CCC: 2028s Set to Lead at Spartanburg

When the late afternoon sessions at the Carolinas Coaches Combines begin, it will be a glimpse into the future.   The future of the combines.   The future of the biggest names in the class.   And the future of the all-star events using these events to help select their teams each year.   We won't have to wait long to see many of the names already on those respective short lists. When it comes to the Spartanburg site on April 26, we've already got a number of 2028s we expect to lead the charge. These battle-tested rising juniors have mostly been involved in the Combines before. More importantly, they've all given us reason to believe their skill sets are above the norm.    Here's what each of them brings to the table.   [player_tooltip player_id='1819832' first='Jayden' last='Peeples'] ATH, Barnwell    Peeples was nominated aș defensive back and receiver, but don't out the possibility of him jumping in elsewhere and then making a huge impact during the 7-on-7 portion of the event. Peeples is a true jack of all trades. As a sophomore, he ran for 773 yards and seven touchdowns, caught four passes for 148 yards and two more touchdowns. Clearly, he's able to do much more than just play corner. And when he's there, he's got shutdown capabilities.    [player_tooltip player_id='1821952' first='Kareem' last='Dupree'] DB, Dutch Fork    His nickname (KJ) is starting to become a two-letter identifier for a guy who burst onto the scene last fall for the perennial state champs. Playing the back-end safety spot for the Silver Foxes, Dupree used his incredible length and field awareness to put up 28 tackles and five interception despite missing six of the first seven games of the season. His star is rising quicker than most, and he's got the chops to end up on a P4 roster after high school.    [player_tooltip player_id='1615075' first='Lamont' last='Williams'] DL, Lamar    Speaking of length and making it to Weekend of Champions, no one who watched Lamar play last fall will argue how much of a roll Williams had in just that for Lamar. (They're also the Silver Foxes, so maybe there's another coincidence…) At 6-foot-4, Williams did a lot of damage on the edge for Lamar, including an eye-popping 20 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. We're going to be ready to see him take on some of the best offensive tackles in the state, almost all of whom will be from much bigger schools.    [player_tooltip player_id='1615102' first='Jay'Sean' last='Culp'] DL, Lewisville    On numerous occasions in 2025, Culp turned into a one-man wrecking crew. He was 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds as of his last verified measurements, but we're willing to bet both of those figures have improved. It's an obvious assumption after he racked up 120 tackles, 36 tackles for loss, 13 sacks and five forced fumbles as a sophomore. Simply, Culp is capable of making something special happen. That's not going to change when you take off the pads.    [player_tooltip player_id='1094520' first='Jace' last='Grass'] QB, Daniel   The game has already slowed down for Grass. Two years as a varsity starter (freshman year at Pendleton, sophomore season at Daniel) has had exactly the desired affect after multiple moves the last few years, some related to his own needs and some based around his football coaching father. Aside from all the background noise, Grass has the “it” factor that has stirred up plenty of college attention. He's crazy accurate, don't turn the ball over and has the drilled-in skill sets to make a combine throwing tree look like a walk in the park.    [player_tooltip player_id='1824948' first='Riggs' last='Savage'] TE, Powdersville   Before Savage does anything other than walking through the gates, he's going to get noticed. At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, he's going to dwarf even some of the offensive linemen in attendance. All that size gives him an advantage for his position. He's capable of moving defensive players out of the way in the run game and towers some of the others tasked with covering him in his passing routes. What we'll be watching most will be some of the power-based metrics, specifically what he does on the bench and broad jump. If those figures have improved since his appearance here a year ago, go ahead and plan on something special happening.   [player_tooltip player_id='1818427' first='Jayden' last='Cunningham'] OL, Greenwood    Cunningham is one of the most active interior linemen in the state regardless of age or classification. Frankly, it's a bit scary that he's got two seasons of high school eligibility remaining, and that the Eagles are dropping down to Class 4A for those two years. He knows exactly how to position his 6-foot-2, 310-pound frame no matter the play call, and leverage is one of his biggest strengths. All of that is going to come into focus at Spartanburg during the one-on-one drills, where the big guard should be able to continue elevating himself up the ranks.    [player_tooltip player_id='873100' first='Zion' last='Dawkins'] DB, Gaffney    Like Grass, Dawkins will enter the Combines as a top-five overall ranked player in the Class of 2028. His ball skills are a big reason why. In 24 varsity games, Dawkins has already had a hand in nine turnovers (six interceptions, three fumble recoveries). He also showed last fall that he wasn't simply a pounce a play corner. Dawkins' speed is still undersold; in fact, he topped 21 miles per hour in last year's combines. He's also not given enough credit for how big of a hitter he is. Wrap all that up, and it's easy why he's sitting on six Division-I offers already.    [player_tooltip player_id='379090' first='Ryan' last='Brochu'] QB, York (pictured)   Brochu is certainly starting to develop into the player who was earning serious college attention before ever playing real varsity snaps. Well, now the York offense is his to command, something that started the second the 2025 season came to an end for the Cougars. Brochu is big and has an arm to match. He's also been to camp after camp and combine after combine. So he's not going to get rattled with anything he's asked to do in Spartanburg. This won't be his first Carolinas Coaches Combine appearance, but it will be his first with a lot of eyes trained on him.    [player_tooltip player_id='1467817' first='Liam' last='Flynn'] K/P, River Bluff   Over the last two seasons, first at Blythewood and now at River Bluff, Flynn has proved just how strong his leg is. He sent 75 percent of his kickoffs into the end zone and routinely topped 40 yards on his punts last fall. He also scored 53 points on field goals (eight-of-10) and PATs (29-of-32) as a sophomore. The specialists are usually a bit hidden during the combines, but Flynn's routine is polished sure to get him some additional traction prior to the start of the 2026 season.

When the late afternoon sessions at the Carolinas Coaches Combines begin, it will be a glimpse into the future.