2022 Rankings: Breaking Down The Upstate (Part 3)

With a little under one-third of our Class of 2022 rankings players coming from the Upstate, it is by far the most represented zone in all of South Carolina. This tightly packed crop of talent is vast. Needless to say, we’re going to need a few entries to get to them all. Over the course of a week, we will break down every single one of the players from this ultra-rich zone, one we expect top-flight production from next fall. [player_tooltip player_id="91195" first="Chandler" last="McMaster"] School: Christ Church Position: Defensive line Analysis: The 6-foot-3 defensive end/outside linebacker can disrupt a game in a hurry, as he proved last season when he piled up 64 total tackles and 14 tackles for loss in nine games. [player_tooltip player_id="91196" first="Blake" last="Shirley"] School: Eastside Position: Longsnapper Analysis: While Shirley’s special teams skills may be his ticket to college football, his team-leading 92 total stops and 15 tackles for loss in 2020 show an added part of his game. [player_tooltip player_id="91197" first="Ethan" last="Dugat"] School: Landrum Position: Offensive line Analysis: Dugat is already 6-foot-4, so the potential for another inch or two and a few more pounds have college recruiters dreaming of what his size could do for them. [player_tooltip player_id="91205" first="Devery" last="Cagle"] School: Eastside Position: Wide receiver Analysis: Cagle is a type of receiver who possesses the ability to stretch the field without lining up on the outside. The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder consistently splits the seam out of the slot. [player_tooltip player_id="59498" first="Jesus" last="Dowdle"] School: Gaffney Position: Linebacker Analysis: Gaffney’s top tackler, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound linebacker was in on 53 total stops in seven games while also adding in 3.5 tackles for loss, three sacks a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. [player_tooltip player_id="89326" first="Sawyer" last="Whitman"] School: Gaffney Position: Offensive line Analysis: The Indians’ big right guard is great at getting off the ball and then relentless well past the initial point of attack and helped Gaffney average better than 33 points per game last year. [player_tooltip player_id="91213" first="Harrison" last="Scott"] School: St. Joseph’s Position: Running back Analysis: Scott is a powerful runner between the tackles, utilizing his 188 pounds effectively to run through up-front defenders. He also has good speed to ditch defensive backs.