On Campus: Football City USA Showcase

ROCK HILL | Tuesday marked 100 days until the 2026 season begins.   The Football City USA Showcase took place on the campus of South Pointe High on Tuesday afternoon. Northwestern, Rock Hill, South Pointe, Catawba Ridge, Chester, Indian Land and Lugoff-Elgin were all on hand as spring practice continues across the Palmetto State. Numerous college coaches made the trip, including Wofford, Lenoir Rhyne, Coastal Carolina, Clemson, Marshall, North Carolina A&T and Concord University, to name a few.   Let's jump into some of the storylines from what we saw the session:   LOOKING FOR MORE IN 2026   We'll start with the Rock Hill Bearcats, led by head coach Leon Boulware - who is in his second season leading his alma mater after a 7-5 campaign in 2025. We were told within the first few minutes of practice that [player_tooltip player_id='1615102' first='Jay'Sean' last='Culp'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1822769' first='Jalen' last='Culp'] have both transferred to Rock Hill from Lewisville. Jay'Sean caught our eye during an inside drill where they were trying to rip the ball away, and he made a hard hit. We anticipate Jay'Sean will be a welcomed addition to the Bearcats with his ability to pursue and take good angles to the ball. Javeion Boulware did a nice job of staying in bounds and keeping his momentum going up field.    [player_tooltip player_id='1809198' first='Jasiah' last='Lewis'] is another transfer addition from South Pointe. He had a disruptive year for the Stallions and can get in the face of the quarterback, and that's what we saw today with his ability to pursue off the edge and get after the quarterback. Clint Wallace is a young sophomore who made a good catch out of the backfield and got up the field quickly during a team good-on-good portion of practice. We know about [player_tooltip player_id='1816896' first='Jonah' last='Young']'s arm and how he can launch it to his receivers, but don't discount his legs. He showed off his wheels on a scramble where he was able to get out of trouble. TJ Corbin came hot off the edge on a blitz, making a good angle towards the ball carrier. He's a rising junior that didn't see a ton of playing time but maybe he could get into the mix in 2026.   The 2026 season for the Bearcats begins on the road in the Midlands against Irmo on August 21.   The Lugoff-Elgin Demons are coming off a 6-6 season in 2025, and they'll be looking for more in 2026. Things will begin with [player_tooltip player_id='1603854' first='Eric' last='Richardson'] at tailback. Richardson returns for his senior year after rushing for 578 yards and five touchdowns, while recording 39 receptions for 712 yards and eight touchdowns. He looks athletic, and we even saw him throw the ball around. Ayden Gutierrez has a good arm on him and can put it on his receivers, like we saw on a shallow route. [player_tooltip player_id='2178856' first='Tristan' last='Young'] enters his senior year at linebacker and will be one of the leaders for the Demons' defense. He has good instincts to be able to make one-on-one tackles, and as we saw today, he can wrap up well. Tyler Lewis patrolled the middle of the field well throughout the 2025 season, and we expect that to continue in 2026. He made a good pass breakup with a lot of bodies in the area in a jumpball situation.   Lugoff Elgin will take on Chapin at home to begin the 2026 season on August 21.   Catawba Ridge has two key returners back from a 6-6 campaign in 2025. Wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1603804' first='Colten' last='McCauley'] made an excellent catch in traffic, and that's what we saw him do all throughout 2025 as he was a consistent threat in the slot, creating separation between himself and opposing defenders. Copperheads head coach Zac Lendyak noted that H-Back [player_tooltip player_id='1647568' first='Boston' last='Halpin'] had a strong second half of the year as a ball carrier. And he could be on pace to build on that in 2026. He runs with power and is tough to bring down in the open field. Case in point in Tuesday's practice where he caught a screen and had good vision getting up field quickly.   The Copperheads kick off the 2026 season at home against Blythewood on August 21.   Indian Land went 11-2 in 2025, and has a plethora of talent returning in 2026, beginning with quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1467825' first='Matt' last='Kucia'] (pictured above) who threw for 3,000 yards and finished as an All-State and All-Region player. One of his frequent targets last year was [player_tooltip player_id='1822507' first='Kenneth' last='Wilson'], who finished third on the team in yards with 447 yards and two touchdowns. He finds ways to get open, like on an out route that we saw during practice where he turned up field and let his speed do the rest. [player_tooltip player_id='1816808' first='Rayan' last='Manso'] is a rising junior who we think could see more time in 2026. He made a great catch and knew exactly what to do with it.   [player_tooltip player_id='1422617' first='Jackson' last='Conner'] is a guy that opposing offenses are going to have to factor into their gameplan in 2026. He is aggressive as they come, as he had 150 tackles in 2025. He can come across the middle and make big hits. He had an interception during the session where he made a great break on the ball. He also plays running back. He has multiple offers including Fordham, Army West Point, Wofford, Elon and Marshall. Jacob Adamu is a 6'3” linebacker who can run – he made an excellent pass breakup, dislodging the ball from the running back. Another athletic guy for the Warriors' defense was [player_tooltip player_id='1819990' first='Ty' last='Fallecker'] - another All-Region performer from 2025, who jumped right in the pass lane to make an interception during the practice. [player_tooltip player_id='1819991' first='KJ' last='Drakeford'] did the same thing as well while wrapping his football work around a state qualifying track season.   The Warriors open the 2026 season against Harding out of Charlotte at home on August 21.   NEW LEADERSHIP   Jerry Caldwell takes over as the head coach for the Chester Cyclones after Victor Floyd departed to be the head coach at White Knoll earlier this offseason. Caldwelll will have talent to work with, including Adrian Dooley, who is expected to be the Cyclones' starting quarterback heading into 2026. Caldwell told us he is still growing, but he does what you need him to do. He has some athletic ability as he also steps in at receiver made a great catch near the sideline with good concentration. Isaiah Baker saw some snaps at quarterback as a JV guy last year, and he connected with [player_tooltip player_id='1819933' first='Amari' last='Nesmith'] for a catch on the rollout during Tuesday's practice. Caldwell told us that Nesmith broke his ankle in 2025, but he is fully ready to go for 2026 and is a high energy guy. De'Coreyac Erum is a multi-sport athlete who made a catch near the sideline. Caldwell says he will play defense primarily and has good defense and length.   TITLE DEFENSE   South Pointe will have another team of athletes heading into the 2026 season after capturing the 4A state title with a win over South Florence. One of the guys that caught our eye defensively was Josh McClure on the defensive line. He was unblockable and disruptive throughout the session. He made one play where he took a great pursuit angle and got to the ball as soon as the ball was snapped. Liam Starnes did a good job of defeating a block on a screen to limit the gain.   On offense for the Stallions, [player_tooltip player_id='1816732' first='Rasean' last='Brown'] will have his opportunity to be fully in the spotlight at running back after rushing for 581 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025. He made an excellent cut and put his feet in the ground when we watched him run on Tuesday. He explodes once he finds the open lane. [player_tooltip player_id='1660274' first='Tarion' last='Starnes'] is only a sophomore and saw some time as a freshman in six games, scoring one touchdown. He showed great concentration to make the catch and get up field quickly. Jaden Dixon made a great catch on the slant for a touchdown, with the defender on top of him.   Northwestern heads into 2026 with state champion [player_tooltip player_id='232624' first='Xavier' last='Means'] at quarterback. Means can make things happen in the air and on the ground. And he'll have welcomed additions at the receiver position with [player_tooltip player_id='1476906' first='Kadin' last='Vassel'] (13 receptions, 244 yards and three touchdowns in 2025) and [player_tooltip player_id='513067' first='Malik' last='Ratliff'] (36 receptions, 731 yards and nine touchdowns in 2025) transferring across town from South Pointe. Vassel caught our eye running a go route with a defensive back right on top of him. Means made a throw on a screen and allowed the receiver to get up field and get yards, and you can expect plenty of that in 2026. [player_tooltip player_id='1816526' first='Caleb' last='Rigby'] is a rising senior receiver who ran a good slant route, and got on top of the defensive back.    Kymani Williamson is a sophomore who we got to see during some of the reserve reps. He ran hard inside to help keep the offense on schedule.   Other standouts for the Trojans' defensively include [player_tooltip player_id='1283361' first='Jaylon' last='Richardson'] (eight pass breakups in 2025). He showed good anticipation to knock the ball away on one rep during practice. CJ Chandomba is a young sophomore and got great penetration into the backfield on a run play. [player_tooltip player_id='1823342' first='Jalex' last='Cunningham'] is a senior defensive back who did a good job of attacking the line of scrimmage for a tackle for loss.    The Trojans begin their title defense on August 21 against Hough at District Three Stadium.

ROCK HILL | Tuesday marked 100 days until the 2026 season begins.