2028 Rankings: The New Additions on Offense

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're still being pretty selective when it comes to the rankings for our youngest class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2028 chart still more than doubled in size.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And with the 12 newcomers whose biggest influence comes on the offensive side of the ball, we noticed a very specific trend. These players made the absolute most of their first year of varsity snaps.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They were responsible for yards and points, and in most cases, they weren't simply killing it in mop-up duty.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These 12 players should and likely will be household names on a statewide level sooner rather than later.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615119' first='Teagan' last='Cantrell'] </strong>ATH, Chapman - Cantrell saw limited time as a freshman, but it is already apparent that he can fill a void in two or three different positions moving forward. From tailback to receiver to linebacker to safety, he'll see plenty of field time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615112' first='Semaj' last='Parker']</strong> ATH, South Florence - The shifty-as-all-get-up tailback (for now) finished his first varsity season with 391 rushing yards. He can also catch the ball out of the backfield and split out to receiver. He'll see an uptick in usage for the Bruins next fall.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1474133' first='Brenden' last='Peoples']</strong> QB, Orangeburg-Wilkinson - While everyone focused on the Bruins' two standout 2026 offensive stars, Peoples got the perfect umbrella to get his feet wet; he put up more than a 1,000 total yards of offense in the process.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1312448' first='Jovan' last='Howard']</strong> RB, Westwood - <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603902' first='Angelo' last='Rios']</strong> already gave Westwood one pretty good tailback. In the second half of the season. Howard proved to be another. That tandem will turn heads together.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615100' first='Mahki' last='Shaw']</strong> ATH, Kingstree - Pushed into action as the Blazers' quarterback, Shaw was asked to do little more than hand the ball off to start. Then, as the season went on, it turned out he could be dangerous with his his legs, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1051192' first='Nydarrian' last='Allen']</strong> RB, Hillcrest - The 5-foot-9, 160-pound back got less than three varsity games to show what he could do. And even if he doesn't win the job this offseason, Allen will be getting carries galore moving forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615084' first='Tripp' last='Gallus']</strong> QB, Hanahan - We like that Gallus is 6-foot-5 and got the early nod from the coaching staff. We love that he competed 66 percent of his passes and had a nine-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615063' first='Preston' last='Smith']</strong> RB, Midland Valley - In Smith's last three games, he put up a 130-yard effort and then a 155-yard one. He's the presumed starter on a squad that has discovered a heavy concentration on pumping out 1,000-yard rushers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615056' first='Ford' last='Wallace']</strong> QB, Hartsville - Wallace's frame (6-foot-4, 190 pounds) got our attention even before he started playing real varsity snaps. Then, he started a playoff game and ripped off a casual 11-of-13, 234-yard, four-touchdown performance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615026' first='Jeremiah' last='Hunter']</strong> WR, Seneca - Returning quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165153' first='Gavin' last='Thoma']</strong> didn't take long to find his new favorite target. Hunter put up 112 yards and two touchdowns in his very first varsity game. He went on to lead the Bobcats in receptions, yards and touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615022' first='Eli' last='Sanders']</strong> OL, Newberry - The agile left tackle is great in space and has already proved he can pull to the right or get downfield. And when the Bulldogs throw, he uses his quickness and a good bit of strength to more than hold his own.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1151291' first='Brody' last='Lorenzo']</strong> OL, Dutch Fork - First look: Lorenzo is a mauler is gets off his snaps quickly. Second look: This kid might be a lot more technically sound that we originally thought. Third look: He might be the most impressive freshman offensive linemen in the state in at least five years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->