On Campus: Upstate Football Showcase At Spartanburg

For the second year in a row, the Upstate Football Showcase at Spartanburg High School was affected by the weather.   This time, though, the storms held off until the end of the event, giving eight teams a chance to take the field before lightning in the area cut short Session Four featuring Broome and Union County and cancelled Session Five, which was to feature Boiling Springs and Chesnee.   Still, in addition to the Centurions and Yellow Jackets, Spartanburg, Gaffney, Woodruff, J.L. Mann, Dorman, and Chapman all got to take the field for roughly an hour each, and all got some good work in. Here's a look at some standouts who had strong performances in front of a bunch of college coaches.   You can't hide [player_tooltip player_id='1172345' first='Trenton' last='Lynch'] (pictured), even in a different number. Spartanburg's talented junior RB had on No. 9, and he was kind of all over the place on Wednesday. Lynch showed his usual power and speed, but he also did a really good job catching the ball out of the backfield, and he showed off some shifty moves in traffic to get free for extra yards. We already know Lynch can go by you or through you. Now it looks like he can go around you, too. [player_tooltip player_id='1592374' first='Trey' last='Burke'] continued to impress at QB for Spartanburg, directing the offense well and throwing some pretty balls. Zeke Bell Boyd might be one of the Vikings' most unheralded - and really good - players. He won't be a stranger to attention for very long.   On the other end of the field during the first session, Gaffney looked loaded. [player_tooltip player_id='691267' first='CJ' last='Brooks'] stood out up front, burying guys on the offensive line with his typical physical play. He wasn't the only one, as line-mates [player_tooltip player_id='212409' first='Scottland' last='Dover'] and Micheal Blackwell were also drawing plenty of attention. On the defensive side of the ball, [player_tooltip player_id='1036755' first='Kendaris' last='Bailey'] was flying all over the place at LB, and made some good plays in the team portion.   In the second session, there were a bunch of eyes on Woodruff. The Wolverines have a strong core back from a very good team, and they helped show why expectations are high this season. One of the main reasons is athletic, violent LB [player_tooltip player_id='1592408' first='Shaun' last='Graybill'], who shows great instincts, good speed, and an unreal nose for the ball. [player_tooltip player_id='1395078' first='Kam' last='Taylor'] was another standout for Woodruff, at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds. He's a huge target at TE, and he's nowhere close to just a possession guy. He's got the size for that, but the speed to truly stretch the field and cause matchup problems.   JL Mann is still adjusting to new head coach Bryce Smiley's system, and the Patriots were without QB [player_tooltip player_id='1420582' first='McLeod' last='Darnell'], who's still playing baseball. But they showed enough to look really good in a couple of spots. Nate Holmes at WR was one of those guys, scoring on a couple of long plays and showing explosiveness that could be huge for the Patriots. Shaun Carvalho stood out at LB, making sure guys were in the right position while playing his really well.   In the third segment, Chapman was also a little short-handed, with a number of players still with the track team. The Panthers did have standout DE [player_tooltip player_id='1732638' first='Khamari' last='Turner'], who does a bunch of stuff well for the Panthers. He's long, rangy, and athletic, and where he lines up could be anyone's guess - he's played at Edge and OLB on defense and TE and H-Back on offense. Wherever Turner is, you'd better find him. Another guy you should account for is [player_tooltip player_id='1615119' first='Teagan' last='Cantrell']. He was among Chapman's best players last season as a freshman, and he's showing plenty of promise at LB as he continues to get better.   Dorman's portion of the third segment featured a guy who everybody came to see in DB [player_tooltip player_id='402497' first='Kentavion' last='Anderson'], who's one of the most highly-regarded players in the 2026 class and who's expected to commit on Friday. Anderson can cover, he's outstanding in run support, he does a good job on blitzes, and he's pretty much the total package in the defensive backfield. On the offensive side of the ball, transfer QB [player_tooltip player_id='340230' first='Meek' last='Slydell'] showed just how quickly he's grasping new OC Jason Farmer's offense. And Kamdyn Miller made a couple of nice catches at TE, and looks like he might be a prototype Dorman TE, leading the Cavaliers at the point of attack.   In the weather-shortened fourth session, Union County showcased a number of backs who had some success in breaking big plays. Dreshawn Mills was one of those guys, and he also plays Edge for the Yellow Jackets, leading on both sides of the ball. [player_tooltip player_id='1592645' first='Jaylon' last='Davis'] showed why he's getting some attention on the defensive line, with a good rush and a high motor, chasing down plays and creating havoc on the line.   Broome had a few standouts in their limited action as well. [player_tooltip player_id='1639803' first='Tre' last='Suber'] continues to show his versatility for Broome, lining up in a bunch of places and playing well wherever he is. Asher Littlejohn will fit that same mold. His home is at OLB, where he's a quick, heads-up player who can find the ball in a hurry. But the Centurions are positively going to find a spot for him on offense, where his speed will cause a bunch of problems.

For the second year in a row, the Upstate Football Showcase at Spartanburg High School was affected by the weather.