Community Film Room, Episode 70

Our Winter rankings update pinpointed even more players from the 2027, 2028 and 2029 classes who have stood out in their respective positions. For a variety of reasons, our team decided that each of those new additions were worthy of a coveted spot in our rankings.   But as you've discovered by following along, we're nowhere near done.   As we traverse the offseason, we're also seeing a changing of the guard. And, as such, PRZ South Carolina is constantly looking at as many of the 10,000 or so prep football players in the SCHSL and SCISA ranks as possible.   Now, the Community Film Room is back.   In each edition, we'll break down five unranked players from across the state to let you see what we're seeing. The series will lead right into the the start of the spring rankings cycle, the ever-growing importance of the summer program schedules and then the 2026 season.   In Episode 70, we're taking a good look at a budding linebacker star, the other half of a CSRA program's quarterback duo, a receiver looking to mirror his predecessor's production value, an interior defensive lineman who already has a ring and a North Carolina transfer with the chops to shake up the Midlands in his first season.    Every time we start to think Horton is playing with raw athleticism, he goes and does something that tell us his technique and knowledge of the scheme is probably more advanced than he lets on. It's why he put up a team-high 97 tackles last fall while notching five tackles for loss and a pair of sacks.   In picking off passes, we noticed some of the latter quality. Same can be said for some of his fluidity in the back half of the year. This potential terminator was learning quickly and adapting to the play at hand, all while having to play some offensive tackle out of need.   We haven't gotten to the best part, yet. Horton's footwork and ability to get to the ball is happening at a listed 225 pounds. If that figure is even somewhat accurate, the combination of that size and his skills put him into a category that could see his college interest spike in the blink of an eye.      North Augusta has not one, but two extremely capable quarterbacks who keep pushing each other to new heights. And with the program's highly decorated tailback off to the college ranks, it makes sense that Tillman's highly efficient methods are about to be put to even better use, even as he splits reps.   As a junior, Tillman was slightly below position mate [player_tooltip player_id='1827442' first='AJ' last='Hillary'] in passing yards and completion percentage (he still topped 60% on the year there, soooo….) but he held the edge in touchdown passes and rushing production.    Tillman showed he loved to execute the mid-level sideline pass and also looked plenty comfortable throwing on the run. Add in an ability to throw across his body without fulling stepping into it, and it's easy to see why Tillman is finding ways to keep himself on the field.       If you watch Deveaux's reel as many times as we have, you're probably going to come to the same conclusion we did. Crescent wants the ball in this kid's hands. Yes, the Tigers had another receiver on the roster last year who commanded the bulk of the work load and then inked with North Carolina State.    But Crescent was ready to start preparing a replacement for [player_tooltip player_id='1395080' first='Amiri' last='Acker'] for the next two seasons. Now, Deveaux looks like he's about to make the 60 offensive touches he got as a sophomore seem paltry.   He's a receiver who can go after the ball deep, slip into a slot role and rattle around the middle of the defense like a ping pong ball or use a 90-degree cut to turn it up field after taking a jet sweep. The Tigers aren't about to stop using motion to create opportunities, and they're certainly not about to stop throwing the ball. Those are all furthering our opinion that Deveaux could have a big 2026 season.      We love watching massive human beings doing massive human being types of things, and Nicholson checks that box and then some. At 6-foot-3 and north of 300 pounds, the rising junior spent his 2025 campaign showing just how much trouble he could cause for opposing offenses, often without getting much statistical credit along the way.   Nicholson is a natural in the middle of the defensive line, making his body compact pre-snap and then letting his size and strength do the work after. He frequently was standing up would-be blockers, shoving them to the side and then forcing an in-play audible from ball carriers.   He was credited with 30-plus tackles in his first year as a starter, but anyone from Northwestern will scream about his value being incalculable. And since the Trojans are likely always going to have some free-wheeling speed behind him, the defense as a whole has been given every reason to trust he'll keep clogging up the interior.       Phillips will put Irmo pads in a game for the first time this August, but he's anything but green. During the last two years at Cape Fear (N.C.), the tailback rushed for 1,799 yards and 23 touchdowns in just 19 games. Did we mention he didn't play a game in his junior year until October after suffering a broken leg in the offseason?    Phillips is a true burner, as the baker's dozen worth offers he got before transferring to the Midlands started off in force after he put up some blazing 100-meter times as a sophomore track sprinter. He's also got some pretty staggering cutting ability, especially in the split seconds after taking a handoff.   But he didn't attract some of college football's blue bloods on speed alone. In his first day at Irmo, he weighed in at 197 pounds and had a 5-foot-10 frame to match. He's proved he doesn't mind sharing the football, but you better believe he's an instant priority for the Yellow Jackets.

Our Winter rankings update pinpointed even more players from the 2027, 2028 and 2029 classes who have stood out in their respective positions. For a variety of reasons, our team decided that each of those new additions were worthy of a coveted spot in our rankings.