Class 3A's Biggest Offseason Storylines

The state's smallest classification in terms of number of teams has more than its share of questions to answer over the next six months.    From replacing standouts who are out of eligibility to programs attempting to stay near the top of Class 3A to a division loaded with experienced quarterbacks, we should start seeing some of those situations come into focus well in advance of another game being played.   The offseason will be interesting, and these storylines are driving the bus.    Can Top Charters Keep Their Foot on the Gas?   From [player_tooltip player_id='473001' first='Jaylen' last='McGill'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1395046' first='KD' last='Hainsworth'] at Mountain View Prep to [player_tooltip player_id='1094944' first='Aiden' last='Manavian'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1592182' first='Terence' last='Johnson'] at Oceanside Collegiate, the top two charter programs in the state last fall made waves from start to finish. And each of those four stars has another year of eligibility left while being asked to lead their rosters through the offseason.    For the defending 3A champion Landsharks, Oceanside will need to replace a lot of offense. With both [player_tooltip player_id='809757' first='Will' last='Virgilio'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1578702' first='Peyton' last='Shaw'] out of eligibility, the biggest questions are at receiver. Johnson caught 41 passes as a junior, and the next highest total from a returning player was six (freshman Tyler Garner). But what we also know is that this team is more than willing to hand 2027 tailback James O'Connor the ball. He got a team-best 125 carries in the fall and could be a stop gap for a pass-first team not only in the fall, but during an offseason in which Manavian is clearly the key.    Up in Spartanburg, Mountain View got some headlines the last few weeks when McGill committed to and de-committed from Rutgers. No matter where he ends up, the No. 1 overall player in the Class of 2026 is a tour de force that coach Grey Ramsey hopes will carry through McGill's one and only full offseason with the stars (he had transferred in to the upstart program last summer). Mountain View Prep already got one transfer this year in offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1271261' first='Brayden' last='Everette'] (Travelers Rest). And with multiple proposals in the works within both the SCHSL and state legislature, he probably won't be the last before the 2025 season kicks off in August.   However, for the time being, the Stars will ask their stars to help incorporate the school's first offseason plans. From the weight room to combines to camps, Hainsworth and McGill have the goods. We need to see what else those teams are capable of, as well.   Quarterback Heavy   Oceanside's Manavian is by no means the only returning starter at quarterback in Class 3A.   Entering a portion of the calendar where passers are often the biggest talking points, it's a great window to see how much development will take place before the 2025 season begins.    We already know about some known commodities with significant experience.    Belton-Honea Path's [player_tooltip player_id='283891' first='Noah' last='Thomas'] (pictured) is in his final high school offseason after throwing for 1,800 yards and 26 touchdowns. The biggest question for him (and the rest of BHP) is how this offense adjusts to [player_tooltip player_id='605525' first='Marquise' last='Henderson'] moving on to Clemson.   At Loris, [player_tooltip player_id='797160' first='Moon' last='Gerald'] had a good first year as a starter - he only threw two interceptions in 141 pass attempts against 19 touchdowns. But what we look for from him is expanding his throw chart with even better accuracy.   Broome's [player_tooltip player_id='1592321' first='Jameson' last='Dearybury'] has 2,000 passing yards under his belt from last fall. He'd also be the first one to tell you he needs to cut down on his interceptions and should be able to take a nice leap forward while have all three of his top receivers (Reece Waugerman, [player_tooltip player_id='1453176' first='Brayden' last='Simpson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1639803' first='Tre' last='Suber']) back throughout the offseason and into next fall.    Crescent's [player_tooltip player_id='1603963' first='Mason' last='Evans'] should see his next evolution, as well, as the Tigers lean even more into their 2027 signal caller after he threw for 1,460 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for another 335 and five.   Three talented 2028s are also ripe with starting experience of their own. Pendleton's [player_tooltip player_id='1094520' first='Jace' last='Grass'] is the No. 1 overall player in our rankings for that grade for a reason. Hanahan's [player_tooltip player_id='1615084' first='Tripp' last='Gallus'] has the type of size that triggers attention spans. And [player_tooltip player_id='1474133' first='Brenden' last='Peoples'] of Orangeburg-Wilkinson didn't put up monster numbers but helped inspire a massive turnaround.   