Midland’s Best: Storylines To Follow In 2026

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>High school football practice has officially begun across the state and that means just one thing. The 2026 season will kick off in less than three weeks with a slew of Week 1 games (thank goodness Week 0 has been retired).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But what does that mean across the Midlands? We have title contenders (Dutch Fork is going for a five-peat, folks) and we also have an interesting mix of players that will draw the attention of college coaches from all levels.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Trust us when we tell you we're tracking the transfers as closely as possible, and everyone should be set and enrolled by now. There was realignment this offseason, and we still have five classifications, but Class A will be split into two divisions instead of Class 5A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are some of the more fun and unique storylines we will be tracking across the Midlands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>COULD THIS BE THE YEAR OF THE QB</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are two years removed from having quarterbacks from Irmo and Richland Northeast signing with ACC schools, but while we think while this class doesn't have the bona fide star, there might be more depth than we've ever seen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We will start with the 2027 Class. Ridge View's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='840548' first='Tre' last='Howard']</strong> returns after missing almost his entire junior season due to injury and he's champing at the bit to knock the rust off and show he hasn't missed a beat. Howard has a strong arm and a bevy of talented pass-catchers. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603974' first='Franklin' last='Richardson']</strong> of Sumter has probably been more of a runner than thrower but there is talk that the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder is going to thrive in the first-year of Coach Drew Marlowe's offense. Expect big numbers weekly from Richardson.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Next up are a couple of coaches' sons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823705' first='Jaxon' last='Knotts']</strong> did last season was keeping the Dutch Fork machine humming. He got better as the season progressed and capped it off with a remarkable state championship victory over Summerville. The Silver Foxes are deep and talented and Knotts could be one we're talking about more as the season progresses. Camden's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1354590' first='Greyson' last='Rimpf']</strong> has grown and got more comfortable and that should turn into an even better performance this season. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We think there could be huge seasons from the likes of River Bluff's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1344583' first='Brayden' last='Moore']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1426578' first='James' last='Veasey']</strong> (pictured above) of Blythewood as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2028 Class looks good on paper as well. Irmo's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1856841' first='Britton' last='Davis']</strong> is going to be surrounded by playmakers. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823858' first='Zach' last='Williams']</strong> of Lugoff-Elgin has one of the strongest arms we've seen. The Demons coaching staff is excited about the skill position players and that has a lot to do with Williams. Brookland-Cayce's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816457' first='Andrew' last='Frick']</strong> and Orangeburg-Wilkinson's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2257102' first='Brenden' last='Peoples']</strong> are going to be capable of putting up big numbers. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672924' first='Kendall' last='Wright']</strong> of Swansea is experienced and could be one of the best runners of the bunch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Finally, we look at the 2029 Class and these guys learned under baptism last season, but they came out of it better off. <strong>Xavier Wright</strong> of Gray Collegiate has all the makings of a star. He took over near midseason last year and never gave the job back. Hammond's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1647349' first='Cade' last='Amell']</strong> and Lexington's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1848408' first='Easton' last='Crocker']</strong> learned a lot in 2025. River Bluff might have a two-quarterback system with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600293' first='Davis' last='Taylor']</strong> taking snaps along with Moore.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>STARS GALORE</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you want to get out and see players that have already committed to Power 4 schools, the Midlands is a good place to be.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And if you want to start with two teams that seem to attract a lot of recruiting attention, stop over in the northwestern section with Dutch Fork and Irmo.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='409882' first='Jaden' last='Wuerth']</strong> of the Silver Foxes committed to Clemson this summer. Dutch Fork has three other players ranked in the top 100 – receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1422528' first='Maleek' last='Miller'] defensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422589' first='Peyton' last='Bishop']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172353' first='James' last='Smith']</strong> a defensive back. Those three guys are likely headed to a Group of 4 school, but huge senior seasons could change that. Offensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1664559' first='Niran' last='Ford']</strong> is committed to East Tennessee State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Right down the road, defensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='755914' first='Jaiden' last='Bryant']</strong> of Irmo has committed to Miami after flipping from LSU. Offensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='756223' first='Nate' last='Carson']</strong> has committed to South Carolina. Transfer running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1675598' first='Tai' last='Phillips']</strong> has speed to burn, and he's given an early commitment to Alabama. It doesn't just stop at those three for the Yellow Jackets. Defensive back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604012' first='Jamar' last='Grissett']</strong> is committed to Appalachian State and linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1678174' first='Javonte' last='Hill']</strong> is committed to Anderson.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hammond will be sending its fourth player since 2020 to South Carolina when linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603691' first='Jackson' last='Ross']</strong> committed earlier this summer. Ridge View offensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1811119' first='James' last='Ross']</strong> committed to the Gamecocks as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Other committed players include but are not limited to offensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172352' first='Reed' last='Paolucci']</strong> of Blythewood and Gilbert's defensive back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1664620' first='Gavin' last='Elliott']</strong> to Army, linebackers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823120' first='Dillon' last='Hutcherson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1664555' first='Dylan' last='Hutcherson']</strong> of Blythewood to Western Carolina, Ridge View receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603911' first='Isaiah' last='Small']</strong> to Mercer, Gray Collegiate offensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422610' first='Jack' last='Armstrong']</strong> to The Citadel, receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816745' first='Ty'Quarius' last='Shannon']</strong> of Fairfield Central to Gardner-Webb and River Bluff receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1078102' first='Darius' last='Carter']</strong> and Lugoff-Elgin receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603854' first='Eric' last='Richardson']</strong> to Coastal Carolina.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>WHO'S NEXT</em></strong><em></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We haven't ranked the 2030 Class yet but be on the lookout for several freshmen to play prominent roles this season. While those names are still to be sorted out, we know of a few Class of 2029 players that we expect to hear even more from this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our top-rated prospect right now is defensive back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1595010' first='Taddrick' last='Gibson']</strong> of Dutch Fork. Right behind him is receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2106772' first='Corey' last='Miller']</strong> of the Silver Foxes. He picked up several Power 4 offers this summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>AC Flora defensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2205279' first='Delton' last='Jackson']</strong> has put on some good weight and should be even more of a force this season. CA Johnson had a pair of players in linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2205271' first='Takym' last='Raysor']</strong> and two-way standout <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1825543' first='Jeremiah' last='Lewis']</strong> making waves on the Class A level. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1818504' first='Harper' last='Ellerbee']</strong> is going to do a lot of things for Chapin this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've heard the name of receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2205159' first='Victor' last='Kaczenski']</strong> of Lexington since he was in middle school. His dad played college football at Notre Dame and coached at Iowa and Nebraska before settling in Lexington. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1974816' first='Sincere' last='Glymph']</strong> of Newberry is an athlete that we expect to see a lot of things from this fall. River Bluff defensive back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1825516' first='Jyree' last='Grady']</strong> is another kid that we believe can develop into a Power 4 prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->