about choosing Virginia Tech. "With this last ride with me and my guys, I'm trying to get to the endgame which is the state championship.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brand posted prolific numbers as a junior in winning S.C. Football Coaches Association's Class 4A Lower State Player of the Year, it was made possible by a productive supporting cast.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While the Yellow Jackets graduated Class 4A All-State selections like running back Jaden Allen-Hendrix and offensive lineman <strong>Bryant Ham</strong>, head coach Aaron Brand is confident in his returning players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rising junior wide receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='377560' first='Donovan' last='Murph']</strong> produced All-State numbers in his first season with the Yellow Jackets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lining up on the opposite side of Murph will be Crestwood transfer <strong>Kyle Mitchell</strong>. He's expected to quickly blend into an offense which resembled what he experienced playing with the Knights' dual threat quarterback <strong>Javion Martin</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another transfer expected to make an impact is rising sophomore lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='756223' first='Nathan' last='Carson']</strong>. He spent most of the summer at Gray Collegiate after transferring from Calhoun County and is expected to contribute on both the offensive and defensive side of the football where the Yellow Jackets look to replace Ham and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267288' first='Elijah' last='Williams']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1157979' first='Ryan' last='Love'], Dutch Fork transfer <strong>Steven Hill</strong> and juniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165106' first='Bryson' last='Moore']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267313' first='Vernen' last='Hairens']</strong> round out the starting offensive line. Instead of Allen-Hendrix, Irmo will turn towards returning tailback <strong>Anton Jones</strong> and rising sophomores <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='755890' first='Amir' last='White'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422528' first='Maleek' last='Miller']</strong>, who can also play at slot receiver.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Yellow Jackets suffered some losses at linebacker and the secondary. At the same time, sophomore defensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='755914' first='Jaiden' last='Bryant']</strong> looks to follow up on his promising freshman season and will team up with returning players <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1734510' first='Major' last='Taylor']</strong>,&nbsp;<strong>Nick Matthews</strong>, and&nbsp;<strong>Isaiah Williams</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mitchell is expected to fill All-State safety <strong>Isaiah McClary's</strong> role and <strong>Darius Goodson</strong> and <strong>Matthew Blocker</strong> will round out the secondary.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Irmo's schedule features matchups with two state champions from last season (Oceanside Collegiate, Dutch Fork), a state runner-up (White Knoll) and a playoff rematch with Myrtle Beach.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We've got to be good right off the bat and, hopefully, some of those games early on, some of the tougher games early on, will prepare us for this tough region we have,” head coach Aaron Brand said. “We want to play the best, so we welcome it. We know our work's cut out for us, but we'll be ready.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STARS SET TO SHINE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='272713' first='AJ' last='Brand'] </strong>QB 2025 – One of the Palmetto State's top offensive players. The S.C. Football Coaches Association's Class 4A Lower State Player of the Year threw for 2.932 yards and 45 touchdowns and rushed for 1,113 yards and 17 touchdowns. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1157979' first='Ryan' last='Love']</strong> OL 2025 – The 6-foot-2, 245-pound rising senior plays with high intensity at both center and guard and is an effective run blocker. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='755914' first='Jaiden' last='Bryant']</strong> DL 2027 – He blossomed in his first varsity season as a pass rusher with three sacks and 44 tackles. His speed and strength made him difficult to contain at defensive end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FILM REVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='377560' first='Donovan' last='Murph'] </strong>WR 2026 – It did not take long for the Maryland transfer to form a strong bond with [player_tooltip player_id='272713' first='AJ' last='Brand']. At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Murph is a difficult matchup and near-impossible to contain once he accelerates into the secondary. Murph's leaping ability allows him to soar over cornerbacks on deep throws and individual defenders have a difficult time contending with his elusiveness and upper body strength. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17611002/64f68a57dfd9da023865afd9' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-669dc72f3055f"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BIGGEST LOSS (es)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaden Allen-Hendrix </strong>RB – The Gilbert transfer pounded his way to 2,215 yards and 25 touchdowns in earning Class 4A All-State honors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jylil Favor</strong> LB – The Region V-4A Player of the Year stood out among a talented linebacking corps with 93 tackles and two interceptions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bryant Ham </strong>OL– The heart and soul of the Yellow Jackets' offensive line. His dominant blocking and leadership enabled the skilled position players on offense, particularly Brand, to thrive last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Isaiah McClary </strong>DB – A ball hawk in the secondary with a team-high six interceptions to go with 50 tackles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>UP-AND-COMING POTENTIAL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422528' first='Maleek' last='Miller'] </strong>WR 2027 –. A first-year varsity wideout who has played with confidence throughout the summer. His speed and elusiveness should prove valuable in an offense with a quarterback who can improvise passing plays on the run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='756223' first='Nathan' last='Carson']</strong> OL 2027 – The coaching staff is excited about the Gray Collegiate transfer's potential. His size and speed paired with [player_tooltip player_id='755914' first='Jaiden' last='Bryant'] upfront on the defensive line should create problems for opposing teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Kyle Mitchell","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"175","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2410","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Irmo","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-669dc72f31a8e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The Crestwood transfer is expected to fill key departures on both sides of the football. Lining up opposite of [player_tooltip player_id='377560' first='Donovan' last='Murph'] should present more receiving opportunities for Mitchell. He also possesses similar physical attributes as former starting safety Isaiah McClary to fill his leadership role in the secondary. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16069408/657a04f5b534340a4c3f1315' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-669dc72f31ac3"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->