2027 Rankings: New Additions Q1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The offseason has been fruitful.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From the combines to spring ball to 7-on-7s and now preseason camp, players have been putting in the work to develop their games and - in the case of the Class of 2027 - prepare for their final season of high school ball. We've noticed some huge changes, and we're seeing a ton of positives coming along for the ride.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As such, we've added 102 players to the 2027 rankings. These players may not all be household names. Nor are all of them in the same spot where we last saw them don pads.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But what they've all done is earn a number next to their name in our system.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's introduce everyone to the first 25 additions.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2256222' first='Ethan' last='Collins']</strong> QB, Laurens Academy - Other half of Crusaders' one-two punch put up 2,648 combined yards last fall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820523' first='Tinsley' last='Evans']</strong> OL/LS, Crescent - Lot of Tigers' progress on the offense has been expedited with Evans' play on the edge</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1339520' first='BJ' last='Curenton']</strong> WR, Fountain Inn - Fury's second-leading receiver is back and primed for even more than his 458 yards from last fall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821935' first='Michael' last='Traynum']</strong> ATH, Ben Lippen - Runs the ball, catches passes, returns kicks and punts and may even see some time on defense, too</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1817903' first='Xavier' last='Sabback']</strong> RB, Hanahan - Isn't the primary ball carrier for the Hawks, but his production will be better than some starters elsewhere</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819190' first='Jayven' last='McClain']</strong> DB/WR, Westwood - Slated to start at both receiver and corner for the Redhawks and will have a big impact at both</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819697' first='Grayson' last='Mathes']</strong> WR, Hanahan - He's already the quarterback's favorite target and another offseason together isn't going to hurt either of them</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820612' first='Easton' last='Demarski']</strong> K/P, Hillcrest - Drilled seven field goals and connected on 53-of-57 PATs during his junior season en route to 74 total points</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2079769' first='Malik' last='Callen']</strong> WR, Berkeley - Speedster is an excellent complement to some of the size the Stags already have at receiver&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1614255' first='Allen' last='Cummings']</strong> WR, Aiken - Caught 31 passes for 342 yards last year at Midland Valley before transferring to Aiken in the offseason&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816313' first='Derrick' last='Porter']</strong> RB/DB, First Baptist - Rushed for 403 yards and six touchdowns last season at Goose Creek before making the most to his new school</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1579223' first='Tyler' last='Nelson']</strong> DB, Marion - Has the potential to solidify a lot of Marion's back-side defensive woes from last year after putting up 20 stops</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823295' first='Hunter' last='Thiem']</strong> K/P, Porter-Gaud - Displays a consistently solid leg that the Cyclones utilize in every phase of the kicking game</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821570' first='Benjamin' last='Ruwe'] </strong>WR, Fountain Inn - Only receiver to do more damage than Currenton (above) last season is also back, meaning the Fury have two established targets</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2256207' first='Kaedon' last='Lumpkins']</strong> OL/DL, Keenan - Makes the most of his wrestling skills while playing in the interior of both sides of the line</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819583' first='Cole' last='Brancati']</strong> LB, Southside Christian - Made all sorts of noise as a junior, when he put up 65 stops, 11 tackles for loss and four sacks</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1839904' first='Keaton' last='Middlebrooks']</strong> LS/OL, North Augusta - Yellow Jackets' starting center will also continue to handle snapping duties for special teams</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2256186' first='Jimmy' last='Smith']</strong> LB/WR, Cross - More dangerous on the defensive side, but don't overlook his pass-catching ability in an offense that is highly selective</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1840661' first='Jordan' last='Cannon']</strong> DB, Aiken - Back in the secondary after putting up 50 tackles, a pick, a forced fumble and a sack during his junior year</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822390' first='Frank' last='Stathakis']</strong> DL, Eastside - Has the ability to make those big impact plays the Eagles will need more of this fall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820505' first='Wham' last='Walker']</strong> TE, Hammond - Has the type of size to turn into one of the state's most productive tight ends while also adding some serious blocking ability&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819399' first='Isaiah' last='Thomas']</strong> WR, Indian Land - Transferred over from Catawba Ridge and brought a boatload of speed right long with him</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2212349' first='Elijah' last='Smith']</strong> LB/DL, Westwood (pictured) - He'll start as a floating linebacker but should end up being an excellent backfield disruptor, too</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822326' first='Evan' last='Madden']</strong> LS, Dutch Fork - Silver Foxes don't have to punt a ton, but when they do, Madded puts the snap exactly where it needs to be</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2212357' first='Jaylen' last='Mathis']</strong> LB, Spartanburg - One of eight returning starters on the Vikings defense should start to be a more common name in the Upstate as the season progresses</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->