Quarterback Class of 2026 is solid at the top

Neill Kirkpatrick • August 31, 2025

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

High School Sports Report 40th Annual Prep Football Media Day set for Wednesday, July 22, at USC's indoor practice facility

By Staff reports • July 15, 2026
Players from around the state are invited to the Jeri and Steve Spurrier Indoor Practice Facility from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Saluda Football Uses Spring To Build Depth

By Dennis Brunson • July 3, 2026
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Saluda – The Saluda High School football team will have a good amount of experience returning for the 2026 season. The Tigers have six starters back on offense and eight on defense from a team that went 6-6 and reached the second round of the AA state playoffs. However, they didn’t get a lot of work in during spring practice because many of them were on the school’s baseball and track and field teams that made deep runs in the postseason. Saluda head coach Greg Woerner found a silver lining in that though. “We were only able to get eight days of spring practice in and made the most o it and got better learning the offense and defense and developing some depth with the younger guys,” said Woerner, who will be in his second season as head coach. “A lot of our returning starters were making playoff runs in baseball and track, so we got a good luck at our depth.” Saluda returns four players who were selected to the All-Region 2-AA team last year. They are rising junior placekicker Ericson Vasquez , senior running back Tristan Daniels, senior tight end Jahmeer Myers and junior defensive back Ceddion Springs . Vasquez was named the Region 2 Special Teams Player of the year. Woerner is hoping the Tigers can be productive in the month of July leading into the start of fall practice. “For the remainder of the summer we’re really just looking forward to continuing to get stronger but also focusing in more on football,” Woerner said. “We had a good June competing in 7-on-7s (competitions) and getting better at our passing game and pass defense. July will focus more on getting better at the whole game.” The Tigers completed their 7-on-7 competition in June. Their first scrimmage will be on August 6 at Woodland before coming home to scrimmage Gilbert on August 10. Saluda is scheduled to open its season on August 21 at home against Abbeville . The Tigers will be part of a new region in Region 4-AA. The region will include two old Region 2 foes in defending state champion Strom Thurmond and Pelion to go with American Leadership Academy , Orangeburg-Wilkinson and Silver Bluff . MILLER MARTIN SELECTED TO AA ALL-STATE SOFTBALL TEAM Sophomore pitcher Miller Martin , a key figure for Saluda’s AA state championship softball team, was selected to the AA All-State softball team announced by the South Carolina Association for Women’s Sports . Martin had a 15-3 win-loss record and struck out 248 batters in 139 2/3 innings while posting a 0.70 earned run average. At the plate, Martin had a .308 batting average with five home runs and 32 runs batted in. Martin was also named the Region 2 Co-Player of the Year. Martin was joined on the All-Region team by Amy Sorcia , Zoey Springs and Nyla Jordan . Tigers head coach Hannah Towery said the program’s first ever state title sets a precedent for the future. “Future players will walk on to that field knowing a championship can be achieved because this team proved it,” said Towery, who guided Saluda to a 29-3 record. “The banner will hang, the trophy will be displayed, and the record books will always show who did it first. “History remembers champions, but it especially remembers those who paved the way. This team just didn’t win a state championship – they built a legacy.”

Jefferson Davis football focusing on the basics over the summer

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor • July 3, 2026
Raiders return everyone along the line from 8-4 team that reached 8-man semifinals

OCA Football Sets Sights On Four-Peat

By David Shelton • July 2, 2026
Oceanside's rising senior QB, Aiden Manavian is nearing 10,000 career passing yards and threw 42 touchdown passes last season.

W W King Holds Spring Athletic Banquet

By Gerald Doolittle • July 1, 2026
By: Gerald Doolittle Contributing Writer, HSSR Batesburg-Leesville, S.C. -W.W. King Academy held its Spring/Winter Athletic Banquet in mid-May to honor their 2025-26 athletic efforts. All the Knight teams were very competitive in their SCISA Class A region where they competed against Wardlaw Academy, Newberry Academy, Cambridge Academy, Richard Winn Academy and Anderson Christian . The Varsity Baseball team won the SCISA Class A Title . The Varsity Softball team was very competitive in the playoffs. Coach Jessica Anderson presented the Varsity Girls Basketball Awards . Blythe Buzhardt won the All-Around Excellence Award. Kenzie Morse won the Defensive Player-of-the-Year Award. Coach Dennis Gibson presented the Varsity Boys Basketball Awards. Spencer McCormick received the Most Outstanding Player Award. Brady Goff received the Sharp-Shooter Award. Coach Allen Guy presented the Varsity Softball Awards. Blythe Buzhardt received the Most Outstanding Player Award. Abby Aull received the Leadership Award and Kenzie Morse received the Iron Athletic Award. Coach Zach Matthews presented five awards to his Varsity Baseball State Champion players. Elijah Hutto received the Offensive Player of the Year Award. Luke Harvey received the Defensive Player of The Year Award. Wyatt Burbank, Zed Watkins and Smith Kirby shared the Team Leadership Award. Athletic Director Kathy Gibson assisted in presenting the Senior Awards. Smith Kirby and Abby Aull received the Senior Student Athlete of the Year Award. Wyatt Burbank and Kenzie Morse received the Athlete of the Year Award. Spencer McCormick and Abby Aull received the Christian Leadership Award. Wyatt Burbank and Kenzie received the Varsity Year-Round Athletes Award.

