2026 Rankings Update: The Stock Risers

Of the 202 players now included in the Prep RedZone Class of 2026 rankings, more than 10 percent of them were able to make significant upward movement.    Newcomers leapt directly into our overall Top 75. Previously ranked players improved 20 spots (or more). And a certain positional group is collectively moving up en masse. Yes, stock risers were coming from all directions.    We're going to break them all down, starting with the two players who helped reform our new overall Top 10.   NEW TO THE TOP 10   While we bumped Timberland offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='473011' first='Desmond' last='Green'] up four spot to No. 5 overall, he was already part of our top 10. The same wasn't true for Goose Creek tailback [player_tooltip player_id='473027' first='Meliq' last='McGowan'] until this week.   McGown now finds himself at No. 7 overall in the class after an offseason in which he did everything right and then a season-opening game at North Myrtle Beach where he topped 200 rushing yards and put himself in line for a monster junior campaign.    STEADILY CLIMBING OFFENSIVE LINEMEN   Green's ascent is accompanied by similar ones by many of the state's other offensive lineman. What we're seeing is all of them feeding off each other, driving each other to continue to develop and, yes, pull some of the biggest offers by any position group in the class.   As such, we've had our hands forced with their rankings.    [player_tooltip player_id='402516' first='Zyon' last='Guiles'] Carvers Bay: Up one spot to No. 11 overall   [player_tooltip player_id='1165753' first='Tre' last='Aiken'] Clinton: Up three spots to No. 14 overall   [player_tooltip player_id='1251916' first='Malcolm' last='Gaston'] North Augusta: Up one spot to No. 19 overall   [player_tooltip player_id='473030' first='Quamaine' last='Vaughn'] Philip Simmons: Up one spot to No. 23 overall    [player_tooltip player_id='1110005' first='Cody' last='Peterson'] Ashley Ridge: Up four spots to No. 45 overall.   And to prove just how deep this class is, two other lineman made significant jumps into the top 50 overall.    South Pointe's [player_tooltip player_id='1165103' first='Anthony' last='Baxter'] now finds himself at No. 43, up 10 spots from his previous ranking. Gaffney's [player_tooltip player_id='212409' first='Scottland' last='Dover'] had an even bigger rise, up, 40 spots to No. 33 overall.    The biggest mover over the bunch, though, was [player_tooltip player_id='1267220' first='Zion' last='Britt'] of Berkeley. The talented left tackle is now No. 54 overall in the state, up 49 spots from his old ranking.    It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's coming next. Any college recruiter looking for talented and experienced linemen should park their proverbial recruiting staffs among those in South Carolina's Class of 2026.    OTHER MOVERS AND SHAKERS   We are seeing some dominoes falling quickly with players at other positions, too. Here are eight who made significant strides since our last update in the spring. There was more refection on their 2023 seasons, their offseason progress and, in some cases, some 2024 action.    [player_tooltip player_id='816740' first='Marcus' last='Cann'] ATH, Bamberg-Ehrhardt (pictured) - Up eight spots to No. 30 overall    [player_tooltip player_id='284134' first='Jayvon' last='Gilmore'] QB, Gaffney - Up nine spots to No. 27 overall    [player_tooltip player_id='1165099' first='Darriyarn' last='Baxley'] LB, Chester - Up 17 spots to No. 26 overall    [player_tooltip player_id='1165163' first='Zamaurious' last='Robertson'] ATH, Dillon - Up 20 spots to No. 63 overall   [player_tooltip player_id='1267206' first='Dontrell' last='Wilson'] DL, Camden - Up 22 spots to No. 24 overall   [player_tooltip player_id='1042719' first='Hayden' last='Morris'] WR, Ridge View - Up 43 spots to No. 94 overall   [player_tooltip player_id='1165165' first='Jaylen' last='Singletary'] ATH, Hampton County - Up 51 spots to No. 58 overall   [player_tooltip player_id='402486' first='Carnell' last='Warren'] WR, Bluffton - Up 53 spots to No. 46 overall    FROM UNRANKED TO TOP 75   Lastly, we need to recognize three players who went from the realm of unranked directly into the Top 75 of our overall rankings. These three have something special brewing for their junior seasons.    [player_tooltip player_id='454066' first='Malquan' last='Pimentel'] LB, Fort Dorchester    We already knew Pimentel was a good linebacker. But watching him expand his game there and on offense has been a nice touch. He can play tight end or slide into more of an H-Back spot and add another punishing blocker to the edge, especially near the goal line. Pimentel    [player_tooltip player_id='568697' first='Stone' last='Furrey'] ATH, Chapin    While he was already slated to move into our rankings prior to leaving Gaffney for his family's move to the Midlands, Furrey only proved our point in Game 1 with Chapin last week. In a solid win at Catawba Ridge, he caught seven passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns. And we already know the Eagles aren't going to stop throwing the ball any time soon.    [player_tooltip player_id='1395062' first='Demarea' last='Thurmond'] DL, Loris   Thurmond is a 6-foot-3, 300-pound (most days) defensive lineman who can just as easy clog up the middle or swing to the outside. What we like about him most is how much better he makes his teammates. Since his emergence last year, we've seen the rest of the Lions defense steadily improve to the point where Loris is allowing 12.4 points per game over its last 11 contests.

Of the 202 players now included in the Prep RedZone Class of 2026 rankings, more than 10 percent of them were able to make significant upward movement.