Quarterback Class of 2026 is solid at the top
Gaffney senior Jayvon Gilmore (6-5, 200), Arkansas commit, is the HSSR's top-rated Class of '26 QB.
By Neill Kirkpatrick
Special to the HSSR
Goose Creek – The quarterback position has certainly changed over the years from the option offenses such as the wishbone and the split back veer, to the run and shot, to the shot gun and now you have the RPO game where the quarterback makes a read to run, handoff or throw the ball all in a split second which is why you see one of the best athletes on the team at that position.
Last season Irmo’s AJ Brand Jr, a Virgina Tech signee, was the top QB running the RPO as he threw for over 2600 yards and rushed for over 2000 yards but there were many more like Westside’s Cutter Woods, Northwestern’s Finley Polk and Hammond’s Andrew Turner who put up more passing yards but were effective runners in their team’s offense.
Hilton Head Christian Academy has used the Quarterback centric offense for a while and head coach Ron Peduzzi stated what a lot of coach’s feel about this type of offense, “Our offense is a multiple read progression with check offs, automatic calls, and hot calls. Throw in some RPO's and options and you have a very diverse offense. It takes some time to learn our system.”
While 2026 Quarterback Class may not have a player of Brand Jr’s athletic ability it has some quality talent with three of the top four quarterbacks rated by the HSSR having already committed to play at the Division 1 level in Gaffney’s Jayvon Gilmore (Arkansas), Stratford’s Jachin Davis (Liberty), and Spartanburg’s Trey Burke (East Carolina).
Gilmore (6-5, 200) is the top-rated QB by the HSSR and the number four ranked player in the state. He transferred to Gaffney last season from SCISA’s Ben Lippen after throwing for 1767 yards and 22 touchdowns as a sophomore. He showed last season that the AAAAA stage was not too big for him as he led the Indians to a region 2 AAAAA championship and a berth in the upper state finals. He threw for 2510 yards and 26 touchdowns last season and picked up an additional 176 yards on the ground. He committed to Arkansas last August and has stuck with them despite 20 plus other offers from around the country. He is ranked as the 24th best QB in the nation by 247 sports
“Jayvon has arm talent and is a returning starter in our offense. He has experience with region 2 AAAAA football and that experience will be an asset this season. He has continued grow and mature into the position and has become a team leader,” said Gaffney head coach Donnie Littlejohn.
Ashley Ridge’s Trevor Kalisz (6,215) is the next highest rated QB by the HSSR and is number 28 in the state by the HSSR. He has had two outstanding years under center for the Swamp Cats and has led them to consecutive playoff berths. He has passed for 6549 yards and 61 touchdowns while completing over 70% of passes last season. One area that he needs to work on is taking care of the football as he tossed 28 interceptions over the past two seasons.
Sitting at 29 in the HSSR top 100 is Stratford’s Jachin Davis (6-1, 203). The Liberty commit had over 2500 yards of total offense last season and accounted for 26 touchdowns. He is ranked as the 131st QB in the nation by 247 sports. He is also an outstanding baseball player. Last season he hit .493 while stealing 32 bases.
“Jachin has always been one to lead by example. He is starting to become a vocal leader but prefers to let his actions lead. He has excellent athletic ability, is a Fierce competitor, and smart but he is also very underrated player. His best football is ahead of him,” said Stratford head coach Dennie McDaniel.
Trey Burke (6-3, 205) of Spartanburg has committed to East Carolina and will be joining former Viking QB Raheim Jeter in Greenville, North Carolina. He is the 31st ranked player in the state by the HSSR and is ranked 170th by 247 sports. Last season injuries limited him to 9 games but he returned to lead the Vikings to the AAAAA division 1 upper state finals. He finished the year with 1065 yards passing and 11 touchdowns.
South Florence Messiah Jackson (6-1,220) checks in at 39th in the HSSR top 100. Last season he led the Bruins to their third consecutive state AAAA championship game and their second state title in three years. He threw for over 2000 yards and 30 touchdowns. He also ran for 369 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has offers from Davidson, Lenior-Rhyne, Newberry, and UNC Pembroke.
