Biggest Offseason Storylines in Class 5A Division I

The bullies.    The running backs.   The deep balls.   The surprises.   The big dogs.   Over the next few months, long before the 2025 football season kicks off, we're going to get a good indication of how prepared the rest of the year will progress. From one moment to the next, the Prep RedZone South Carolina staff will be pivoting from player to player, watching it all develop in real time.    We know Dutch Fork is good. But how good?   We know the tailbacks in this group will be a driving force. But how far can they go?   Those are just a couple of the offseason storylines we'll be watching over the next several months.    Oh, Come On!   Is Dutch Fork really about to pull a Dutch Fork?   There's a good chance we won't have to wait until the 2025 season to find out. The Silver Foxes are coming off a state title run that officially bid adieu to linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1012706' first='Josh' last='Smith'] (South Carolina), safety [player_tooltip player_id='1012606' first='Elgin' last='Sessions'] (Georgia Tech), offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1012842' first='Josh' last='Benson'] (East Tennessee State), tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1012701' first='Maurice' last='Anderson'] and receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1360308' first='Boykin' last='Bickley'] (Limestone), kicker [player_tooltip player_id='464892' first='Justin' last='Welch'] (Navy), defensive backs [player_tooltip player_id='1013047' first='KJ' last='Smith'] (Clark) and [player_tooltip player_id='1254033' first='Derek' last='Smith'] (Wingate) and tight end [player_tooltip player_id='1254046' first='Boone' last='Miller'] (Citadel baseball).   And, yet, here we are, simply watching Dutch Fork roll forward it's next-player-up philosophy.   Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1267290' first='Ethan' last='Offing'] will be putting most of his efforts onto the diamond this spring - he's a Clemson baseball commit - but you can't deny what he's capable of even in small doses after throwing for 2,974 yards and rushing for another 451 one last fall. If nothing else, Offing's other duties will allow for backup Jaxon Knotts to get significant reps after only throwing in mop-up role last fall.    Another major move will be getting [player_tooltip player_id='1592297' first='Cole' last='Martin'] acclimated after he transferred from nearby Chapin in January. Martin rushed for 767 yards and eight touchdowns in the Eagles' pass-first offense and appears to be the Silver Foxes' spring-time and 2025 season starter after Anderson's departure.    While the name Kye Fulton doesn't resonate outside the program yet, the staff is seeing their part-timer from the 2024 season already moving up list in a hurry. He's expected to be Dutch Fork's top receiving threat this fall and the team will spend a good chunk of the next few months getting him ready for the task. Likewise, former junior varsity quarterback turned tailback/receiver [player_tooltip player_id='312450' first='Braydon' last='Johnson'] is going to see his reps skyrocket, especially on offense, this spring.    The scariest part of the offense hasn't even been addressed. The Silver Foxes' line is heading into the bulk of the spring looking like one that could dominate. Tackles [player_tooltip player_id='1664559' first='Niran' last='Ford'] and Jamez Hutchinson are both athletic and big and have plenty of experience within the program. Returning guard [player_tooltip player_id='1592665' first='Jordan' last='Roseborough'] is a pound-for-pound interior lineman. And center [player_tooltip player_id='1151291' first='Brody' last='Lorenzo'] spent his freshman season cutting his teeth and should stand out at the combines.    The defense will have its two big stars in national recruit [player_tooltip player_id='1592529' first='Julian' last='Walker'] at defensive end and [player_tooltip player_id='1025776' first='Raleigh' last='Salters'] at linebacker, of course. Defensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1463245' first='Luciano' last='Cesario'] will see this spring at defensive end and maybe even linebacker. Starting corner [player_tooltip player_id='1734522' first='Mario' last='Anderson'] will split time between and looks in the nickel package. Former reserve running back Isaac Shine is getting most of his offseason work in the defensive backfield.    Tack on a pair of expected transfers in the coming weeks - including one who is a two-time all-state selection from Georgia - and Dutch Fork may simply be reloading for another possible run.   One that could lead toward a 10th title in 13 seasons.   Here's Looking at You, Tailbacks   The number of 1,000-yard rushers Class 5A, Division I is losing to graduation will be far exceeded by what's coming back. Clearly, this spring will have no shortage of big-time backs looking to grab an even bigger slice of the pie.    Byrnes' [player_tooltip player_id='1036721' first='Tre' last='Segarra'] and Spartanburg's [player_tooltip player_id='1172345' first='Trenton' last='Lynch'] will be two of the headliners, as everyone awaits their continued returns from injuries that sidelined each of them for the bulk of their 2024 seasons. Each of them remained inside the Top 20 overall players in the Class of 2027 despite dropping a few spots based on their production. But by the time they each wrap up their appearances at the Spartanburg site of the Carolinas Coaches Combines, we should know if they're fully back or still need a little more time. We're expecting the former.   [player_tooltip player_id='473024' first='Ryan' last='Campbell'] is also one to track after his transfer from Fort Dorchester to Ashley Ridge. Campbell has spent portions of his first three years of high school ball wowing fans around the Lowcountry. As a junior with the Patriots, he rushed for 1,345 yards and 14 touchdowns. However, he made the quick jump to join the Swamp Foxes, a team whose passing acumen of late has covered up just how effective it can be running the ball.    