CCC Spartanburg: Underclassmen Who Made An Impact

Jed Blackwell April 29, 2025 @ 05:43 PM

The 2027 and 2028 athletes who participated in the Spartanburg session of the Carolinas Coaches Combine opened some eyes on Sunday. Some came in already known, and some left Spartanburg with increased attention. Here's a look at some who stood out.   [player_tooltip player_id='1036753' first='Aiden' last='Gibson'] RB, Woodruff   Gibson looked like a freight train in the combine portion of the afternoon session, running the 40 in 4.78 seconds at 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds. He's got an amazing blend of speed and power, but he's also crazy athletic and has great hands out of the backfield. Anybody who's seen Woodruff in the past couple years knows how good Gibson is. Sunday was the first step in announcing it to a wider audience.   [player_tooltip player_id='1672929' first='Malachi' last='Thompson'] DB, Woodruff   Gibson's teammate put on a combine show as well. Thompson started in the defensive backfield as a freshman for the Wolverines, and it's easy to see why. He's not just fast, he's quick, and he's able to lock down taller receivers. He's strong in coverage, and has a huge upside.   [player_tooltip player_id='1453176' first='Brayden' last='Simpson'] WR, Broome   Simpson was Broome's leader in all-purpose offense last season, and looks poised for even bigger things. He ran a quick 40, and showed his explosiveness by winning the broad jump with a leap of 10 feet, 5 inches and recording a 4.28 in the Pro Shuttle. Simpson's going to be dangerous however Broome gets him the ball.   [player_tooltip player_id='1672912' first='Chase' last='Richards'] WR, Mountain View Prep   A big target with good hands, Richards is poised to be a big part of the Stars' offense. He made a couple of good grabs in individual drills, and followed that up with a strong performance in the competition portion of the session.   [player_tooltip player_id='1581467' first='Brooks' last='Dow'] QB, Pickens   Put simply, Dow can sling it. During the competition portion, several coaches asked the same question: "Who's the big kid at QB?". That was Dow, all 6-foot-5 and 202 pounds of him. Dow makes deep throws look effortless, has nice touch, and absolutely opened some eyes with his performance.   [player_tooltip player_id='663984' first='Carson' last='Bryant'] WR, Wren   Bryant served notice that he might be Wren's next big offensive weapon. He won the Pro Shuttle in the afternoon session with a time of 4.2 seconds, then showed out with several good catches in the competition portion. His 4.57 40 was a tenth off the fastest time in either session, and he used it to run great routes.   [player_tooltip player_id='1568398' first='Aidyn' last='Wiggins'] DB, Byrnes   Byrnes brought a bunch of players to the combine, and Wiggins emerged as one of the Rebels' top guys. He looked good in coverage during competition drills, knocking away a couple of passes, and was step-for-step with the session's top receivers.   [player_tooltip player_id='1466577' first='Deion' last='Suber'] WR, Boiling Springs   Suber won top Offensive Skill honors in the afternoon, and he looked great in doing it. He made acrobatic catches, ran great routes and used his big frame to his advantage against the DBs he matched up against.   [player_tooltip player_id='873100' first='Zion' last='Dawkins'] DB, Gaffney   Dawkins is one of the most accomplished players on this list already, seeing a ton of time as a freshman on a very talented and senior-heavy Gaffney defense, notching double-digit tackles and grabbing two interceptions. He backed up that stellar reputation on Sunday, with good measurables and a great competition session.   Miles Campbell WR, Easley   Campbell made an especially acrobatic grab near the end of the competition session, but it just underscored what he'd done all day. He made a bunch of plays, and showed why he's valuable to the Green Wave on both sides of the ball.

The 2027 and 2028 athletes who participated in the Spartanburg session of the Carolinas Coaches Combine opened some eyes on Sunday. Some came in already known, and some left Spartanburg with increased attention. Here's a look at some who stood out.