2028 Rankings: Top Freshmen on the Coast

Altogether, 17 of the players we included in the Prep RedZone Class of 2028 rankings after this cycle call either the Grand Strand/Pee Dee or Lowcountry home.   That proximity to one another may the sauce that's binding them.   Between the regular season and playoffs, several of these players suited up against each other. Some even had dynamic performances against that opposing player's team. And when they didn't, they still got our attention.   These 17 freshmen will go into their sophomore seasons with not only valuable experience, but significantly higher expectations than most of their classmates.   [player_tooltip player_id='1615112' first='Semaj' last='Parker'] | ATH, South Florence    Most of Parker's action came in the regular season, before the Bruins went on a November/December run that ended with a Class 4A state title. Yet, the freshman who was originally listed as a receiver (he did catch 13 passes for 71 yards) saw some decent run at tailback. He finished with at least one run of 10 yards or more in six of his last seven games. Think a team graduating what South Florence is won't find a way to get him more involved him in 2025?    [player_tooltip player_id='1615105' first='Kermit' last='Davis'] | DL, Stratford   Davis is exactly the type of player who could develop into an every-down backfield disruptor, even if he hasn't yet. Sure, we saw glimpses of it - like when he had a tackle for loss and a sack against Wando in late October (below). But his ceiling is high because of his length at 6-foot-4 and a build that is already at 220 pounds. Considering his age and the toe-in-the-water experience he got as a freshman, again, high ceiling.    [player_tooltip player_id='1467849' first='Ryan' last='Jahn'] | RB, Wando   The Warriors hadn't won five games in a season since 2019. So when they did just that in 2024 in the first year under a new staff, it was a clear sign Wando's trajectory was very much upward. Jahn was never asked to carry the load - quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1592323' first='Harris' last='Stone'] earned the task - but the freshman tailback had a couple of really nice games while flying under the radar. Stone is still there, but Wando is going to still have to run the ball.     [player_tooltip player_id='1615100' first='Mahki' last='Shaw'] | ATH, Kingstree   A player coach Brian Smith called the second-best athlete on the entire roster got the call to play quarterback for the Blazers last fall. And by the time his sophomore season begins, he's also going to be a starting cornerback. The reasoning is clear: Smith believes it gives Shaw the best chance to get recruited long term. What it also does is keep Shaw on the field to produce even more than his 900 yards of offense and 10 touchdowns he had as a freshman.     [player_tooltip player_id='1615084' first='Tripp' last='Gallus'] | QB, Hanahan    The Hawks' staff recognized early that Gallus was the quarterback of the future, and instead of having him cultivate his skills on JV, they bumped him to the varsity, replacing an existing starter, and let the chips fall where they may. The big lefty has some escapability that allows him to throw on the run or tuck it and run. His efficiency is already top-notch, and as his throwing motion progresses, we expect his numbers to jump considerably.     [player_tooltip player_id='1615075' first='Lamont' last='Williams'] | DL, Lamar   The 6-foot-4 defensive is still pretty lanky at 180 pounds. Yet, we his burst and insane wing span make running away from him on the edge pretty difficult. He had at least six tackles in four different games last fall (51 total stops), 7.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and 22 quarterback hurries. Basically, he's already proficient at making offensive players uncomfortable. If he adds weight and none of his first three steps, we could be seeing a highly touted end.     [player_tooltip player_id='776240' first='Tre' last='Blakeney'] | ATH, Marlboro County    Blakeney didn't get quite as many offensive snaps as he would have liked as a freshman, and most of them were him either taking the snap and cutting upfield or out of a tailback formation. Still, we saw that he has some wheels and an ability to break tackles when his cuts aren't enough. Blakeney is excellent in the the open field and nifty enough in traffic to have an impact, whether he's barking out the plays or not.     [player_tooltip player_id='1615056' first='Ford' last='Wallace'] | QB, Hartsville   During the regular season, Wallace was pretty much just a really tall anomaly to anyone who hadn't seen him practice. He threw a nice ball, but it's a little different when a defense is bearing down on you. Then, we saw what he did against Beaufort in the playoff opener (when starter [player_tooltip player_id='1578854' first='EJ' last='Smith'] was out of the lineup) and his 234 passing yards and four touchdowns strikes and, OK, then. The Red Foxes' quarterback position looks solid for the next few years.     [player_tooltip player_id='1582108' first='Trevor' last='Tonon'] | LB, Philip Simmons   While you could say that Philip Simmons just keeps seem to stumble into linebackers who are excellent in pursuit, it's clear the Iron Horses are good at developing some guys with natural instincts, too. Tonon is the next example. After registering a single stop in each of his first three varsity game, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound linebacker hit double digits in four of his last seven outings - including his insane performance against Kingstree in a playoff win.     [player_tooltip player_id='1467828' first='London' last='Wilder'] | ATH, Socastee   Wilder only sniffed the varsity lineup as a freshman, but not by his or the staff's choosing. He was hurt early on and wasn't able to be utilized as much as anyone hoped back in August. It was then that we saw how much faith the staff had in him both as a ball carrier and a receiver. With quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1429140' first='Christian' last='Royals'] also back for another go-around, expect these two to form one heck of a one-two punch that's been mostly missing from the Braves' offense.     [player_tooltip player_id='1016577' first='Elijah' last='Mitchell'] | WR, James Island    Mitchell standing 6-foot-3 prevented him from going unnoticed for long, even as a freshman. The plan wasn't for him to take over, necessarily, but to get used to the speed of the game and use his size the right way. Consider both those marks reached. Mitchell caught 17 passes for 191 yards, many of which came after the catch. His size will be an issue for opposing defenders moving forward as the Trojans continue to feed him the ball more and more.     [player_tooltip player_id='1467813' first='Raymond' last='Middleton'] | RB North Charleston    Middleton got plenty of early touches for a new-look Cougars' hoping for a turnaround. They did that in large part by letting the young tailback do his thing. He had a pair of 100-yard games in his first four varsity contests and ended up leading the team in rushing yards. He's got the look of consistent 1,000-yard back as North Charleston enters the offseason now knowing fully well what he's capable of.     [player_tooltip player_id='1151306' first='Bryson' last='McGee'] | RB, Berkeley    If there's one way to sum up McGee's freshman season, it's this: Not too shabby for a kid who wasn't even supposed to be playing much varsity ball. After a slew of injuries forced the Stags' hand, McGee ended up getting 87 total carries, which he turned into 654 rushing yards and three scores. His size isn't there yet, but we'll let that go considering he averaged 7.5 yards per carry and showed off some homerun capability.     [player_tooltip player_id='1615024' first='MJ' last='Respass'] | LB, Ashley Ridge   Respass had a stat line that was about as one-dimensional as it gets. He had a ton of tackles, and not much else. That's not a knock on him in the least, because those 87 stops came in bunches and opponents who choose to run against Ashley Ridge found some grit waiting for them in the middle of the defense. Respass - and we don't say this lightly - looks to be on film as someone who could flirt with 125 tackles next fall.     [player_tooltip player_id='1615015' first='Warnell' last='Prew'] | LB, South Florence    When coaches talk about the extra experience their players can get during a playoff run, Prew is a walking example. Of the Bruins' five additional games en route to the state championship, the freshman recorded an extra 23 tackles, giving him 79 for the year. There were home games and even higher-profile road contests, and Prew held up in all of them. It's why he jumped not only into our rankings, but directly into our top 10 overall.     [player_tooltip player_id='1467808' first='Anthony' last='Simmons'] | DL/OL, North Charleston   Two things tell us more about Simmons than even his measurables. First, there were snaps where he was the only linemen set up between the tackles. (Seriously, the Cougars would set their ends up that wide.) Second, it took seven varsity games before the 6-foot-1, 335-pound defensive tackle failed to record at least one tackle for loss. He carries that much power and just enough speed to get through offensive linemen and into the backfield.     [player_tooltip player_id='1061146' first='Teru' last='Davis'] | WR, Goose Creek   Davis launched his varsity career by catching three passes for 86 yards in the Gators' season opener. But he held onto his No. 4 overall spot in our rankings by sustaining throughout 2024 and becoming Goose Creek's top receiver in terms of virtually every category. His worst game in term of receptions (two) came against Wando, when he finished with 72 yards and a touchdown. Short passes or long, Davis having the ball pays dividends.

Altogether, 17 of the players we included in the Prep RedZone Class of 2028 rankings after this cycle call either the Grand Strand/Pee Dee or Lowcountry home.