CCC: 2027 Session II Defensive Standouts

DORCHESTER | The sun came out and warmed things up right on time for the second session of Sunday's Carolinas Coaches Combine stop at Woodland, and a host of 2027 defensive standouts thrived in the ideal conditions.   Like in the first session, players were measured in a variety of combine drills before splitting up into position groups for individual drills and one-on-one competition.   Nowhere was that more fierce than the offensive linemen versus the defensive linemen, and from that particular competition is where several top rising seniors stood out the most.   Chief among them was [player_tooltip player_id='1536398' first='Simeon' last='Jones'] (pictured) from North Augusta, as he backed up a combine showing that included more 185-pound bench press reps than anyone - despite having one of the longest recorded wingspans of the session - and a second-place finish in the medicine ball toss by bullying his way through whoever lined up across from him in the middle of the line.   "I feel like I performed outstandingly," he said. "The day when by kind of fast. I didn't know we were out here for a good two hours. I feel like everyone did their best. Everyone competed. We had fun."   Here's a quick look at more Class of 2027 defensive standouts from the afternoon session to go along with the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/ccc-2027-session-ii-mvps-award-winners/">MVPs and award winners</a>.   [player_tooltip player_id='1822042' first='Derion' last='Baccous'] LB, Marion   Baccous showed that he possesses plenty of fluid athleticism to help him seemingly to float through the individual drills, and his 4.64 40-yard dash time was second-best among linebackers. Needless to say, he held his own keeping up with the running backs in pass coverage.   [player_tooltip player_id='1705035' first='Jakai' last='Cohen'] DL, Carvers Bay   Cohen, checking in at 6-2 and 264 pounds, certainly looks the part as another in a long line of bruisers up front to come from Carvers Bay, but he showed in individual drills and one-on-ones that he's got the smooth athleticism to go with the bulk and power.   CJ Currence DB, Irmo   Currence jumped out at us with his knack for jumping routes and undercutting receivers during one-on-ones. The safest throw against him was an overthrow, as anything else risked Currence either intercepting or deflecting the pass.   [player_tooltip player_id='1664620' first='Gavin' last='Elliott'] DB, Gilbert   Elliott turned heads in the pro shuttle run with a time that was fifth-best of the entire session, then spent much of the rest of the afternoon proving there's a lot more to his game than that time. He may have been as smooth in his movements as anyone on the field at Woodland.   [player_tooltip player_id='1820131' first='Jackson' last='Glenn'] DL, Orangeburg-Wilkinson   Speaking of smooth, Glenn was practically gliding over the bags during individual drills. His footwork, balance and burst were all on display during one-on-ones, as he was quick off the line and a handful for whichever offensive lineman was tasked with trying to stay in his way.   [player_tooltip player_id='1820031' first='Dontavias' last='Griffin'] DL, Newberry   Griffin showed plenty of explosiveness at 5-10 and a light snack under 224 pounds, utilizing his quickness to surge past the tackle to the outside even when his man was anticipating the move.   [player_tooltip player_id='1683177' first='Jaquan' last='Hannah'] DL, Carvers Bay   Hannah showed off equal parts power and quickness, tying for fourth in the medicine ball toss and finishing individual reps with aggression, then flashing a great spin move in one-on-ones to leave opposing tackles wondering where he went.   [player_tooltip player_id='1054957' first='Gray' last='Kitchings'] DB, Aiken   Competing somewhat out of position and with a nagging injury didn't do much to slow down Kitchings, who initially was just on site for the bench press (his 26 reps were sixth overall) yet still tied for second overall in the broad jump and held his own when matched with running backs in pass coverage.   [player_tooltip player_id='1820538' first='Xavier' last='McAdoo'] DL, Strom Thurmond   McAdoo showed signs that the defending 2A state champs should still be plenty fine up front by displaying impressive snap timing and a quality burst to get a good jump on the ball.   [player_tooltip player_id='1820054' first='Jimmy' last='McCullough'] LB, North Myrtle Beach   The measurables are certainly there for McCullough, who had the best vertical leap of the session at 33.1 inches and also tied for fifth in the broad jump, and he showed in the drills that followed that he has the instincts and anticipation to make those athletic traits even more dangerous.   [player_tooltip player_id='1840750' first='Jayden' last='Merriweather'] DL, Aiken   Aiken's defensive front dabbled a bit last year in games of "Meet me at the quarterback," and Merriweather showed Sunday that he's put in the work to beat his teammates to said meeting. He was quick to react to the whistle, and after a couple of reps he had the opposing offensive linemen rocking back early a time or two to try to stay in front of him.   Chris Parnell LB, American Leadership   Parnell did some of his best work of the day in pass coverage against running backs, and he did a good job of anticipating and reacting to the pass to make an effective break on the ball.   [player_tooltip player_id='1664618' first='Keontae' last='Scipio'] LB, Darlington   Scipio was stubborn in his refusal to let anyone get behind him, showing good instincts and taking good pursuit angles to keep all of the action in front of him.   [player_tooltip player_id='1811094' first='Josh' last='Simpkins'] DL, North Augusta   Simpkins may have been his teammate's biggest competition for the top defensive lineman award. He had the longest medicine ball toss of anyone in the session, then put that powerful burst to good use in one-on-ones by either simply getting past or crashing through his man.   [player_tooltip player_id='1823988' first='Josh' last='Tucker'] DB, Lower Richland   Tucker delighted the coaches on site with his physicality with his hands, jamming receivers within the first step or two of the route to send them off path right away and disrupt their timing with the quarterback.   [player_tooltip player_id='1822066' first='AJ' last='Veal'] DL, Westwood   The theme for Veal in both individual drills and one-on-ones was that he wasted zero time or movement in finishing the job. His quick spin move was a crowd pleaser as he repeatedly found the quickest path to the tackling dummy in the backfield.   [player_tooltip player_id='1422580' first='Kaiden' last='Walton'] DL, Marlboro County   At a little over 6 feet and 277 pounds, Walton repeatedly showed the ability to absorb a couple of blockers up front, which is something that should bode well for the rest of the Marlboro County defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='1827486' first='Dallas' last='Williams'] DB, North Augusta   Williams looked just as comfortable tracking down the deep ball in individual drills as he did going one-on-one against receivers, and settings like this will probably be rare opportunities for him to do that because he already has the lockdown defensive back credentials that should limit those chances on Friday nights.   [player_tooltip player_id='1623916' first='Brian' last='Wilson II'] DB, Wilson   Wilson showed plenty of straight-line speed by finishing second among defensive backs in the 40 and second overall with his 20-yard time, but a T1 in the pro shuttle - and his work against receivers - proved he can get it going just as quickly when he has to change direction.

DORCHESTER | The sun came out and warmed things up right on time for the second session of Sunday's Carolinas Coaches Combine stop at Woodland, and a host of 2027 defensive standouts thrived in the ideal conditions.