2025 Preview: Greenville Red Raiders

After turning around a program that wasn't a traditional power, Scoot Watson is looking to return a traditional power back to its winning ways. Watson is the new head coach at Greenville this year after five successful seasons at JL Mann, including 20 wins over the past two seasons - a two-year win mark never before reached by the Patriots.   Watson takes over a program that went 2-9 last fall after posting 10-win seasons in each of the prior four full years of football. Red Raiders assistant coach Thomas Mack believes this turnaround could happen quickly.   "The kids have it in them. We try to instill here what we did at JL Mann," Mack said. "There's a formula to winning and we think we have a formula.   "The weight room is where it all starts."   A couple of players who have turned heads in the weight room this offseason are juniors Jonathan Chang and Logan Hawthorne, who are expected to lead Greenville's offensive front. Craig, who's recovered from a shoulder injury last season, is likely to start at a guard or tackle position, while Hawthorne is set to see time on both sides of the ball in the trenches. Mack said both have gotten much stronger this offseason.   "I know I've gotten a lot better and we've all been working hard in the weight room and practicing really hard on the field," Chang said. "We're just building that cohesion and I'm really looking forward to us putting on a show for Greenville this season."   Chang and Hawthorne will be tasked with protecting and paving lanes for a young offensive backfield. Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='257427' first='Tristan' last='Bryant'] and Holden Powell are battling for the starting quarterback spot, while junior Messiah Bell has made a big impression on the new coaching staff in the spring.   Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1817656' first='Hamp' last='Renfrow'] could make an impact at wide receiver for the Red Raiders. Renfrow, a cousin of current Panthers wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, is also a baseball standout. [player_tooltip player_id='1669216' first='Ja'veon' last='Henderson'] was likely poised for a breakout season after five of his 19 receptions went for touchdowns last season, but he's currently recovering from an ACL injury. The wide receiver and defensive back positions should get a big boost from Wade Hampton transfers [player_tooltip player_id='1664480' first='JaQwon' last='Haygood'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1734417' first='Jamarion' last='Mckinney'] .   Greenville has had a tradition of ferocious defensive linemen, but its latest candidate for such accolades has taken an unusual path to get there. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1734829' first='Franklin' last='Whitley'], a 6-foot-7, 268-pound lineman who was a star of the Red Raiders' Class 5A Division II state championship basketball team last season, is set to play football for the first time this fall.   "We feel like he's going to help us tremendously on the defensive line," Mack said.   Along with Hawthorne and Whitley up front defensively for Greenville, the Red Raiders also return junior Jireon Whitner. Whitner is a rush end who was disruptive force in opposing backfields last season. Another basketball player expected to help on both the offensive and defensive lines is junior LJ Dendy.   The most experienced group on Greenville's team is easily the linebackers, where seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1592567' first='Bradley' last='Lucas'] , [player_tooltip player_id='1592587' first='CJ' last='Williams'] and Jacob Christie return after piling up a bunch of tackles last season. Williams had 105 tackles, including 90 solo stops and eight quarterback hurries last season. Christie posted 77 tackles, forced three fumbles, recovered three fumbles and has a 5.1 GPA. Juniors Julian Renrick and [player_tooltip player_id='253148' first='YaKaden' last='Sherrard'], who each transferred from JL Mann, should be impactful at outside linebacker. Renrick had 32 tackles and four sacks last season.   Mack said that while Lucas shined at linebacker last season, the versatility he's shown will allow him to line up all over for the Red Raiders' defense. That suits Lucas just fine.   "Wherever I can help out, I love to do it," Lucas said. "As a senior, I need to be a leader and hold teammates accountable. I want us all to be at our best this season."   After posting 90 tackles and one interception last season for Greenville, senior safety Makhius Hill is back to lead the secondary this season. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='402492' first='Ja'Dyn' last='Rice'] should also be an impactful new Red Raider in the secondary. At JL Mann last season, Rice had three interceptions and was a dangerous threat on special teams as a punt returner.   STARS SET TO SHINE   [player_tooltip player_id='1734829' first='Franklin' last='Whitley'] DL, 2026 - Whitley decided to begin his senior year of high school by trying to bring some of that basketball state championship mojo to the football team. You could say it's going well. Three months after posting 25 points and 14 rebounds in Greenville's state championship win, Whitley attended a football day camp at the University of Georgia and left with a scholarship offer.   Jonathan Chang OL, 2027 - Chang was the starter at left guard last season. At 6-foot-3, 300 pounds, Chang is physical but he's very agile for his size. His highlight reel from last season featured many plays in which he pulled to the right to create space for runners.   [player_tooltip player_id='1592567' first='Bradley' last='Lucas'] LB, 2026 - Lucas posted a team-high 116 tackles last season, including 95 solo stops and eight tackles-for-loss. Mack said Lucas will likely be a team captain this season.   Logan Hawthorne OL/DL, 2027 - Much like Chang, Hawthorne has been a regular in Greenville's weight room this offseason and has increased his strength significantly. "That's the difference between last year and this year for these guys," Mack said. "They've done an outstanding job."   FILM REVIEW   [player_tooltip player_id='1664480' first='JaQwon' last='Haygood'] ATH, 2027 - A lot of folks who may not have been aware of Haygood got an eyeful at this year's Carolinas Coaches Combine at Spartanburg - as long as they didn't blink. Haygood was clocked at running 22.69 mph, the third-fastest mark at the event. As his highlight reel shows, when he catches the ball in the open field, it's over. He's gone.    BIGGEST LOSSES   [player_tooltip player_id='1403906' first='Banks' last='Bouton'] QB - Bouton was a true dual-threat quarterback for the Red Raiders last season as he accounted for 2,253 yards of total offense and 18 touchdowns. He's now at Gaffney.   Hunter Taylor OL - Taylor made plenty of space for Bouton and others to run the last few seasons. He's now playing at Furman.   UP-AND-COMING POTENTIAL   Messiah Bell RB, 2027 - Coaches have not only been impressed with Bell's running ability this offseason, but also his willingness to be a complete back. The 5-foot-8, 165-pound Bell is a physical runner who doesn't shy away from blocking as well.   Bryson Mosley ATH, 2028 - Mosley gained some experience last year as a freshman and could see a much bigger role as a wide receiver and/or defensive back moving forward.    Injuries pressed Bryant into duty as a freshman at JL Mann last season and he performed well. He completed 60.2 percent of his passes for 780 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. Bryant also ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns and averaged 7.9 yards per carry.

After turning around a program that wasn't a traditional power, Scoot Watson is looking to return a traditional power back to its winning ways. Watson is the new head coach at Greenville this year after five successful seasons at JL Mann, including 20 wins over the past two seasons - a two-year win mark never before reached by the Patriots.