Potential Rising Standouts To Watch In The Lowcountry

The 2026 Class has made their mark on the football scene for the last several seasons and now that a lot of those are moving on to a college career, new players are looking to fill those voids. We have newcomers to varsity, returners from injury and transfers all playing a factor. We also see some players that have already been productive on the varsity level that will see their roles expand greatly.   Here is a look at 17 players across the Lowcountry that could make huge impacts on the 2026 season and beyond.   [player_tooltip player_id='1816175' first='Trayce' last='Figueroa'] DB/RB, Academic Magnet   The Raptors won five games a season ago and return a good bit of that talent. Figueroa is going to be counted on to be more of a presence on both sides of the ball. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1821469' first='Owen' last='George'] was the leading ground gainer a season ago and someone must help even those numbers out. Figueroa could be a change of pace back and bring an aggressive style of play from his secondary position.    TJ Aiken LB, Ashley Ridge   The Swamp Foxes were hit hard by graduation and will have a lot of new faces in prominent roles next season. Aiken might be one of the more experienced players stepping into a leadership role. He was fourth on the team in tackles with 58 last season, but he should pad the loss of [player_tooltip player_id='1615024' first='MJ' last='Respass'] (who transferred to Summerville). Aiken is fast and physical and gets to the point of attack rather quickly.   [player_tooltip player_id='1172343' first='Kyilann' last='Gordon'] ATH, Baptist Hill   It's easy for us to look at Gordon and slot him into one position but the 6-foot-1, 165-pounder speedster is going to be up doing a lot of things for the Bobcats. He is the top returning receiver with 26 receptions for 539 yards and 10 touchdowns. He checks in as the No. 2 returning rusher with 235 yards and three touchdowns. And just for good measure, he's the top returning tackler after amassing 86 tackles a season ago. He also snagged six interceptions. Look for a repeat in 2026 and the numbers could end up being staggering if Gordon plays as much as we expect him to.    [player_tooltip player_id='2113658' first='Jakai' last='Chapman'] DE, Berkeley   Chapman played behind two pretty good defensive ends for the Stags but this coming year the coaching staff expects him to jump to the next level. He's 6-foot-3 and adding weight and muscle this offseason that will help him become an every down player in 2026. He played enough last season to finish with 26 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. Expect those numbers to skyrocket.   [player_tooltip player_id='1664589' first='William' last='Donato'] QB, Bishop England   Donato (pictured above) played in 10 games last year, but he will likely be taking over the full-time starting job this season. He threw for over 400 yards, rushed for over 200 and had over 200 receiving yards in his limited time in backing up [player_tooltip player_id='1592310' first='Quinn' last='Mahoney'] in 2025. Donato has shown the arm strength and decision-making to step right into the role and the Bishops not miss a beat. The top three rushers have graduated as well as top four wide receivers. Donato is going to be a key if Bishop England is able to win eight games again in 2026.   [player_tooltip player_id='1821810' first='Jeremiah' last='Smith'] ATH, Cross   It's easy to get lost in the shuffle when [player_tooltip player_id='473021' first='Caden' last='Ramsey'] is doing his thing – catching passes, intercepting passes and excelling on special teams all come to mind. But Ramsey is graduating and will be playing at South Carolina next season so that will leave a void in the Trojans attack. That's where Smith comes in. He caught 26 passes a season ago, which was good enough for second on the team behind Ramsey. He also intercepted two passes and added 12 tackles. He doesn't have the length and size of the departed Ramsey but Smith is going to be a player that will fill that void on both sides of the ball.   [player_tooltip player_id='1818365' first='Kameron' last='Geathers'] DL, Fort Dorchester   The Patriots had to find players quickly last season after a lot of kids transferred out but Geathers would likely have played no matter what. He's 5-foot-11, 220 pounds but plays a lot bigger than that on the Fort D defensive front. He's quick and can even overpower blockers at times. He gets to the point of attack and doesn't mind getting physical in the process. He should put on some weight this offseason and become even more of a factor over the next two seasons.    [player_tooltip player_id='1819440' first='Nigil' last='Fripp'] RB/DB, Hampton County   The Hurricanes rode the legs of [player_tooltip player_id='1165165' first='Jaylen' last='Singletary'] to the Class 2A state championship game this past season but now they must replace his 2,482 yards rushing and 52 tackles on defense. Fripp should get the first crack at it. As a sophomore, he ran for 390 yards and three touchdowns on 69 carries. Singletary toted the rock 236 times so that's a lot of production to replace. Fripp added 11 tackles from the secondary but again, he's going to need to replace a lot of production on both sides of the ball.   [player_tooltip player_id='1819698' first='Ben' last='Jackson'] DE/LB, Hanahan   If the Hawks are going to improve on the defensive side of the ball, Jackson is going to be one of the reasons why. He's a heady player that rarely finds himself out of place and makes plays in the backfield as evidence of his 11 tackles for loss and three sacks shows. He's going to be moving into a leadership role in the absence of [player_tooltip player_id='1819692' first='Joshua' last='Amara'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1822223' first='Landen' last='Ritchie'], two seniors from last season. Jackson should see his total of 55 tackles increase.   [player_tooltip player_id='1820390' first='Brady' last='Dantzler'] QB, James Island   The pressure of replacing a record-setting quarterback is always a daunting task but when it's your older brother, that makes the mission even more challenging. That's what Dantzler is facing as he will likely replace his brother, [player_tooltip player_id='1592342' first='Connor' last='Dantzler'], in the starting lineup. [player_tooltip player_id='1820390' first='Brady' last='Dantzler'] is going to be a more than adequate runner and he will have plenty of weapons at wide receiver to make the transition easier. The Dantzler brothers have a similar build, and both have strong arms and great decision-making skills. We aren't ready to say Brady is going to match the nearly 3,500 passing yards that Connor amassed last season but he's going to be athletic and make the Trojans a force.   [player_tooltip player_id='2045834' first='Dewey' last='Bull'] LB, Lucy Beckham   The Bengals won seven games a season ago and Bull is going to be a reason they retain that consistency. He was a tackling machine last season and averaged nearly 12 tackles per game with eight tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery. He moves freely and can identify the play quickly, which puts him in the right place more times than not. Bull is an aggressive hitter that runs well. He plays all over the field and will likely become the leader of the defense this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1763191' first='Tony' last='Cooper'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1763246' first='Justin' last='Head'] RB, May River   We know the Sharks want to run the football and throw it when it's absolutely necessary, so someone has to replace the production of [player_tooltip player_id='1592230' first='Sean' last='Mitchell'] from last season. He rushed for over 1,300 yards and scored 17 rushing TD's and that's where Cooper and Head factor in. Cooper rushed for over 400 yards and Head was just a tick behind him. Those two should form a nice 1-2 punch with quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1763286' first='Luc' last='Tran'] back running the ground-oriented attack. Head, a sophomore, is the bigger of the two so he might handle a lot of the inside carries with Cooper using his speed on the outside.   [player_tooltip player_id='1824235' first='Michael' last='Strickler'] ATH, Oceanside Collegiate   The names on the offensive side of the ball are as stout as anyone in the state – WR [player_tooltip player_id='378969' first='Jaiden' last='Kelly-Murray'] (No. 1 player 2027), QB [player_tooltip player_id='1094944' first='Aiden' last='Manavian'] (No. 3 player 2027) and WR [player_tooltip player_id='1823853' first='Anthony' last='Williams'] (No. 58 player) is a solid nucleus to build around. But the Landsharks defense lost four of its top five tacklers from a season ago with Strickler being the lone returner in that group. He finished with 81 tackles and two interceptions. He's physical and quick to the ball but now he's going to have to turn into the undeniable leader of the defense if Oceanside wants to find itself defending its championship. He has the tools to do that and more.   [player_tooltip player_id='1822029' first='Patrick' last='Clarke'] WR/DB, Philip Simmons   The Iron Horses had a nice QB-WR connection last season with [player_tooltip player_id='1821540' first='Hayes' last='Goddard'] throwing to [player_tooltip player_id='1822035' first='Ashton' last='Kellermann'] to the tune of over 1,300 yards and 14 touchdowns. Clake was the second leading receiver with 27 catches for 352 yards and seven touchdowns. Kellermann is going to be a focus point for every defense this coming season and that should allow more opportunities for Clarke. He's shifty and can find the open holes and that will be a key for the Philip Simmons passing attack in 2026.   [player_tooltip player_id='1892148' first='Caleb' last='Lott'] QB, Stratford   For most of the last four seasons, [player_tooltip player_id='1165148' first='Jachin' last='Davis'] has taken the bulk of the snaps at quarterback for the Knights. He was a Shrine Bowl selection, and his production is going to be difficult to replace. There's still nearly seven months to figure out the replacement, but Lott seems to be in the mix for certain. He was the backup last season as a freshman and played in three games. He's going to have to get bigger and stronger, but it could factor into the Knights plans as soon as this coming season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1061094' first='Jaylen' last='Pryor'] LB, Summerville   The Green Wave campus has been a college coaches dream the last several years with a lot of players signing to play collegiately. We think Pryor can be the next great one to wear the Green and Gold. He plays with a full head of steam and comes downhill quickly. He was the third leading tackler last season with 66 tackles and six tackles for loss, and we expect those numbers to increase drastically over his next two seasons.    Ryan Szynabsky DB, Wando   The Warriors will graduate two of their top three tacklers from last season and that's a place Szynabsky can step in and fill a void. That is if he doesn't take over the starting quarterback role in 2026. The versatile sophomore played in just eight games a season ago but finished fourth on the team with 44 tackles. He also added two interceptions. But with the departure of QB [player_tooltip player_id='1592323' first='Harris' last='Stone'], Szynabsky might fill that void. The coaching staff has seven months to figure it out but there's little question Szynabsky will have a prominent role of some sort next season.

The 2026 Class has made their mark on the football scene for the last several seasons and now that a lot of those are moving on to a college career, new players are looking to fill those voids. We have newcomers to varsity, returners from injury and transfers all playing a factor. We also see some players that have already been productive on the varsity level that will see their roles expand greatly.