2026 Preview: Colleton County Cougars

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 through 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.   Colleton County offensive and defensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id='1321333' first='Chace' last='Jones'] has been a part of four wins in his high school career.   With that in mind, Jones knows the sense of urgency is there to make his senior year his best one.   “It's my last year to get a win. It makes it more personal,” Jones told us at the Prep Redzone Media Day at Philip Simmons on July 10.   Bradley Adams takes over as the new head coach for the Cougars after multiple stops at Georgetown, as well as Woodruff and Union County in the Upstate.   A lot of work has been put in to turn the tides in the right direction, according to Jones.   “I would say it's a lot harder than we're used to but it's never a bad day and all hard work is good work," Jones said. "The new coach has been meshing really well (with us), and we love him.”   Adams is excited to take on the challenges at the school located an hour outside of Charleston.   “We love the whole concept of building programs," Adams said. "Colleton County has a great community, has a great administration. The principal and the athletic director, everybody had the same vision so it was definitely a no-brainer for us to jump on board and be a part of the direction they were traveling in."   Along with Jones, the Cougars bring back five starters offensively, including [player_tooltip player_id='1644939' first='Keandre' last='Allen'] at receiver. Jeremy Bright is expected to get the start at left tackle while [player_tooltip player_id='1699401' first='Jaden' last='Jenkins'] will start at left guard or center. Christopher Corbitt will plug in at right guard. Jamison Justus and [player_tooltip player_id='2092993' first='Christian' last='Brown'] and Mason Owens will hold down the spots at receiver.   “Our expectation is we've got to be able to run the football successfully," Adams said. "We do that through multiple different schemes that we have and that we're still continuing to work on. We do expect to be able to get the ball out on the perimeter a good bit. We do feel like we have some athletes outside that can really make big things happen at any given time their hands touch the ball."   The defense returns seven starters including Allen, who will play defensive end. Trevy Manigo and [player_tooltip player_id='1940550' first='Christian' last='Mitchell'] will anchor the safety spots along with [player_tooltip player_id='1818916' first='Ziair' last='Holmes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1324023' first='Calvin' last='Brown'] on the defensive line. They will base out of a 3-4 and Adams told us they want their best players on the defensive side of the ball.   “We work very hard with our defensive coordinator and our defensive staff to make sure that we have great run stoppers up front on the defensive line. We do expect them to control the line of scrimmage and help put our offense in a good position to be able to score points.”   As the 2026 season opener approaches, the biggest point of emphasis for the Cougars is to remain healthy.   “The theory we tell to them all the time is you can't win the race without the horse in it," Adams said. "That means we've got to learn how to properly go into scrimmages and understand what are our goals in this scrimmage? When is it time to come out? When is it time to keep you protected? These are the things that our team has to learn. The main thing is we want to be healthy going into our first football game.”   STARS SET TO SHINE   [player_tooltip player_id='1824942' first='Galil' last='Frazier'] WR/DB, 2027 – Frazier (pictured above) is one of the top guys returning on offense for the Cougars. He's been focusing on picking up the offense and learning how to best execute the quick passing game, and on defense, the goal for him is to be more impactful at defensive back making interceptions.   On Charleston Southern camp visit this summer: “The receiver coach was great, just telling us about his experience there and what's some of the good things they hold there and what can really help me out this season.”   [player_tooltip player_id='1321333' first='Chace' last='Jones'] OL/DL, 2027 – Jones will be counted on as one of the leaders up front on the offensive and defensive line, and he told us at the Prep Redzone Media Day at Philip Simmons on July 10 that he's taken it upon himself to teach and coach the younger guys. He excels at run blocking and wants to take that to another level, while wanting to improve on defending the run over on the defensive front.   Melvin Acrum DL, 2027 – Ancrum is ready to take on more of the spotlight at defensive line after seeing a little bit of time as a junior. And when we asked him what's something he can take to another level to his game at the Prep Redzone Media Day at Philip Simmons, he told us it's his ability to play hard and keep going for four quarters.    [player_tooltip player_id='2199689' first='Anthony' last='Hamilton'] DB, 2027 – Hamilton returns as the team's second leading tackler with 61 total tackles in 2025, including two for a loss from his defensive back spot. He's a guy that can stay in phase with his receivers and break it up at the right time to prevent completions. He is an effort guy, meaning he won't give up until the play is over, like on a forced fumble where the runner had a head of steam.   FILM REVIEW   J'Akell Jenkins DB, 2027 – Jenkins is a guy that flies around to the ball, and can come up and force turnovers like he did on his first play that we watched on film. He put a helmet right on the ball, jarring the ball loose. He can stay stride for stride with receivers in coverage and he doesn't allow a runner to get a full head of steam and get going as many times, it's a tackle for loss in the backfield.     BIGGEST LOSS   Rodney Wilder DB – Wilder was the team's leading tackler in 2025, registering 73 total tackles in 10 games.   UP-AND-COMING POTENTIAL   Jamarion Sanders ATH, 2029 – Sanders was the jack-of-all-trades for the JV Cougars in 2025. Whether it was on punt return, at defensive back or wide receiver, he made plays with the ball in his hands. He has the aggressiveness you need at defensive back to be able to read where a play is going that is 10 to 15 yards away from him and fly down and make a sure tackle. At punt return, he showed good speed to power past defenders and vision to find the open space and then explode in the hole. He can make contested catches at receiver as well. We'll be interested to see if he works his way into the rotation on varsity in 2026.   O'keefe Martin LB, 2028 – Martin is an enforcer from his linebacker position. He can attack the line of scrimmage with speed and when he meets the ball carrier, he takes a great angle to the ball and makes great tackles in the open field. He has a good football IQ to recognize where a play is going and then he makes plays.     Nixon is ready to take the reins full time at quarterback for the Cougars in 2026, and he is a dynamic dual threat guy that defenses will need to be aware of at all times. He has good size on him to be able to take off and run and be physical in that realm of his game, while also being effective in the passing game as well.   He can check it down to his receivers and let them go and make plays. He'll be a fun one to watch as the Cougars look to get things on the winning side in 2026.   Adams on Nixon: “We are still continuing to develop what we feel like is going to be one really, really, really good quarterback that I think a lot of people will get to know quickly as we keep developing him with [player_tooltip player_id='1692190' first='Keno' last='Nixon']. He's done a very good job this offseason. He's worked very hard to learn this offense, and he's just been a great leader for us.”

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 through 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.