CSRA's Best: Zone's Top Storylines for 2026

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.   Our last pit stop in the Central Savannah River Area focused on 10 must-watch players for the 2026 high school football season, because there's just too much talent to try to put together a list of the 10 best.   As it turns out, there are also way too many fun player-based storylines to try to keep this to a short list.   There's a lot of "new" in the CSRA for this year, like new coaches, new matchups and region placements following realignment, new facilities and playing surfaces - all of it adding up to a new kind of attention being paid to players and programs within the zone.   And that attention is primarily what shaped this list. There's plenty of reason for excitement heading into the fastest four months of the year, and here are the most interesting storylines we'll be watching closely from jamboree season to the Weekend of Champions.   PLAYMAKERS ON THE MOVE   It's been a busy offseason of player movement in the CSRA, with much of said movement occurring right after a head coaching change at one or both of the involved programs. More than a dozen high-profile transfers have kept the social media channels buzzing, and while we'll keep a sharp eye on them all here are seven we expect to make big statements in their new uniforms.   The headliner of a talented group of transfers is [player_tooltip player_id='1654810' first='Drelyn' last='Brown'] following his move from Silver Bluff to South Aiken. The speedster racked up multiple All-State honors with the Bulldogs and now returns home to reunite with some of his old teammates from their Kennedy Middle School days. Nearly all of the T-Breds' offensive linemen are back and the passing game will have plenty of chances to be explosive, meaning Brown should find his fair share of running room - and he's proven he only needs a sliver to break free. Also joining the roster is [player_tooltip player_id='1840728' first='Jaydon' last='Moore'] after an excellent freshman season across town at Aiken High. He was with the T-Breds for all of spring practice, so we expect to see him in midseason form from the opening kickoff.   Strom Thurmond's Class 2A title defense will include several new faces who have transferred in, and they should be mainstays in the starting lineup. [player_tooltip player_id='1827442' first='AJ' last='Hillary'] takes over at quarterback after splitting snaps at North Augusta, continuing a family tradition for the Rebels. [player_tooltip player_id='1822476' first='Mekhi' last='Quiller'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1822485' first='Mikah' last='Quiller'] have both come over from Fox Creek and immediately give Strom Thurmond a pair of dynamic playmakers that can score on any snap at receiver, defensive back or in the kick return game. But don't just take our word for it. Ask Dillon, which beat Fox Creek by 41 in the first round of last year's 3A playoffs, yet after the game their fans couldn't stop talking about how much they were impressed by the Quillers. And then there's [player_tooltip player_id='1822583' first='Kamareon' last='Andrews'] on the defensive line after wreaking havoc behind the line of scrimmage for Ridge Spring-Monetta.   Aiken was a run-dominant offense last year because the Hornets were flush with talent at the position. They still are, but we expect the Hornets' passing attack to surprise this season. That's thanks in large part to familiar friend [player_tooltip player_id='1614255' first='Allen' last='Cummings'] returning to Aiken after a stint at Midland Valley. Cummings finished second on the team in receptions last year, and his presence will free up [player_tooltip player_id='1840715' first='Tarrant' last='McKenzie'] to make big plays.   LOOKING TO BE NEXT IN A LONG LINE OF GREATS   Area programs have been synonymous with particular position groups, doing so by churning out high-level talent and production year after year, and in some cases for decade after decade. And in many cases, earning All-Region and All-State honors have only been the beginning, with college and professional success following for some.   When we talk about future college and professional success in the CSRA, one of the first position groups to come to mind has to be Silver Bluff defensive linemen. NFLers DeMarcus Lawrence and Tarron Jackson highlight the list, and this year someone new can stake his claim as the next great Bulldog d-lineman after an all-senior front graduated. [player_tooltip player_id='1823576' first='Trevone' last='Parker'] [player_tooltip player_id='1823585' first='Ikeem' last='Bell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1820968' first='Willie' last='Hill'] are all returners from last year's roster, so we'll be watching them.   One position group that has butted heads with Silver Bluff's DL for generations has been the Barnwell offensive line, which is saturated with size and talent on an annual basis. Warhorse linemen routinely move on to play at a high level in college, with Marcus McKethan getting drafted by the New York Giants following a decorated career at North Carolina. Three linemen are among Barnwell's top returning players, with [player_tooltip player_id='1816691' first='Traven' last='Wilson'] and Davion Williams slated to hold two starting spots on the line - and [player_tooltip player_id='1816133' first='Carl' last='Hines'] slotted to start on both sides of the ball.   