Community Film Room, Episode 79

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 79, we're taking a good look at a versatile defensive lineman from the GSPD, a brick house of an Upstate tailback, a Lowcountry athlete ready for his shot at quarterback, a young offensive lineman from the GSPD who forced his way into the starting lineup and a Catawba River Region edge rusher who is chock full of highlight-reel capability.    Chandler didn't jump off too many stat packs last year while putting up 20 tackles and five tackles for loss. Some of that can be attributed to Conway struggling as a whole in 2025 and him and a few others getting lost in the shuffle of a nine-loss campaign. But Chandler is also among the reasons the Tigers aren't a lost cause in 2026.   He doesn't have the traditional look of a defensive end at 5-foot-11 and 225 pounds (what he was verified at last year during the Carolinas Coaches Combines), but he also was playing his own version of the position, too. In most cases, he was asked to hold the edge and prevent ball carriers from getting outside, even when he wasn't getting credit for the stop.   Chandler's production should continue to increase as a senior, even though we expect him to move around more as needed. He's physical enough to be a much-needed hybrid to close the gap some from the past few years.       If you're curious about why Wilder's touches were steadily increasing toward the back half of the year look no further than the second carry on his reel below. Wilder isn't going to out-run a lot of back-seven defenders, but he's tough as nails and runs like he's looking to initiate contact. That style is how he best utilizes his big frame and can help wear down opposing defenses.   Here's the best part: We're about to see even more of it. The player Wilder was splitting carries with last fall - [player_tooltip player_id='1715879' first='Kaleb' last='Ricketts'] - is graduating. Wilder finished last fall with 644 yards and six touchdowns; Rickett had 710 and six scores of his own. What does this look like with Wilder becoming more of the focus?   We're here to find out. Because while Wilder is built like a fullback, he was also the team's second-leading receiver, hauling in 21 passes for 169 yards and another touchdown. That combination will give him even more opportunities to impress.      Frazier is one of those players who hasn't gotten a full run at this level yet, but he's about to. In small doses, we're seeing plenty that we like. But his mobility, quick release and ability to throw on the run are all about to become the crux of the Cougars' offense for the rest of this calendar year.   Having hit another growth spurt since measuring at 5-foot-11 and a slim 150 pounds this time last year, we had already seen signs of his impending size increase when we also had him with a 75-inch wing span. It made him a bit lanky, but as he's filled in more, we've noticed some extra zip on his passes.   Frazier has the arm strength to throw across his body, often when he's moving to his left to avoid pressure, and while Colleton is going to try to solidify its run game, Frazier's on-the-fly capabilities are going to come into the frame more and more as the program grows under new leadership.       Schuhmann didn't have to wait very long to start making an impact, as he was starting at guard as a freshman for the Lions during their trip to the Class 3A Lower State finals. Loris got a big body out of the arrangement, and the young lineman earned himself a learning experience we've seen other players in this program take advantage of in reason years.   Schuhmann is the next example, as he was getting that on-the-job training that should benefit him and the program for another three seasons. Schuhmann is ahead of the curve with his footwork, size and reach and yet still shows those glimpses of being pretty raw.    What's ushering him into his next phase of development is how darn active he is. Some of the wide-open scheme the Lions have been running promotes the interior linemen getting the outward push to protect the pocket, and with Schuhmann likely moving to tackle for his sophomore year we should see him creating that pocket for the foreseeable future.      Darby was among the most notable fast risers in Class 5A last fall, and he'll be joining our 2027 rankings in the next cycle after our in-house evaluation showed just how effective he was as a junior. His 9.5 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss and 15 quarterback hurries were often overlooked amid a star-studded Trojan championship defense.   However, Darby wasn't putting up empty numbers. The down edge rusher had a solid mix of power and burst (he was referred to as “a muscle with a motor” by head coach Page Wofford), and it made him a consistent threat to get to the quarterback. That part was important, because Northwestern's offense was often creating some sizable leads that forced opponents into one-dimensional attacks in an effort to keep up.   It almost always worked out in the Trojans' favor, and it didn't hurt Darby's reel along the way. His four forced fumbles all came in high-paced, high-scoring games in which Northwestern scored 50-plus points. So, again, we think Darby comes out of the shadows even more this fall.

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.