2025 Rankings Update: Stockrisers
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It’s not easy to move up in our rankings. We add new players in every four-month cycle, and sustaining early success against the grain is abnormal. Yet, this rankings update includes a number of players who climbed the ladder. From…
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Continue ReadingIt’s not easy to move up in our rankings.
We add new players in every four-month cycle, and sustaining early success against the grain is abnormal.
Yet, this rankings update includes a number of players who climbed the ladder. From previously unranked guys to those already included who found a way to improve their stock, the upward trend felt natural. We rewarded them as such.
THE CLIMBERS
Even after negating a few guys who moved out of state over the summer and/or gave up the game, only a very small number of players who were previously ranked made a significant jump.
Landon Sharpe Landon Sharpe 5'11" | 180 lbs | QB White Knoll | 2025 State SC (pictured) and Rocky Herd Rocky Herd 6'0" | 270 lbs | OL Daniel | 2025 State SC are here to make their mark.
Sharpe, the White Knoll quarterback, has helped spur one of the better starts in team history. He threw for more than 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns in his team’s first seven games while completing nearly 63-percent of his passes. He’s also run for a couple scores.
After transferring to Pickens, Herd is masquerading as a tight end this year because he’s got that type of athletic ability and skill set. Chances are, the former interior lineman will be back at guard or center next year, so we’re going to leave him as an OL for now. Still, blocking is blocking. And Herd is really good at it.
A FEW NEWCOMERS
In total, six previously unranked players jumped directly into our top 40. Four of them have an individual storyline worthy of some recognition (two others we’ll break down below).
Bamberg-Ehrhardt quarterback Chanston Crosby Chanston Crosby 6'1" | 175 lbs | QB Bamberg-Ehrhardt | 2025 State SC didn’t get the job just because his dad is the head coach. Crosby is whatever type of player his dad needs based upon the matchup. He can stand in the pocket and whip it around or take off and chew up some yards. There are some developmental parts of his game that need work, but tell us about a sophomore who doesn’t have those and we’ll call you a liar. Crosby could be one of those special talents.
Over in Loris, a linebacker disguised in defensive lineman’s clothing is wrecking opposing offenses with his quick first step and nose for the ball. Javon Johnson Javon Johnson 6'0" | 235 lbs | DL Loris | 2025 State SC is 6-feet tall and 235 pounds (according to the roster, anyway). And, yet, against offensive linemen each week, he’s putting on a clinic. In his first 16 varsity games, he racked up 23 tackles for loss. You can’t fake that.
South Florence receiver Jayden Sellers Jayden Sellers 5'11" | 160 lbs | WR South Florence | 2025 State SC has an early offer from Syracuse. No surprise there, as his older brother, LaNorris, is currently an Orange verbal commit. But at 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds, the younger Sellers is playing the type of football in a type of scheme that has fast-oriented college offenses thinking he might be a big cog in the system. Jayden Sellers Jayden Sellers 5'11" | 160 lbs | WR South Florence | 2025 State SC goes for about 17 yards per reception for a team that uses the underneath like nobody’s business.
And let us tell you a little something about a Jamarcus Williams Jamarcus Williams 5'10" | 190 lbs | RB Hannah-Pamplico | 2025 State SC . The Hannah-Pamplico tailback has already been described by his coach, Jamie Johnson, as “one of the best athletes I’ve ever coached.” Williams played some defensive back as a freshman before taking over at running back this fall. He needed six games to top 1,000 yards, with two of those games coming against schools from bigger classes.
THE DUO
Speaking of new additions, River Bluff has two who deserve their own mention.
Stephen Collier Stephen Collier 6'3" | 210 lbs | WR River Bluff | 2025 State SC is starting to pick up some major interest (and offers), and Parker Murray Parker Murray 6'1" | 185 lbs | QB River Bluff | 2025 State SC is looking like one of the best quarterbacks to ever put on pads for his school. The River Bluff receiver and quarterback highlight a list of newcomers to the Class of 2025 rankings.
Murray is exactly the type of quarterback that Blair Hardin has won big with in the past. He is completing north of 61 percent of his passes and started the year with a 9-to-0 touchdown-to-interception rate. His only two “bad” games were lopsided victories in which River Bluff’s tailbacks did the dirty work and he just sort of managed things. But anytime a Class 5A sophomore quarterback can be this efficient, it’s a recipe for long-term success.
As for Collier, remember the name. As a freshman, he wasn’t much of a focal point for this offense. He caught 15 passes, with eight of them coming in one game. However, he’s already topped his figures from last year in just six games. Did we mention he’s now 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds? This young man is a star in the making while playing in one of the highest-profile pockets of the entire state. Everyone will know his week-to-week progress soon.
NEW NO. 1
Jevon Edwards Jevon Edwards 5'9" | 195 lbs | RB South Aiken | 2025 State SC has been impressing us since he first laced up his cleats for South Aiken almost 14 months ago. He rushed for 100 yards in the season opener of his freshman year against a team that went on to play for a state title. He then chased it with six more 100-yard games and put up 1,071 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns before the endow his first year.
This year, he’s been even better.
Only one team has held him below 100 yards (White Knoll, who kept him to 98 yards). He’ll likely eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in his next game, and he’s averaging a stout 8.1 yards per carry despite playing a brutal schedule.
With a little bit of a weight gain, Edwards has Division-I tailback written all over him. For now, production matters.