2024 Preview: Greer Yellow Jackets

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Strength up front.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's what Greer is counting on to carry the Yellow Jackets this season. With some returning talent along with some new faces at the skill positions, the Yellow Jackets' strength is depth and experience in the trenches on both sides of the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On offense, half of Greer's eight returning starters play up front. <strong>Eduardo Garcia</strong> (pictured) is back, along with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1013076' first='Kaleb' last='Nelson']</strong>, <strong>Blake Taylor,</strong> and<strong> Namir Lee</strong>. With former Clemson standout OL Will Young as their head coach, Garcia sees the OL tradition at Greer as a position of honor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"You don't always get to learn from a guy who's been through it at the highest level," Garcia said. "It's just learning from the best. We've had many good offensive linemen, he's sent many to the next level, and it's just kind of an honor to play offensive line at Greer."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We return four guys up there who started last year," Young said. "And we were close last year. We lost to Westside by a TD, to Greenville by three points...hopefully just by being a little older, a little more mature, we'll be able to get those games this year."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='600452' first='Kaden' last='Rowland'] </strong>returns at QB, while WR will also be a point of strength for the Yellow Jackets, with <strong>Brock Diggins</strong>, <strong>Max Hannon</strong>, and <strong>Chance Todd</strong> all back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On defense, Greer has seven starters returning, including <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1359146' first='Isaiah' last='McCoy']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1405194' first='Paden' last='Armstrong']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1405166' first='Aiden' last='Jones'] </strong>up front.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I feel like since all of us are back this season, we kind of had a good season last year and we'll definitely be good," McCoy said. "We pretty much just go out and play and take care of what we can take care of."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1734552' first='Sammy' last='White']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1254107' first='Brody' last='Diggins']</strong> return from an outstanding group of LBs for Greer, with <strong>Jalen Vereen</strong> and Hannon returning on the back end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Those guys up front are big," Young said. "I think that's one of the first things people will notice. They're big, they can all run, they're athletic. Our two inside linebackers are really good, too. We feel like our box is really solid."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at the guys Greer will count on to lead the way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STARS SET TO SHINE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eduardo Garcia</strong> OL, 2025</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At 6-feet-1 and 270 pounds, Garcia isn't the biggest OL that you'll find. But he might be one of the strongest, and his physical gifts allow him to overwhelm a lot of opponents with pure power. He's also good technically, with light feet and the ability to move to the second level in a hurry. He's the type of player who can thrive in the type of offensive attack Greer uses, and he's poised to do just that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brock Diggins</strong> WR</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Diggins will be the Yellow Jackets' top returning receiver by a wide margin. He pulled in 28 balls for 449 yards and six TDs a year ago, and averaged 16 yards per catch on the season. With the loss of Chase Byrd to graduation, Diggins will be the go-to guy in the receiving game for Greer. He's fantastic as a slot guy where he can either make you miss or go by you, he has plenty of speed, and he has a knack for going up to get the ball between defenders in traffic.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1254107' first='Brody' last='Diggins'] </strong>DB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Diggins had 70 total tackles last year, including three for loss and four sacks. He picked off three passes for the Yellow Jackets, knocked down another, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, and had a QB pressure. He'll be a key for Greer on the defensive side of the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FILM REVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1359146' first='Isaiah' last='McCoy']</strong> LB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defensive line is going to be a strength for the Yellow Jackets, and McCoy is going to be a force on the line. He's explosive and strong, with a quick first step, fast hands, and the ability to get off blocks quickly. He's got a nose for the ball, he's stellar against the run, and he's a great pass-rusher as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16263813/64f7445a19a6aa0cd84b72fd' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-668fe9d113e08"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>UP-AND-COMING POTENTIAL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672932' first='Dawson' last='Fowler']</strong> QB, 2027</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A rising sophomore, Fowler will likely be the future at QB for the Yellow Jackets. [player_tooltip player_id='600452' first='Kaden' last='Rowland'] is a weapon at the position, and we'll expect Fowler to grow as he learns, and he'll possibly give Greer a chance to get them both on the field at the same time, and get the ball to the explosive Rowland in a few different ways.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nathan Huff </strong>OL, 2027</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another rising sophomore, Huff will look to establish some experience on a loaded OL with four returning starters. What's the potential upside for Huff? Well, with those four starters back, Young - one of the best OL coaches in the state - took the time to mention him as a player to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1405194' first='Paden' last='Armstrong']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'4u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"240","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2406","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Greer","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66902115eb483"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Armstrong absolutely exploded as a sophomore, with 30 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. He added seven more pressures, and a lot of things he's great at show up in a couple other places on the stat sheet. He's quick and athletic (he knocked down two passes last season) and is a hard hitter (with two forced fumbles). What's most impressive is that he did all that on a deep, talented, and experienced line, most of which is back this season. Armstrong is poised to do huge things for Greer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17910589/654a603e2ab16704241c2203' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66902115eb613"} /-->