Nearby, [player_tooltip player_id='1215391' first='Jayven' last='Williams'] of Summerville will be using this spring to prove that his first year of varsity ball was no fluke. He topped 2,000 yards for the year in the state championship loss to Dutch Fork and had at least one rushing touchdown in 13 of the 14 games he appeared in as a sophomore.    Carolina Forest' [player_tooltip player_id='1148537' first='Jaryn' last='Fox'] is clearly no longer a secret. After a bit of a growth spurt, he was able to go from reliable to contributor to someone who could take over a game. During one seven-game span, he averaged 205 yards per game. What could he do after another offseason in the weight room? We're anxiously awaiting seeing his Catapult data from the Combines.    The Midlands has three backs in the division we're just as excited to watch this spring. The Ridge View duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1149057' first='Spencer' last='Bobian'] (973 yards, five touchdowns) and [player_tooltip player_id='1283827' first='Aidan' last='Keeffe'] (416 yards, five touchdowns) are the oft-overlooked part of this offense. However, this duo is dangerous and capable of putting up big production in spurts. Their impact on the spring circuit should only take more pressure off the Blazers' passing game (more on that below).    Over at River Bluff, the next few months will be key for [player_tooltip player_id='1592250' first='Hayden' last='Myers'] in a number of ways. In addition to keeping up and improving on what led him to rush for 1,360 yards and 12 touchdowns, he's also going to be working alongside [player_tooltip player_id='1344583' first='Brayden' last='Moore'] - the Gators' expected new starting quarterback. If that wasn't enough, River Bluff is currently in the midst of a search to replace head coach Blair Hardin. Myers could be the leader the program needs during the multiple transitions.    Clover is no stranger to the Stone name. [player_tooltip player_id='1012627' first='Landon' last='Stone'] was a 2,000-yard rusher as a junior and probably would have done so again as a senior had it not been for his little brother. Now, [player_tooltip player_id='1603816' first='Grady' last='Stone'] (797 yards, 11 touchdowns) gets the opportunity to prepare for a 200-carry season of his own this fall. If he uses the next few months like he has the last three, there's no reason to think he can't replicate big bro's production.   This and That   While we've already mentioned the Ridge View rushing attack, there are inquiring eyes all over the other side of the Blazers' offense.    Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='840548' first='Tre' last='Howard'] - who recently earned his first NCAA FCS offer (Southern Mississippi) - will enter his second season as the full-time starter with arguably the most impressive collection of receiving talent in the state despite the early departure of [player_tooltip player_id='233146' first='Jordon' last='Gidron'] to South Carolina. Gidron's injury last fall allowed [player_tooltip player_id='1172363' first='Khristian' last='Jackson'] (49 receptions, 737 yards, 10 touchdowns) to burst into the national limelight. [player_tooltip player_id='1078102' first='Darius' last='Carter'] (36, 549, two) and [player_tooltip player_id='1042719' first='Hayden' last='Morris'] (23, 465, seven) each started to make noise of their own. And while not every part of the 7-on-7 season is as fruitful for some teams as others, Ridge View is a squad that should benefit greatly from it.    Down in James Island, a rising junior offensive lineman is doing his part to ensure any surprise of the 2024 season for the Trojans turns into expectations for 2025.    Head coach Jamar McKoy said tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1036776' first='Israel' last='Harris'] has been leading the rest of the line through morning weight sessions nearly every school day from 6:45-8 a.m. in preparation for carrying the load this fall. The effects overall aren't hard to discover.   This time a year ago, James Island received official word that it would not only be moving up to Class 5A, but the classification's top division, based upon the SCHSL-multiplier. At multiple points McKoy had expressed his concerns with it.    Now, it's a different story.   “I felt as though we were not ready to go to battle with 50 kids on a Friday night versus 80 or 90,” he said this week. “I should not have doubted our kids.”   Those kids finished second in Region VIII-5A behind only Summerville and then advanced to the third round of the playoffs. Repeating that success will go much further than Harris this spring.    Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1592342' first='Connor' last='Dantzler'] (1,529 yards, 14 touchdowns) will miss much of the spring due to baseball. That will give the Trojans time for their tailback battle to play out in full. [player_tooltip player_id='402500' first='Malachi' last='Washington'], Jkai Grant and Thomas Webb are vying for the right to replace [player_tooltip player_id='605524' first='Amor' last='Scott'] - who reached 1,000 yards last year despite missing much of the early part of the year.    Another name to watch is tight end [player_tooltip player_id='1664605' first='Sam' last='Crumpton'], a block-first guy who has better hands than we've probably seen in games so far. He could turn some heads before spring ball begins.    And, lastly, two defensive backs from the Upstate are going to be constantly heard from this spring. Dorman's [player_tooltip player_id='402497' first='Kentavion' last='Anderson'] has offers from both points and many points in between and has set his commitment date for mid-May. Since announce his decision time frame, three more Power 4 offers have followed.   Not far away, Boiling Springs' [player_tooltip player_id='473009' first='Jeremiah' last='Favorite'] has picked up some major momentum in the last five weeks. That span has included offers from West Virginia, Appalachian State, Boston College, UNC Charlotte, James Madison, Florida Atlantic and Georgia Southern. Favorite has elite skills at the cornerback position and we think the last month-plus is only preparing for the flood gates to open.

The bullies.