Barnwell isn't the only CSRA program that keeps sending offensive linemen to the next level. The same can be said for South Aiken, which seems to have at least one Division I guy up front every year to help open up holes for Division I skill-position players. The T-Breds had one last year in Santos Whitt-Hernandez, who headed to Charleston Southern after leading the youngest group Chris Hamilton's ever had up front at South Aiken. They're all back, and while they're still very young they also all have a season of varsity starting experience under their belts. There's lots of options as far as the next great one, and 6-foot-1, 294-pound rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2205147' first='Caleb' last='Mims'] has already started making some noise after playing big snaps at left tackle last season.   The aforementioned [player_tooltip player_id='1827442' first='AJ' last='Hillary'] is looking not just to become the next great Strom Thurmond quarterback, but also the next great Hillary to star for the Rebels. That family tree is deeply rooted in the peach fields, and the offense should be all his after he sits out the start of his senior season following his transfer from North Augusta. Andrew Webb hasn't been shy about letting his quarterbacks air it out, and that shouldn't change with Hillary taking over for the defending champs.   Speaking of North Augusta, the Jackets have several different position groups that could have easily made this list - we're still going to throw a shout-out toward their kickers and linebackers - but two have stood out as some of the elite groups in the CSRA, if not the state, as multiple graduating classes have passed through the Jackets' nest.   Let's start with their defensive linemen, who have terrorized area offenses for a lot longer than the current group has been on campus. Speaking of the current group, it very well could be the best in the entire state - even after losing an All-State pick following the graduation of Davion McKinnis. James Madison commit [player_tooltip player_id='1536398' first='Simeon' last='Jones'] returns after an All-State season of his own and is an absolute monster in the middle, and two-way starter [player_tooltip player_id='1811094' first='Josh' last='Simpkins'] is a menace on the edge. Both require extra help to block, but you can't afford to do that with [player_tooltip player_id='1839899' first='Dez' last='Davis'] lurking on the outside and eager to build on a frightening freshman campaign. And, because it's North Augusta, you know there's another handful on the roster who are more than capable of getting into the backfield.   The other group for North Augusta is at running back. Mike Doe is at Gardner-Webb after rushing for just shy of 5,000 yards with 68 touchdowns in three years, and in rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1827171' first='Jayden' last='Hatcher'] the Jackets have someone who would've been RB1 just about anywhere else in the state and only wasn't at North Augusta because of Doe. Still, he earned his carries as RB1A and over the last two seasons posted 1,349 yards and 22 touchdowns on 167 attempts. Yes, that's 8.1 yards per tote and a score every 7.6 times he was handed the ball. And now he's the feature back.   YEAR OF THE QUARTERBACK?   The CSRA has been run-heavy for generations. That isn't to suggest the area hasn't yet accepted the forward pass as a path to the promised land, more so an understanding that area schools continue putting out stud running backs. Plenty of great quarterbacks have led local offenses during that same span, but never with the volume we may see in 2026. Established stars, returning starters looking to join that club, transfers ready to make their mark on their new program, youngsters with huge potential - they're everywhere in the CSRA, and the following list of six is only the beginning.   Midland Valley's [player_tooltip player_id='644030' first='Xavier' last='Geter'] is back for his senior season, and the recent Averett University commit does so after a big 2025 (2,605 all-purpose yards and 28 total touchdowns) and with so many of his favorite targets coming back with him. The same is true for [player_tooltip player_id='1822457' first='Brian' last='McMillan'] at Bamberg-Ehrhardt after he accounted for 5,176 yards and 70 (70!) touchdowns while leading the Red Raiders to the Class A title.   Justify, Miguel Cabrera, [player_tooltip player_id='1827442' first='AJ' last='Hillary'] - all Triple Crown winners now that Hillary has appeared in all three sections of this story. He takes over as QB1 for defending state champion Strom Thurmond, and now [player_tooltip player_id='1819537' first='Collin' last='Tillman'] (pictured) gets his QB1 snaps for a championship contender at North Augusta. Tillman completed 62.5% of his passes last season for 1,000 yards 15 touchdowns, and he rushed for 204 yards on 34 carries. Now it's a new, Tillman-based Jackets offense.   We mentioned above that Aiken High should feature more of an aerial attack this season due to its talent at wide receiver, which is only part of the formula. The Hornets should be better on the offensive line, and in [player_tooltip player_id='1853105' first='Tanner' last='Padgett'] they have an experienced, battle-tested leader at quarterback who has shown the ability to move the offense down the field quickly. Across town, [player_tooltip player_id='1704301' first='Tommy' last='Burns'] is back for South Aiken after an up-and-down first season as starting quarterback. The T-Breds threw it a lot more than in recent memory, and we like their chances to move it well through the air with Burns again leading the way behind an improved line, with experienced weapons at wide receiver and a revamped run game that's added a home-run threat.

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.