“Messiah has grown tremendously over the past 3 years. His accuracy on short throws, ability to push the ball down the field, ability to have an impact in the game running and getting the ball out on time are all areas his improved upon. He is the team leader and I’m excited to watch him play this season,” said South Florence head coach Drew Marlowe.
South Pointe’s Cameron McMillon (6-4, 235) is ranked 61st by the HSSR. He started his career at Fairfield Central where he threw for 5714 yards and 55 touchdowns as a freshman and sophomore before transferring to South Pointe. Last season he led the Stallions to the AAAA upper state finals throwing for 2580 yards and 31 touchdowns bringing his career numbers to 8294 yards and 86 touchdowns. This season he has the opportunity to join a very select group in South Carolina history*. He can become just the 11th QB in state history to pass for over 10,000 career yards. He currently has offers from Marshall and West Georgia.
SCISA’s top QB is Hilton Head Christians Reid McCollum (6-4,215). He is arguably the top athlete in SCISA and is projected to play linebacker at the next level. He has committed to the Naval Academy and ranked 46th in the HSSR top 100. Last season was his first at QB for the Eagles and he threw for 2443 yards and 21 touchdowns while leading them in rushing with 845 yards and another 16 touchdowns. As a sophomore he was demon on the defensive side of the ball totaling 78 tackles with 14 TFL’s and 9 sacks. He also had four picks and a fumble recovery.
“Reid had to learn to play the position last season. He can throw the ball 75 yards no problem and is load when he tucks it and runs. As the season went on he learned how to be a quarterback in our system. He continues to get bigger and stronger and we are expecting big things from him this season,” said coach Peduzzi.
Some other senior QB’s to watch this season are Johnny Collins -Blythewood, Roper Wentzky – AC Flora, and Quinn Mahoney – Bishop England. They all threw for over 2000 yards last season and 20 plus touchdowns a season ago.
There are some exciting juniors to watch this season led by Oceanside Collegiate’s Aiden Manavian (6, 185). He burst on the scene as a freshmen when he took over the starting job for an injured senior Edward Reidenbach and led the Landsharks to their first state championship. Last season he followed it up by throwing for 3469 yards and 19 scores while leading the Landsharks to back-to-back state championships. This one was at AAA.
Other junior QB’s to watch in the class of 2027 are Tre Howard III (5-10, 180)– Ridge View, Grayson Clary (6-2, 215) – Daniel, Gideon Merhib (6, 175) – Riverside, Sam Holiday (6,195) – Fountain Inn, and Henry Rivers (5-10,175) – Berkeley. Clary threw for over 2800 yards and 41 touchdowns with only two picks while completing 70% of his throws. He also rushed for over 300 yards and another seven touchdowns while leading the Lions to the upper state championship game.
Rivers is a two-year starter with over 3500 career passing yards while Holiday rushed and passed for over 1000 yards last season.
In SCISA Laurence Manning Junior Grainger Powell (5-11, 170) had a breakout season as a sophomore throwing for more than 2000 yards and 20 plus touchdowns. He has a quick release and nice touch on the deep ball.
Rising sophomores to watch are Jace Grass (6-1,180) of Pendleton and Jaiden Holloway (5-10, 160) of Ridge Spring-Monetta. Grass threw for 1969 yards and 18 scores as a freshman while Holloway completed 65% of his throws for 1010 yards and he rushed for 1153 yards.
*Quarterbacks that have thrown for over 10,000 career yards:
1. - Justin Worley – Northwestern – 13385
2 - Shuler Bentley – Byrnes – 13245
3 - Austin Scott- Spartanburg – 11,915
4 - Everett Golson – Myrtle Beach – 11634
5 – Mason Rudolph – Northwestern – 10,986
6 – Chas Dodd – Byrnes – 10,640
7 – Willy Korn – Byrnes – 10,626
8 – Noah Bell – Saluda – 10,483
9 – Will Hunter – Lexington – 10,322
10 – Dillon Rivers – Chesterfield – 10,011