And if we're talking about this position, you can't ignore two part-timers who are going to have every opportunity to take the reins of their respective offenses. Christ Church's [player_tooltip player_id='1199124' first='Judd' last='Windham'] will be in a summertime battle with a rising freshman (Seldon Paedon) and Marlboro County's [player_tooltip player_id='776240' first='Tre' last='Blakeney'] is on the pole position for that jobs and can turn some heads during the offseason.   Next Man Up   We're going to keep things in Bennettsville because the Bulldogs' departing seniors are opening up a ton of availability for guys who are already, at the least, partially proven standouts.    Tailbacks Tremayne Ashford and Royce Stone will be taking over for [player_tooltip player_id='1360219' first='Josiah' last='Robinson'] (632 yards, eight touchdowns in six-plus games).  Defensively, we're looking directly at defensive ends [player_tooltip player_id='1422580' first='Kaiden' last='Walton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='905534' first='Jaden' last='Ashe'] to fill the void left by [player_tooltip player_id='823896' first='Josiah' last='Dwyer'] (East Carolina). All four Bulldogs are combine-ready players who should impress this offseason.    Actually, Region V-3A has a few situations we're keeping tabs on over the next few months.   With Dillon tailback [player_tooltip player_id='346196' first='Jamarion' last='Fling'] out of eligibility after rushing for all those touchdowns the last two seasons, the Wildcats are going to turn to a committee approach. Dominick Felton (449 yards, nine touchdowns), Noah Singletary (232 yards, two touchdowns) and [player_tooltip player_id='1267317' first='Daniel' last='Capehart'] (141, three touchdowns) each got their chances in 2024. But the plan to replace Fling will be in full effect, especially with Dillon expected to hand its offense to a rising ninth grader at quarterback.    Given what Marlboro County and Dillon are doing is even more reason to pay attention to Loris outside linebacker and defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='473018' first='Landon' last='Conner'] over the next few months. He's going to be charged with taking up the slack from the graduation of [player_tooltip player_id='464883' first='Javon' last='Johnson'] and his 66 tackles for loss over the last four years. Conner isn't green; he's got 36 TFL of his own since he became a starter as a freshmen. What is now is, however, is arguable the leader of this defense.    On the other side of the state, Belton-Honea Path has said goodbye to Henderson, the all-everything tailback who finished as the No. 3 overall player in our Class of 2025 rankings. [player_tooltip player_id='1639798' first='MJ' last='Earl'] (561 yards, eight touchdowns) appears to be the next player to take over the starting spot, and his familiarity with the scheme and some other returning pieces means he won't have the pressure of doing everything Henderson did.    Speaking of needing a bunch of dudes to step up, look no further than Walhalla, where [player_tooltip player_id='1612450' first='Landon' last='Robinson'] ran for 1,943 yards and 22 touchdowns and two-way standout [player_tooltip player_id='867240' first='Silas' last='Parish'] 438 and seven scores, hauled in a team-best 31 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns and recorded 136 tackles. How do you fill all that? With a massive team effort.    Essien Nathan and Triston Woodland will have the offseason to prepare to be the Razorbacks' two top ball carriers. And defensive backs [player_tooltip player_id='1596873' first='Darian' last='Simpkins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1592619' first='Kai' last='Nathan'] will have to pick up a lot of the defensive numbers left behind by Parish's graduation.    Adding Roles To Their Resume   While some of the early results will have to wait until spring practice opens in May, there's a better-than-average chance we see some established players picking up even more responsibilities.   Like Capehart at Dillon (who will be adding more carries to his starting role at linebacker), teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1165163' first='Zamaurious' last='Robertson'] will be asked to start both ways after going back and forth from defensive back and receiver the last two seasons.   Likewise, [player_tooltip player_id='1213961' first='Anthony' last='Atkins'] at Christ Church is already well versed as a defensive back. By the time May arrives, he's also going to be seeing significant time at receiver and tailback.    We're not sure what else Waccamaw twins [player_tooltip player_id='473016' first='AJ' last='Grate'] and [player_tooltip player_id='473025' first='Andre' last='Grate'] can be asked to do, but we're also not immune to seeing new wrinkles out of them, either.    Tack on guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1604055' first='Shane' last='Hunter Dale'] likely working into receiver more at Crescent - where he's already a budding linebacker - North Charleston's [player_tooltip player_id='1467808' first='Anthony' last='Simmons'] getting more snaps on the offensive line to complement his defensive tackle role and [player_tooltip player_id='1615123' first='King' last='Henderson'] mixing in more at receiver in addition to his defensive back responsibilities for Union County and we'll start to see plenty of guys on the field more than they already were.

The state's smallest classification in terms of number of teams has more than its share of questions to answer over the next six months.