PRZ Fab 50: Who’s Got Next?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When we released our Fab 50 squad earlier this month, it illuminated the very best of what South Carolina football was in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But it's not too early to start thinking about 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And since only nine members of this year's squad have remaining eligibility, they're an excellent place to start when we start projecting out what next year might be.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The current juniors on this year's list included defensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172366' first='Tyrone' last='Jennings']</strong> (Irmo), linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1271263' first='KJ' last='Burg']</strong> (South Pointe), athletes <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='378969' first='Jaiden' last='Kelly-Murray']</strong> (Summerville), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822457' first='Brian' last='McMillan']</strong> (Bamberg-Ehrhardt) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='779428' first='Tajeh' last='Watson-Martin']</strong> (Belton-Honea Path), quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1094944' first='Aiden' last='Manavian']</strong> (Oceanside Collegiate) and offensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='756223' first='Nate' last='Carson']</strong> (Irmo). They were joined by sophomores <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1151291' first='Brody' last='Lorenzo']</strong> (Dutch Fork, center) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='874321' first='Raphael' last='Puiu']</strong> (James Island, receiver).&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Front runners to come back again? Absolutely.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Kelly-Murray and Watson-Martin, it's almost an expectation. Much like Lorenzo did this season, the aforementioned two-way standouts were also picked as sophomores. That puts them into a different category altogether.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But where do we go from there? We've got some ideas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>WELL-POSITIONED 2026 FAB 50 PROJECTIONS</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Defensive Linemen&nbsp;</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='755914' first='Jaiden' last='Bryant']</strong> Irmo | Bryant was in the just-missed category for the second year in a row, and we think the Irmo defensive end's chances continue to increase for next fall. He's a potent edge rusher who can also get after ball carriers and he takes on an even bigger role for the Yellow Jackets moving forward</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Next Player Up: </em>South Pointe's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1591712' first='Seth' last='Tillman']</strong> brings so much to the table, and his growth rate the last 12 months has already been off the charts.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Others to Watch:</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036731' first='Dennis' last='Glenn']</strong> (Boiling Springs) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='409882' first='Jaden' last='Wuerth']</strong> (Dutch Fork)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Linebackers</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1271263' first='KJ' last='Burg']</strong> South Pointe | We're not sure if Burg can prove any more to anyone else after his last two seasons. All he did this time around was help the Stallions win another trophy while leading the team in tackles and being a constant threat to disrupt tailbacks' best-laid plans.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Next Player Up:</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172368' first='Andrew' last='Massey']</strong> is still flying under the radar some because of where his team plays, but that won't last much longer. Hilton Head has a gem.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Others to Watch: </em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172365' first='Crawford' last='Poole']</strong> (Cheraw) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172360' first='Kelvion' last='Manning']</strong> (Dillon)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Defensive Backs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422524' first='Josh' last='Dobson']</strong> Catawba Ridge | Dobson's impact doesn't always show up statistically, but ask any play caller on the Copperheads' schedule who they're not throwing toward and the answer is nearly universal. Being able to remove large swaths of space is a skill set not many corners possess. Dobson most definitely has it.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Next Player Up:</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1283361' first='Jaylon' last='Richardson']</strong> already proved his mettle before transferring into Northwestern last year. Now he's got a ring to go with it.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Others to Watch:</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824733' first='James' last='Smith']</strong> (White Knoll) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422601' first='Wytrayvious' last='Dugar']</strong> (Strom Thurmond)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Offensive Linemen</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1151291' first='Brody' last='Lorenzo']</strong> Dutch Fork | The Class of 2028 phenom has already proved his worth in back-to-back state championship runs. He gets a head start on a lot of other linemen around the state because of the extra attention and exposure of playing for the Silver Foxes. But it's not as if Lorenzo isn't a big part of the last two teams, either. He'll be a big part of the next one, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Next Player Up:</em> Irmo's [player_tooltip player_id='756223' first='Nate' last='Carson'] has a gazillion offers and more are coming. The reasoning is clear - he's dominant against some really good competition.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Others to Watch:</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1153356' first='Ashton' last='Thompson']</strong> (AC Flora) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='691267' first='CJ' last='Brooks'] </strong>(Gaffney)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Receivers</em></strong><em>&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172363' first='Khristian' last='Jackson']</strong> Ridge View | 2025 wasn't a throw-away year for the Blazers, but after Jackson missed some time and the team's talented quarterback was lost for the year, Jackson's production was bound to slip. Next season, [player_tooltip player_id='840548' first='Tre' last='Howard'] and Jackson could turn up the heat on every defense on the schedule.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Next Player Up:</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='874321' first='Raphael' last='Puiu']</strong> made our team this year, but he's going to have to prove it with a different quarterback next fall. If we don't see a drop off, watch out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Others to Watch:</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172370' first='Kanye' last='Reed']</strong> (Hammond) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1271241' first='Chanin' last='Harris']</strong> (Byrnes)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Running Backs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036721' first='Tre' last='Segarra']</strong> Byrnes | A fully healthy Segarra is a downright scary proposition. He's a powerful back who knows when to run through the wall or simply go around it. He narrowly missed 1,500 rushing yards and averaged north of 8 yards per carry. All while playing a top-notch schedule that never really gave him a stat-padder.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Next Player Up: </em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036753' first='Aiden' last='Gibson']</strong> of Woodruff was one of our final cuts for the 2025 Fab 50, and while it wasn't an easy decision, the knowledge that he's got another crack at it helped.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Others to Watch:</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172345' first='Trenton' last='Lynch']</strong> (Spartanburg) [player_tooltip player_id='1036777' first='Trevon' last='Williamson'] (Gray Collegiate)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Quarterbacks</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1094944' first='Aiden' last='Manavian']</strong> Oceanside Collegiate | Manavian has earned his leg up on all sorts of competition, including his front-runner status for Fab 50. That's what happens when you're the biggest piece of a team that has won three rings and is the leader in the clubhouse to win it again next year. Manavian isn't simply along for the ride. He's downright potent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Next Player Up:</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822457' first='Brian' last='McMillan']</strong> didn't simply take over the quarterback position at Bamberg-Ehrhardt, he put up record-breaking numbers.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Others to Watch:</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1581467' first='Brooks' last='Dow']</strong> (Pickens, pictured) [player_tooltip player_id='429920' first='Sam' last='Holliday'] (Fountain Inn)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->