Community Film Room, Episode 75

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 75, we're digging into a first-year varsity player from the Lowcountry, a block-first tight end on one of the state's most successful programs of late, a pint-sized player capable of delivering big blows, a Lowcountry tight end using his height to create a massive advantage and a young, soon-to-be tailback who got his feet wet as a freshman receiver last season.     Fischer's first season on varsity has to have been considered a success. Thrown into the defensive backfield as the Wildcats' centerfielder, Fischer finished the year with 54 tackles, one tackle for loss, two pass break-ups, one interception and a whole bunch of potential for his senior season.   He displayed a knowledge of pursuit angles that maximized his real-time speed while he was under the lights. What that did, in turn, was start preparing a defense that was often getting run through or over for something bigger in coach Rashad Graham's second season.   Several of the teams on the West Ashley schedule were considered among the strongest in the state. So it was of little shock that the results often reflected that. The Wildcats won't down forever, and Fischer's rise on the back end of that defense provides the Wildcats with some hope for this fall.      Few would argue that the biggest strength of the Bruins' four consecutive state title game appearance was the Bruins' run game. And at times, it was simply built around overpowering opponents at the line with more than just the five dudes in the trenches. James is the next big H-Back to come through a program that will likely continue its focus on the run game after a regime change.   The 6-foot-1, 220-pound tight end wasn't asked to catch the ball. In fact, he only had two receptions all season. What he did do was pummel linebackers with the best of them and help seal off defensive linemen attempting to go side to side.    It isn't as glorious as occasionally splitting out wide or being a dedicated short-yardage or goal line receiver, but James not only settled into his role, he thrived in it. If you don't believe us, ask any of the guys he put on their backs.      Turner is still a work in progress, if you can call a 6-foot-5 tight end that. He's already a proven short-yardage emergency option in the passing game, and that part of what he does will continue to expand over the next two seasons as the Seahawks open up the offense even more, starting this fall behind a slew of experience seniors.   The only knock on Turner is his lack of weight, but trust us when we believe wholeheartedly Turner will be north of 200 pounds sooner rather than later. There's no telling how big he might be in the next 12 months.   That brings us to the other ask of him, blocking. Turner has the reach to maximize his slender frame for now, and how he can drift inside or out to open up holes is what could have his current staff drooling. His physicality will grow right along with his number on the scale.      The version of Gilchrist that showed up to last year's Carolinas Coaches Combines at Woodland didn't exactly wow anyone after he measured in at 5-foot-6 and 124 pounds. Yet, after he ran some respectable 40s/pro shuttle times and displayed a 31-inch vertical and made a nice comeback grab we started to take notice.   His sophomore season was another indication of good things coming in small packages. Gilchrist quickly developed into a multi-dimensional weapon. He caught passes, took end arounds and jet sweeps and ran the Eagles' version of the option out of the wing.   In all of those capacities, Gilchrist's job was to make the best out of a imperfect situation. Given the circumstances, many of the yards he put up were an injection of life into the offense. While he's grown some since last spring, no one is gonna consider him big by any means. But he should be a primary weapon by the time the 2026 season begins.      One of the first roster moves Cory Helms made after taking a good look at his new program was to swap Ellerbee from receiver and defensive back to tailback. The signs are all there that the switch will work. For starters, Ellerbee is a few weeks removed from winning his weight class in the region strength meet.   Helms is also already seeing some comparison to former Clemson standout and current NFL player Will Shipley. While Ellerbee is still young, we're noticing some of the same trends. Ellerbee played mostly receiver and free safety as a freshman. He showed some tenacity on defense. On offense?   We're thinking it's going to be a rather seamless transition to running back. In addition to how he keeps his head up for a better view of the field, he's also an adept blocker and should offer plenty of extra protection for a team that just need to get things moving positively again.

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.