2027 QB Class Set To Push Predecessors

Editor's note: We'll continue breaking down this class in its entirety. If you're <a href="https://prepredzone.com/subscribe/">not yet subscribed to Prep RedZone</a>, you can save 40% off an annual subscription by using the offer code Guerin40 at checkout.   Not all that long ago, we sat back and looked at everything the quarterbacks in the Class of 2025 accomplished. They won a lot a games, threw for a ton of yards and - maybe the exclamation point of the group - loaded up on scholarship offers and college opportunities.   We documented numerous times how that class was at least in the conversation of the state's best-ever quarterback class.   Flash forward a year, and we're starting to see signs that the signal callers in the Class of 2027 have put themselves in position to make its own mark. This positional group might not challenge the Class of 2025 in notability or offers (at least, not yet), but it's production value seems hell-bent to give it a go.   The 39 we've got ranked in the updated Prep RedZone Class of 2027 rankings have got 12 calendar months to show us just how special they can be. Let's break down this crop of quarterbacks top to bottom.     LEADING THE WAY   The top of the charts aren't simply a who's who of players we've been talking about for years. Yes, Oceanside Collegiate's [player_tooltip player_id='1094944' first='Aiden' last='Manavian'] and Berkeley's [player_tooltip player_id='1036733' first='Henry' last='Rivers'] have been doing big things since they were freshmen.   And while he missed most of 2025 with an injury, Ridge View's [player_tooltip player_id='840548' first='Tre' last='Howard'] has more than proved himself. But the freakish display we saw from Northwestern's [player_tooltip player_id='232624' first='Xavier' last='Means'] (pictured) and Bamberg-Ehrhardt's [player_tooltip player_id='1822457' first='Brian' last='McMillan'] this past fall was in now way, shape, or form expected to look the way it did.    The pair of first-year starters weren't just along for the state championship ride for their teams; they drove the bus. Take a look at their numbers and find the lie.   Means: 258-of-341 (75.7%) for 2,873 yards and 25 touchdowns against just eight interceptions; 208 carries for 1,239 yards and 27 touchdowns.   McMillan: 171-of-210 (81.4%) for 4,225 yards and 47 touchdowns against just five interceptions; 95 carries for 951 yards and 23 touchdowns.    The crazy part about this QB class, though, is that its strength isn't based on two players or even the top five. Take a look at the next five and you'll find another handful still inside the Overall Top 70 of the rankings.    Sumter's [player_tooltip player_id='1603974' first='Franklin' last='Richardson'] climbed significantly after rushing for 31 touchdowns and 1,424 yards and throwing for another 651. Riverside's [player_tooltip player_id='463113' first='Gideon' last='Merhib'] topped 3,000 combined yards (2,361 passing, 822 rushing) and piled up 27 total touchdowns. In his first season after transferring from Dorman, Mountain View Prep junior [player_tooltip player_id='1654910' first='Makorean' last='Anderson-Wallington'] threw for 2,700 yards and 31 touchdowns and rushed for another 1,133 and 20. [player_tooltip player_id='1581467' first='Brooks' last='Dow'] from Pickens continued to rise, throwing for just shy of 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for another 883 and five.   And while Fountain Inn's [player_tooltip player_id='429920' first='Sam' last='Holliday'] didn't rush for quite as many yards from his sophomore campaign - when he topped 1,000 on the ground - he still ran for nearly 800 while throwing for 600 more yards than he did. The fact that his completion percentage and touchdown count both improved showed he was ready to take that next step.     TAKING THE REINS   As far as first-year starters in high-profile situations go, [player_tooltip player_id='1823705' first='Jaxon' last='Knotts'] proved he was ready for the spotlight. The son of famed Dutch Fork coach threw for 2,300 yards and 19 touchdowns, rushed for another 500 and nine and earned the MVP honors of the Class 5A, Division I title with a four-touchdown performance in the win over Summerville.    He wasn't the only first-year starter who turned head. Northwood Academy benefited from the transfer of former Fort Dorchester quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='640683' first='Kevin' last='Johnson'] and his 2,499 passing yards. Johnson completed north of 63 percent of his throws and was picked off only five times while throwing 24 touchdowns. [player_tooltip player_id='1199124' first='Judd' last='Windham'] waited his turn at Christ Church before earning the keys to the offense. He threw for 2,160 yards and 22 touchdowns.    Much like Richardson at Sumter, there was no mistaking what North Myrtle Beach's [player_tooltip player_id='1822553' first='Will' last='McNeely'] was there to do. The converted defensive end only attempted 39 passes during his debut season, but he led the Chiefs with 1,313 yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground.   After a bizarre summer that saw a ton of movement at the position and elsewhere, Blythewood's [player_tooltip player_id='1426578' first='James' last='Veasey'] needed some time to acclimate but still finished with 1,800 passing yards, 600-plus rushing yards and 26 combined touchdowns. Or how about [player_tooltip player_id='1823657' first='Connor' last='Davis'] from Woodruff, who finished his first season as the starter with 2,554 yards and 30 touchdowns, a completion percentage a tick above 61 and five rushing scores.    SMALL CLASS JUMP?    While we base our rankings more on high school production than college recruiting prospects, we do a fair amount of projection into the future as well.   And we are seeing some trends in some of the state's smaller divisions that we anxiously await to play out.   Andrews' [player_tooltip player_id='1827399' first='Avery' last='Durham'] took over the starting job and gave the Yellow Jackets maybe their biggest passing threat in years, something he backed up by throwing for 1,145 yards and 10 touchdowns in an offense that ran four times as much as it threw the season prior.    Up the road in Johnsonville, [player_tooltip player_id='1304767' first='Larkin' last='Powell'] displayed a confidence while throwing for more than 1,000 yards and finishing second on the team in rushing. Following his lead, the Flashes went from a five-win squad in 2024 to a 2025 team that won nine games and made the third round of the state playoffs.    We also noticed a ton we liked from Pinewood Prep's [player_tooltip player_id='2045815' first='Silas' last='Brawner'] (3,414 yards, 45 touchdowns) and Thomas Sumter's [player_tooltip player_id='1821243' first='Jace' last='Williams'] (2,481 yards, 20 touchdowns).    Same goes for [player_tooltip player_id='1820308' first='Alan' last='Moore'] from Pelion. The new coaching staff let Moore do his thing, and he rewarded the decision with 1,860 passing yards and 20 touchdowns en route to a playoff berth. His biggest performance of the year was a 286-yard, three-touchdown night against Ninety Six.

Editor's note: We'll continue breaking down this class in its entirety. If you're not yet subscribed to Prep RedZone, you can save 40% off an annual subscription by using the offer code Guerin40 at checkout.