2026 Preview: South Florence Bruins

In honor of the five-site Prep RedZone Media Days series this June and July, we're giving everyone a 50% offer code on all subscriptions throughout July 31. Get access to more than 100 team previews and everything else we have in store for readers as we gear up for the 2026 football season. <a href="https://prepredzone.com/subscribe">Simply head to our subscription page</a> and use the code "przscmediaday2026" at checkout to take advantage of the savings.   Only at a place like South Florence could the roster the Bruins are walking into 2026 with be looked at as a significant downgrade from what it's been.   After making four consecutive state championship games and earning a pair of big trophies from those appearances, we get the sentiment.   All-state quarterback? Now at Brown University.    His favorite target? Also now in the college ranks.   Biggest would-be returning defensive player? Gave up the game.   Coach in charge of the successful run? Hired away by Sumter.   The list of departures stretches even further than that. But it would also be ignorant to say South Florence is devoid of the type of talent to keep it as a major player in Class 4A.    “I don't think it changes much,” senior tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1422638' first='Cam' last='James'] said during last week's Prep RedZone Media Day at his home school. “We still expect to make it to the playoffs, make it deep into the playoffs.”   The team's returning tailback isn't the only big name coming back for another season and first-year coach Scott Braswell.    Center [player_tooltip player_id='1820912' first='Luke' last='Thayer'] and guard [player_tooltip player_id='1823529' first='Travis' last='Sansbury'] have a ton of valuable experience. Block-first tight end [player_tooltip player_id='1671724' first='DJ' last='James'] gives the Bruins another big body with plenty of prior playing time. Kicker [player_tooltip player_id='1825407' first='Coy' last='Joyner'] is one of the best in the state at his position. And [player_tooltip player_id='1820910' first='Jewel' last='Washington'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1820911' first='Johnquis' last='Johnson'] in the secondary were starters throughout last season, too.    Are there going to be a bunch of new names to learn? Of course.   Is December football, even for this team, a foregone conclusion? Of course not.   There is a lot of work to do up and down the roster, beginning with Braswell, who spent the last five seasons as the Dutch Fork defensive coordinator. He accepted the job, in part, because of South's prevalence for building and getting the most out of new talent.   And he's not ready to bow out of the 2026 season early, either.    “The thing that's come out of the last two weeks of practice is we've challenged the guys to compete more and have more leadership, and kind of focus more on the mental aspect, mental toughness and resiliency, kind of being able to deal with adversity,” Braswell said. “They've responded very well to that. I think the growth over even over the last two weeks has given me new hope that we can build on this thing and we're heading in the right direction.”   STARS SET TO SHINE   [player_tooltip player_id='1823525' first='De'Eric' last='Davis'] QB, 2027 - Davis has seen limited snaps the last two years while he waited his turn behind another quarterback. But trust us when we tell you he's so much more than his 6-foot-4, 235-pound frame. Davis can make virtually any throw he's asked to make, and with that type of size he's clearly capable to dump-trucking defenders.    [player_tooltip player_id='1820912' first='Luke' last='Thayer'] OL, 2027 - Thayer's proficiency as the Bruins' center has been well established, and we believe this is the year he'll get plenty of love from a statewide perspective. The 6-foot-2, 270-pounder is a top-100 player in the Class of 2027 rankings because of how good he is as both a run and pass blocker. But he's also packing a high football IQ.     [player_tooltip player_id='2216428' first='Malik' last='Robinson'] WR, 2027 - Robinson moves up the run after the Bruins' top pass catcher from a year ago graduated and headed to the college ranks. He hauled in 24 passes for 261 yards and five touchdowns (all second on the team)   [player_tooltip player_id='1820911' first='Johnquis' last='Johnson'] DB, 2027 - Johnson is one of the most experienced returning defensive players on the Bruins' roster, which also means he's bringing plenty of production back with him. As a junior, he started 14 games, made 30 tackles, picked off a pass and broke up five others from his spot at cornerback.   FILM REVIEW   [player_tooltip player_id='1422638' first='Cam' last='James'] RB, 2027 (pictured) - James may end up being one of the most productive players in the state on a pound-for-pound basis ths fall. The 5-foot-5, 165-pound tailback is coming off a junior seasson in which he nearly hit 1,500 rushing yards while getting ito the end zone 16 times. He's going to be tough to spot behind Davis and Thayer, and it will lead to a lot of defenses chasing him from behind after his first cut to get into the second tier.     BIGGEST LOSSES   Messiah Jackson QB - The two-year starter helped lead the Bruins to their last two state championship game appearances, including his senior year, when he threw for 1,664 yards and 23 touchdowns and ran for another 712 yards and 23 scores.   Jay'Aun Perkins WR - Jackson's favorite target only spent one season with South, but he hauled in 55 passes for 956 yards and 13 touchdowns.    Willie Kennedy LB - The big, run-stopping linebacker pumped out a team-best 107 tackles to go along with six tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.    UP-AND-COMING POTENTIAL    [player_tooltip player_id='2219038' first='Zamaury' last='Gathers'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2219024' first='Cameron' last='Hilton'] DL, 2029 - With the flip of the calendar, the 6-foot, 250-pound Gathers and 6-foot-1, 210-pound Hilton are going from freshmen who appeared in a combined four games last fall (all from Gathers) to projected starters in the thick of it all. They've both made an impression with the new staff and while we might not hear their names a ton because of the position, their impact will be there. South will be making the switch from a 3-4 to a 4-3, and those two in the middle will help dictate how successful the scheme change is in year one of the new era of South Florence football.    We know two things about Eaddy that are both quite important. One, he's going to be seeing his first real varsity playing time this fall after the program gave him last year to develop while others receiver took the reins. Second, he's one of the fastest dudes in the GSPD.    The latter fact for the 5-foot-8, 150-pound sophomore is big, because Davis has a huge arm and the duo can stretch the field to take heat off the running game, even with Eaddy coming out of the slot. We wouldn't be shocked to see South Florence take a fair amount of deep shots early in the year with Eaddy to get it on film and add that component to opposing defenses' preparation requirements.

In honor of the five-site Prep RedZone Media Days series this June and July, we're giving everyone a 50% offer code on all subscriptions throughout July 31. Get access to more than 100 team previews and everything else we have in store for readers as we gear up for the 2026 football season. Simply head to our subscription page and use the code "przscmediaday2026" at checkout to take advantage of the savings.