Five Offseason Storylines for Class A

Well before we wrapped up our winter rankings cycle, the offseason had begun for players all around South Carolina's smallest classification.    Some morphed into basketball or wrestling while others put their free time into the weight room. Regardless of the post-2024 season habits, Class A has some significant storylines to watch over the next six months. In that span, we'll see mass participation in the Carolinas Coaches Combines, spring ball, 7-on-7 seasons and then right on into preseason camps.   And while it might take every bit of that timeframe to get answers to some questions, we already have solid reason to see how certain aspects of the classification could shake out.   We also have a good idea of which players can make some headway, both for their teams and their own individual goals.    Gunning For The Top Spot   When realignment was announced a year ago, everyone knew the class was Abbeville's to lose. Behind [player_tooltip player_id='1249802' first='Damarcus' last='Leach'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1249809' first='Karson' last='Norman'] and a few others, the Panthers' ran roughshod through the playoffs to yet another title. But the Abbeville vs. the Field conversation this time around looks much more even.    For starters, those two stars were seniors. Comparatively, some of the others who made deep playoff runs will be loaded. State runner up Cross will return quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1604028' first='Tyler' last='Harris'] (1,516 yards, 18 touchdowns) and understudy tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1172364' first='Mah'ky' last='Green'] (794 yards, 11 touchdowns) on offense, as well as three of the team's top tacklers in defensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id='1639807' first='Michael' last='Bennett'] (63 tackles, 15 tackles for loss) and [player_tooltip player_id='1422604' first='Jailyn' last='Broughton'] (92 tackles, 14 tackles for loss) and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1639766' first='William' last='Grant'] (91 tackles, 24 tackles for loss). The Trojans also return their best overall player and arguably the best one in the class (we'll get to him in a few moments).   The only team that really pushed Abbeville in the playoffs, Lamar, will have quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1165108' first='Zori' last='Pierce'] back in uniform after his second impressive season. Linebackers [player_tooltip player_id='1422623' first='DQ' last='Green'] (116 tackles) and [player_tooltip player_id='1664583' first='Jaquez' last='Dargan'] (83 tackles) will be back, too, playing catch-all for a defensive line that is young but has a high ceiling.    Bamberg-Ehrhardt lost its two big stars but returns the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='816740' first='Marcus' last='Cann'] (pictured) and [player_tooltip player_id='1214316' first='Charles' last='Anthony Williams'] - not to mention a guy named Rakeem Walker that we'll have eyes on at multiple points over the next few months.   And while Abbeville is the king until it's not, those three teams and a few others go into the bulk of the offseason knowing they don't have quite the uphill climb they did this time last year.   How Much Higher Can The Two Biggest Recruits in Class A Go?   Cross safety/receiver [player_tooltip player_id='473021' first='Caden' last='Ramsey'] and Carvers Bay offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='402516' first='Zyon' last='Guiles'] are both nestled inside the top 15 overall in the Class of 2026 rankings. And while we tend to favor high school production slightly more than college prospects with our rankings, these two are the real deal regardless of metric.   Guiles already has offers from South Carolina, Clemson, Alabama, Colorado and Auburn. He's confirmed official visits to the first two (as well as Florida and Georgia) and doesn't appear to be planning on a decision prior to the midway point of the summer. That's key, because if he puts on a show in some offseason events, his star will only continue to rise.   Ramsey doesn't have quite the collection of offers, as he was a relatively late bloomer (compared to Guiles, at least). Georgia Tech, Syracuse and East Carolina have all joined the fray in the last eight weeks. And we're hearing that a few other Power 4s are doing their evaluations of him this month. His sheet will grow, as 6-foot-5 players who move like Ramsey and can play four or five positions are rare.   In many ways, these two are driving forces in this recruiting cycle, and not just for Class A.   Speaking of Rankings…   We try not to overreact with our Spring rankings cycle, but it's also inevitable that the offseason regiment is either being taken advantage of or not by the time we get to April or May. That means six Class A standouts who are all inside the top 150 overall but we haven't already mentioned have every opportunity to improve upon the number next to their names before their senior seasons kickoff next August.    [player_tooltip player_id='1220232' first='Christopher' last='Glover'] (Calhoun County), [player_tooltip player_id='1165159' first='Jordan' last='Strong'] (Lewisville), [player_tooltip player_id='1165126' first='Kelvin' last='Smalls'] (Baptist Hill), [player_tooltip player_id='816739' first='Rayfield' last='Bell'] (Wagener-Salley), [player_tooltip player_id='1267226' first='Devaughn' last='Locust'] (Lamar) and [player_tooltip player_id='1025821' first='Zyrion' last='Reed'] (Carvers Bay) each have warranted their places so far.    What we've also noticed is they have some potential to shoot up considerably thanks to their situations. Reed has thrived after transferring from North Myrtle Beach. Locust steps into his team's most visible leadership role on the offense and defensive lines and has gotten in better shape via the wrestling season. Bell is over his adjustment period to a new staff. Smalls is a two-way player in Baptist Hill's fast-paced scheme. Strong is now the guy on Lewisville's normally stout defense. And Glover gets one more calendar year to see if can top his already impressive numbers.   They're not alone.    [player_tooltip player_id='1172343' first='Kyilann' last='Gordon'] (Baptist Hill), [player_tooltip player_id='1223929' first='Markest' last='Davenport'] (Calhoun County) and [player_tooltip player_id='1036784' first='Kaiden' last='Aiken'] (Blackville-Hilda) are among the players we're looking at in the Class of 2027 for potential upward movement.    What's more, we already have a list of currently unranked players from Class A who are on the short list for inclusion come the spring - starting with two-way lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1639696' first='Malik' last='Harrison'] (Lewisville) and running back [player_tooltip player_id='1664511' first='Trenton' last='Summers'] (Hunter-Kinard-Tyler).    Surprise Team Candidates   Two teams that finished .500 or below last season have the type of rosters that could make them squads to watch over the next few months.   Last fall, Ridge Spring-Monetta was 6-6, with four of the losses coming in the last five games. But there's reason to think the Trojans could have one heck of a bounce back campaign. [player_tooltip player_id='1592558' first='Jabarius' last='Brunson'] is near the top of that list after he had 123 tackles and a mind-boggling 32.5 tackles for loss. Fellow rising senior D'toris Lott is also back after registering 17.5 tackles for loss. Offensively, the [player_tooltip player_id='1604020' first='Jaiden' last='Holloway'] show will be on tap again. The quarterback rushed for 1,100 yards, threw for another 1,000 and was responsible for 18 total offensive touchdowns.   Looking for another option? Ware Shoals might be it. The Hornets were 4-6 (coincidentally, falling to Ridge Spring-Monetta in the first round of the playoffs) but started to find some really good consistency on offense when playing anyone not named Abbeville. The biggest reason why was the development of 6-foot-2, 190-pound Jayden Johnson at quarterback. He enters the offseason having thrown for at least 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons, making him the first Ware Shoals quarterback to accomplish that in school history. He's also rushed for 1,490 yards and 14 touchdowns over the span. Considering the Hornets' top defenders - linebackers Brandon Rash, [player_tooltip player_id='1267314' first='Elijah' last='Brown'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1639784' first='Trent' last='Dyal'] - are also back, and Ware Shoals is approaching March with some much-needed confidence.   Young Stars in the Making?   When it comes to freshmen getting on the field early, Class A ball lends itself as a varsity proving ground more than its bigger brethren.   And with that being the case, a number of freshmen from last fall have taken their early experience into the offseason.    We start with [player_tooltip player_id='1467816' first='Kingston' last='Green'] of Whitmire. The linebacker and part-time tailback finished the 2024 season with 72 total tackles in nine games. He also added 228 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground.   From there, we also see CA Johnson's Elijah Johnson continuing to do even more than we saw from last fall. He made tackles, picked off a pass, recovered a fumble on defense, returned some kicks and occasionally punted on special teams and chipped in on offense.    Lamar defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='1615075' first='Lamont' last='Williams'] is every bit of 6-foot-4 and is a solid weights-heavy offseason from starting to look like he could start anywhere after putting up 7.5 tackles for loss last year.    And back at Ware Shoals, defensive back Ry'Keem Robinson had a nice opening stanza that included 48 tackles, five picks, three forced fumbles and a pair of sacks.

Well before we wrapped up our winter rankings cycle, the offseason had begun for players all around South Carolina's smallest classification.