Fab 50: Front Runners For 2025 Squad

A year from now, the Fab 50 team is going to look dramatically different than it did this week.    Of the Prep RedZone selections from the 2024 season, 42 of them were seniors, meaning we'll have a pretty low number of repeat winners. That doesn't even account for some of the standard player attrition rates we've seen over the first few years of this honor.   Before we go any further, let's start by listing the 2024 selections with remaining eligibility. These eight have clearly found productive spots worthy of consideration again.    <figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='473001' first='Jaylen' last='McGill']</td><td>Running Back</td><td>Mountain View Prep</td><td>2026</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1165753' first='Tre' last='Aiken']</td><td>Offensive Line</td><td>Clinton</td><td>2026</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='212416' first='J'Zavien' last='Currence']</td><td>Athlete</td><td>South Pointe</td><td>2026</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1267206' first='Dontrell' last='Wilson']</td><td>Defensive Line</td><td>Camden</td><td>2026</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='816734' first='Terry' last='Radford']</td><td>Defensive Line</td><td>Chester</td><td>2026</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='378969' first='Jaiden' last='Kelly-Murray']</td><td>Athlete</td><td>Summerville</td><td>2027</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='779428' first='Tajeh' last='Watson-Martin']</td><td>Athlete</td><td>Belton-Honea Path</td><td>2027</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1283361' first='Jaylon' last='Richardson']</td><td>Defensive Back</td><td>Catawba Ridge</td><td>2027</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>   Those eight players will be natural choices for our 75-player preseason team next August and appear to have the type of confidence from their respective coaching staffs to put up huge 2025 seasons that will be necessary to repeat with the Fab 50. We know enough to not count any chickens before their hatch while also realizing that past success happens for a reason.   We call them our front runners.   But they're not alone.   The 2026 and 2027 classes are full of players who were close to making the Fab 50 this time around but just failed to make the final cut. Those two grades also have a large number of players primed to make significant jumps in production amid growing opportunities.    WELL-POSITIONED 2025 FAB 50 PROJECTIONS   Kicker   [player_tooltip player_id='816752' first='Will' last='Love'] Spartanburg | Love connected on 70 percent of his field goals and better than 95 percent of his PATs. He also put just shy of half of his kickoffs into the end zone. While he couldn't challenge [player_tooltip player_id='605521' first='Gray' last='Dangerfield'] this season, he appears to have every tool to in his pocket to run away with his position in 2025.   Next Player Up: [player_tooltip player_id='1422557' first='Henry' last='Phillips'] Mountain View Prep   Defensive Back   [player_tooltip player_id='473021' first='Caden' last='Ramsey'] Cross | We didn't rank Ramsey as the No. 4 overall player in 2026 back in September by accident. And while his ranking has been influenced by his job at receiver, he's every bit of the top returning defensive back in the state for next fall. He tracks deep throws extremely well and can make up long distances in short amounts of time. After all, he led the state in picks this fall.    Next Player Up: [player_tooltip player_id='473009' first='Jeremiah' last='Favorite'] Boiling Springs   Linebacker   [player_tooltip player_id='1025776' first='Raleigh' last='Salters'] Dutch Fork | Salters has largely been overshadowed by [player_tooltip player_id='1012606' first='Elgin' last='Sessions'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1012706' first='Josh' last='Smith'] during his last two seasons. But he's a gamer who probably influenced the Class 5A, Division I state title game more than any other player. He's a dynamic tackler with an ability to blitz off the edge or come full-steam up the middle of the line. Salters if the newly appointed leader of the Dutch Fork defense.    Next Player Up: [player_tooltip player_id='1267200' first='Tamarion' last='Watkins'] Northwestern   Defensive Lineman   [player_tooltip player_id='1395062' first='Demarea' last='Thurmond'] Loris | Thurmond is losing line mate Jevon Johnson to graduation. But what the 6-foot-3, 305-pound tackle brings to the table isn't going anywhere. He's a run-clogging, pressure-building interior lineman with more than enough help to prevent triple teams. And even if that happens, his ability to impact games, especially during region play, will be felt from the inside out in 2025.    Next Player Up: [player_tooltip player_id='755914' first='Jaiden' last='Bryant'] Irmo   Offensive Lineman    [player_tooltip player_id='1251916' first='Malcolm' last='Gaston'] North Augusta | Gaston does so many different things well and is only (we believe) starting to show off his long-term potential. But when you're breaking down what North Augusta did so well in 2024, we can't help but notice that the return of [player_tooltip player_id='402503' first='Michael' last='Doe'] at tailback and Gaston having another year at tackle could put the Yellow Jackets into position to put up some big-time numbers.    Next Player Up: [player_tooltip player_id='473011' first='Desmond' last='Green'] Timberland   Tight End   [player_tooltip player_id='402485' first='Cameron' last='James'] Clover | James was already making some headway as a versatile tight end for most of the year. What we might have overlooked slightly is that his ability as a long-snapper is going to help his cause when it comes to his notability. He very well might end up being the best player at both positions in the Class of 2026 before it's all said and done because Clover relies on his blocking and occasional receiving skills nearly as much as they need him to help dictate field position in the punting game.    Next Player Up: [player_tooltip player_id='1395078' first='Kam' last='Taylor'] Woodruff   Receiver   [player_tooltip player_id='816751' first='Jude' last='Hall'] WR, Christ Church | The Duke commitment is going to have the bulk of the offseason to not only have the Christ Church passing game built around him, but also further times to develop into the type of receiver who can take over a game. He's got the measurables and an offensive scheme capable of making him even better than he's been. Now, he gets to be the guy.    Next Player Up: [player_tooltip player_id='1165081' first='Kendall' last='Byrd'] AC Flora   Running Back   [player_tooltip player_id='473027' first='Meliq' last='McGowan'] RB, Goose Creek | McGowan opened the 2024 season by rushing for 200 yards and three touchdowns on the road at North Myrtle Beach. Not long after, he suffered an injury that sidelined him for four full games and prevented him from really finding a rhythm after that. But we've seen what McGowan can do when he's healthy. And betting against him isn't a good idea.    Next Player Up: [player_tooltip player_id='1036721' first='Tre' last='Segarra'] Byrnes   Quarterback   [player_tooltip player_id='1094944' first='Aiden' last='Manavian'] Oceanside Collegiate | Big Game Aiden has been a new modicum of success. He's going to enter his junior season with a pair of state championships on his resume, not to mention a sophomore season that was among the best in state history. He threw for 3,507 yards this fall, numbers that we can track to fall only behind the sophomore campaigns of Justin Worley's 3,641 and Everett Golson's 3,570 (both in 2008).   Next Player Up: [player_tooltip player_id='473002' first='Cameron' last='McMillon'] South Pointe

A year from now, the Fab 50 team is going to look dramatically different than it did this week.