2027 Rankings Winter Update: The Stockrisers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Every rankings cycles, we add more athletes to each respective class, building it out as we see further proof that our previous list wasn't complete.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But the crux of each class isn't simply about the newcomers. It's predicated just as much about those who did gave us every reason to move them up the charts.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To improve his stock, a player must navigate a vast competition level and the varying metrics between players, positions, teams and classifications. At the root of the discussion, though, is individual development and production.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These players in the Prep RedZone Class of 2027 all did just that in recent months.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>QUARTERBACKS ON THE RISE</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're going to have plenty more to write about Bamberg-Ehrhardt quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822457' first='Brian' last='McMillan']</strong> after his eye-popping touchdown display in his first year as the team's starter.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But he's not the only player at the position who showed out in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pickens' <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1581467' first='Brooks' last='Dow']</strong> (Up 58 spots to No. 48), Riverside's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='463113' first='Gideon' last='Merhib']</strong> (Up 13 spots to No. 67), Sumter's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603974' first='Franklin' last='Richardson']</strong> (Up 75 spots to No. 70, pictured), Central's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1664364' first='Dwayne' last='Louallen']</strong> (Up 21 spots to No. 109), Dutch Fork's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823705' first='Jaxon' last='Knotts']</strong> (Up 133 spots to No. 122) and Camden's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1354590' first='Greyson' last='Rimpf']</strong> (Up 95 spots to No. 137) each brought their respective skill sets to the table, and for some of them - like McMillan - for the first time as a starter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The one thing they all had in common, though, was the ability to run their offenses with efficiency. Knotts threw for 2,293 yards and 19 touchdowns while rushing for another 536 and nine scores. Dow went for 2,375 yards combined and 22 total touchdowns. Merhib (2,361 passing, 822 rushing, 27 total touchdowns), Louallen (2,362 total yards, 20 total touchdowns), Rimpf (2,390 passing, 28 touchdowns) and Richardson (1,424 rushing yards, 31 touchdowns, 651 passing yards, four touchdowns) took turns putting on some shows during the 2025 football season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What they also did was tell us we're in for plenty more in 2026.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>OTHER BIG MOVERS AND SHAKERS</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422601' first='Wytrayvious' last='Dugar']</strong> DB, Strom Thurmond (Up 21 spots to No. 66) - Dugar played a huge role in the Rebels' championship run by putting up 87 tackles, six tackles for loss, a pick and a forced fumble</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603854' first='Eric' last='Richardson']</strong> ATH, Lugoff-Elgin (Up 23 spots to No. 99) - Richardson is valuable in so many ways. He catches passes (48 for 810 yards), runs the ball (39 carries for 573 yards) and play defense (39 tackles, three interceptions)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1810416' first='Jeremiah' last='Salley']</strong> OL, Lancaster (Up 24 spots to No. 73) - Salley is quickly climbing after bringing his mobility and violence to the tackle position while also playing some occasional center for the Bruins.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1840750' first='Jayden' last='Merriweather']</strong> DL, Aiken (Up 27 spots to No. 155) - In his first season at Aiken, Merriweather was second on the team in tackles for loss and QB pressures while finishing fifth in tackles</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604061' first='Nigel' last='Rock']</strong> DL, Southside Christian (Up 28 spots to No. 106) - The talented edge rusher made the move from Hillcrest after a strong spring and kept it rolling in his new digs, racking up 21 tackles for loss</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823853' first='Anthony' last='Williams']</strong> WR, Oceanside Collegiate (Up 38 spots to No. 60) - Showed he could be a high-quality No. 2 on a consistent basis while flashing even more during Landsharks' state title run</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603877' first='Max' last='Barnes']</strong> OL, Hillcrest (Up 40 spots to No. 97) - Barnes not only showed he was fully healthy again after a sophomore season injury, he proved he could compete as one of the best centers in the state next fall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1623487' first='Brandon' last='Streater']</strong> OL, Central (Up 48 spots to No. 126) - We said last spring that Streater was a bigger part of this offense than most credited him for, and he went out and proved it for a team that finished as a state semifinalist</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='763831' first='John' last='Stokes']</strong> DL, Hammond (Up 60 spots to No. 108) - Stokes will be shooting up numerous recruiting boards after he put up 36 tackles for loss and 16 sacks as a junior en route to some postseason hardware</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1664605' first='Sam' last='Crumpton']</strong> TE, James Island (Up 85 spots to No. 125) - Crumpton fits the bill of a James Island player; he's a tenacious blocker from a variety of pre-snap positions and backs up with occasional receptions to help the offense</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>AROUND THE RANKINGS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Several players in the Class of 2027 moved up in a sign of moderate changes in their positioning while displaying the next stage of their personal trends.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Byrnes tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036721' first='Tre' last='Segarra']</strong> (Up five spots to No. 9 overall) returned to the overall Top 10 after missing a significant chunk of his sophomore season with a knee injury. He missed all of September and October in 2024, and his three-game return that year was about getting him back into form. He's there. As a junior, Segarra ran for 1,460 yards and 17 touchdowns while catching 19 passes for another 198 yards and four touchdowns. We see no reason to believe he can't contend for the top tailback spot again.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Directly in front of Segarra in the rankings, Irmo defensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172366' first='Tyrone' last='Jennings']</strong> adjusted to his own personal set of circumstances after making an offseason transfer from White Knoll. Jennings meshed in to the existing (and stellar) Yellow Jackets' defensive line, earned a starting job and then made it better. Jennings chewed up so much attention that teammates like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='755914' first='Jaiden' last='Bryant']</strong> couldn't automatically be double teamed. There's a reason both of those players are now in the overall Top 10, and the next calendar year could be electric for each of them and together at the same time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sticking on that side of the ball, we're not exactly sure how much more South Pointe linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1271263' first='KJ' last='Burg']</strong> can do, but sign us up for the show. With some huge names that pushed the Stallions to the 2025 Class 4A state title, Burg is arguably the biggest piece of the puzzle. He's consistent (11 tackles per game) and dynamic (27 tackles for loss, six sacks). He's only got so much more room to improve, but he cut eight more spots into his ranking and now sits at No. 15 overall.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Daniel receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1467841' first='Trey' last='Wimbley']</strong> burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2024, hauling in just shy of 600 yards worth of passes and eight touchdowns. He then nearly doubled his production with a 57-catch, 1,072-yard sophomore season. His announcement a few weeks back that he was reclassifying from the Class of 2028 (where we had him at No. 5 overall) to 2027 wasn't exactly a surprise, nor was his verbal commitment to Clemson. Wimbley will now be reflected in our 2027 rankings as the No. 16 overall prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->