Florence Christian football team lost a few players to more than just graduation

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor • July 1, 2026
Eagles do return Region Defensive Player of the Year in Hayden Schwab

Lodge Begins Fourth Season As Berkeley Coach

By David Shelton • June 30, 2026
By David Shelton Senior Writer Moncks Corner – After a pair of six-win seasons in his first two years , Berkeley head football coach Eric Lodge guided the Stags to a 10-3 record last fall. Lodge is hoping and expecting to see continued growth and development in 2026 and recently put his prospective team through spring drills. The purpose of the spring is to identify roles and hopefully find rising talent that can assist either as backups or starters this fall. “Our spring is about evaluating kids, all of them, to see where they fit in,” Lodge said, “Those practices are very important to the growth of the program. We get everyone involved amd work to get them up to speed. Once we get into the summer, we are working hard to get stronger in the weight room along with seven-on-seven stuff.” Lodge says most of the returning experience is on the offensive side and the Stags should be explosive. Henry Rivers , a senior, will be a fourth-year starter and rates as one of the best in the state. Hethres for more than 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, adding 803 rushing yards and 16 more scores. Returning at receiver are John Cleveland, Eli Mitchell and Johnathan Mitchell, who combined for more than 60 receptions last season. Anchoring the running game are returners Lawrence Washington, Bryson McGee and Jesse Brown . That trio will work behind a revamped offensive line but Lodge sees potential in the developing unit up front. “I like our depth at running back and receiver, and of course we have a veteran leader at quarterback,” said Lodge. There are significantly more holes to fill on defense. The Stags lost an all-state tackle and three starting linebackers that were three-year starters. There also are three holes to fill on the back endd. “We have identified some young men who we feel will step in and be solid players for us,” Lodge said. “Replacing the experience is tough but we have some guys who will learn and grow over time. We’re not new to having young guys on the field. The talent is there and there are opportunities for guys to get on the field.”

Pinewood Preparing To Move Up A Class

By Roger Lee • June 29, 2026
Expectations are high for Pinewood Prep quarterback Silas Brawner.

Cane Bay Football Looking To Get Back On Track

By David Shelton • June 29, 2026
By David Shelton Senior Writer Summerville – The last two football seasons have been sub-par for the Cane Bay Cobras but veteran head coach Russell Zehr believes the pieces are in place for a potential resurgence. The Cobras finished the last two seasons with three wins each but did win a region championship in 2024. Zehr and his staff have worked hard in the offseason to develop some up and coming talent. They did so through the weight room and spring practice. “We had a good spring overall,” Zehr said. “We were missing a handful of guys due to track but we had good numbers. We spent a lot of time getting everyone up to speed. It was an opportunity for us to see younger kids that are coming up and find out who can help us this season. We had about 80 kids during the sprng and about 75 of those have been consistent in their workouts over the summer.” The Cobras will have a new quarterback this fall. Zehr says senior Coran Houp e is moving from running back to run the option offense this season. Returning in the backfield are Mayson Samuel and Sam Rolston , with some talented backs coming from the lower levels. The offensive line returns two starters, Isaac Siefken and Eli Taylor . Junior JJ Rose is back as the leader along the defensive front, with ends Devin Cobbs and B rennen Shokes also returning. The linebackers will be new starters with only Jackson Williamson returning with experience. The secondary could be a strength with returners Tyrell Bess, Zion Bryant and Caeden Wilson . The kicking game is a solid strength with senior Aiden Thorne returning. Thorne is a deep threat on kickoffs and field goals. “He’s got a leg and can be a real weapon for us,” Zehr said. Cane Bay participated in weekly 7-on-7 passing league scrimmages during June and will play at The Citadel event in July.

Mckoy Continues To Build A Winner At James Island

By David Shelton • June 29, 2026
Head football coach at James Island, Jamar McKoy has worked to build his program into one of the more consistent programs in the state.
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