Strong Group Of 2027 Defensive Linemen In SC Led By Miami Commitment Jaiden Bryant Of Irmo

By WORTHY EVANS

Special Writer

Columbia--The 2026 high-school football season in South Carolina is loaded with top-notch defenders, especially the tackles, ends, and edge rushers up front.

Among the High School Sports Report’s Top 100 seniors, several defensive linemen stand out.

At number two on the list is Irmo DE and Miami commit Jaiden Bryant (6-4, 246). Bryant, a 5-star recruit, originally committed to LSU in January but flipped to the Hurricanes in June.

A four-year starter on the line, Bryant helped lead the Yellow Jackets to back-to-back appearances in the AAAAA Division 2 state championship in his sophomore and junior years. As a sophomore edge rusher, he notched 85 tackles, 10 for loss and an incredible 14.5 sacks in 15 games. The next year he posted 75 tackles, 16 for loss and 10 sacks.

This year Bryant is focused on his intensity at the line as well as his leadership role on the team.

“I’ve grown mentally,” Bryant said at practice last week. “I’ve always been strong and fast, but I had to be mentally tough. To be able to lead guys in tough situations, it’s hard to calm a whole team down by yourself, I have to prepare for that and college. It’s a big mental thing.”

Bryant added that both his and his team’s goal is to finally notch a win in the final game and win a state championship.

“We take it one week at a time, our goal is to get the championship ring and get it over with.”

Ninth on the list is Dutch Fork lineman and Clemson commit Jaden Wuerth (6-2, 270). He committed to the Tigers in April.

“Clemson is just different," Wuerth said on his commitment. "Wouldn't want to be anywhere else, and I truly believe Clemson is going to take me where I want to go."

Wuerth, like Bryant, has been one of the most sought-after line players, receiving 19 offers from NCAA Division I schools, including Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, and the Tigers.

A relative newcomer to Dutch Fork, Wuerth notched 147 tackles, 38 for loss, and 13 sacks in his sophomore year at Aquinas, Ga. He transferred to the Silver Foxes before his junior year and helped the team win its fourth straight AAAAA Division I state championship in 2025. His stat line for the season was 62 tackles, 12 for loss, four sacks and three caused fumbles. With his college future set, Wuerth looks to make the most of his senior year and maybe earn a second state title.

“We definitely look to the championship game,” Wuerth said. “The expectation here is to win championships, but I think also the expectation is to win practice every day. If we’re not winning practice every day, we’re not winning on Fridays, and it doesn’t mean anything.”

Another Clemson commit, South Pointe lineman Seth Tillman (6-4, 300) is 15^th. Tillman had 61 tackles, 27 for loss, 12 quarterback hurries and 8.5 sacks to help the Stallions win the AAAA state championship in December.

Tillman said that the team is purposely forgetting the state title win, the team’s eighth in South Pointe’s history since the school opened in 2005.

“We're keeping our head forward, acting like we lost it so we're trying to get another one even though we knew we won,” Tillman said in early August. “We're still trying to get another one.”

Wuerth isn’t the only Dutch Fork player—or even defensive end—on the top 100 seniors list. Silver Foxes end Peyton Bishop (6-4, 230) is 21^st. Bishop is new to the Silver Foxes this year, as he transferred to the school after his impactive junior year at A.C. Flora. As a Falcon, Bishop recorded 108 tackles, 25.5 for loss, 16 sacks and 79 quarterback hurries. A.C. Flora posted an 11-2 record and reached the third round of the 4A playoffs.

Thus far Bishop has 25 offers, the biggest ones coming from Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Kentucky.

Another edge rusher, Catawba Ridge DE Alex Johnson (6-4, 230), is a Boston College commit and 28^th on the list. Johnson made 60 tackles, seven sacks, 23 quarterback hurries and two pass defenses in his junior year. He had 20 other offers, including those from N.C. State, Louisville, Vanderbilt, and Virginia.

What convinced him about Boston College was the school’s commitment to finish him both as a player and a young man, as well as being a home away from home.

“I’ll be going there for four or five years for football, but if I got hurt or don’t make it to the NFL, Boston College does a great job of recognizing that I may not always play forever,” he explained. “I want to go somewhere where I can be the best player that I possibly can. And as for family, if I’m going somewhere where I’m 12 hours away from everybody I know, I need to trust my new family. I rely on them and they rely on me.”

Boston College checks all of Johnson’s needs from the college level. In the meantime, Johnson credits Catawba Ridge head coach Zac Lendyak in building a strong program full of student athletes who help each other get better.

“Coach Lendyek has built a very good culture and plans to keep it going,” Johnson said, adding that the Copperheads are looking to improve from last year’s 6-6 mark. “Since coach (Chris) Jackson took over the weight room after coach (Shane) Sweeting left last year, we’re all stronger, more explosive, and faster,” Johnson said. “That’s the main thing is the work we’ve put in through the summer.”

Coming in at 32^nd is Dorman DL and East Carolina commit James Porter (6-2, 265). Porter received more than a dozen NCAA Division 1 offers before choosing ECU. Last year his presence at the line and behind opponents’ offensive backfields helped lead the Cavaliers to the third round of the AAAAA Division 1 playoffs.

This year Porter said he’ll be keying off his defensive teammates, including friends LB Antwone Tarrence and DB Jabez Thomas, in polishing his skills as a player and leader.

“Watching those guys last year and growing up playing with them showed me the things I need to do to be a leader,” Porter said. “It's going to help me a lot. I haven’t really been that guy yet. This year as a senior I feel like I need to be that guy. It’s a lot of training and a lot of work, and I feel like I've got a lot to prove.”

Another ECU commit, Westwood DL A.J. Veal (6-2, 225) is 34^th. Besides helping Westwood to its first winning season in years under first-year head coach Stephen Burris, Veal has made big moves in the offseason, showing out in the Carolinas Coaching Combines with an 80-inch wingspan and 4.69 speed.

Veal’s self-improvement efforts brought ECU to him, and he liked what he saw.

“As soon as I stepped on the campus, I was home,” Veal said. “I loved the facilities, they have a great coaching staff, everybody’s tight. It’s a great stadium and their player development is great.”

Westwood, which dropped its season opener at York Comprehensive, lost 34 seniors and has gotten young enough to depend on Veal and other seniors for leadership.

“We’ve still got some things to clean up, we’re taking it one day at a time,” he said. “We go to work every day to put the pieces together. Our defensive guys (senior LB) Kameron Smith, (senior LB) Willie Caldwell, and (senior DE) A.J. Mobley, all those guys are hungry.”

Boiling Springs DL and Rutgers commit Dennis Glenn, Jr. (6-1, 285) is 36^th. Glenn had 64 tackles, 21 for loss, six sacks, and 22 quarterback hurries last year. This year Glenn will be a leader among a mix of veterans and young talent.

“Understanding the role that I have is even more exciting, because I get to see the success of my peers and my guys that are a little bit younger,” he said in August. “And that’s always exciting knowing you had a hand in that and just seeing their success and seeing them grow.”

Gray Collegiate’s Jack Armstrong (6-2, 265), a Citadel commit is 51^st. Armstrong, who plays on the offensive line as well, had 37 tackles, eight for loss, two sacks and three hurries as the War Eagles went 11-3 and reached the AAAA lower state championship game.

With Gray moved up to the AAAAA classification, the competition gets tougher but so have the War Eagles.

“The summer was a lot of working, a lot of practicing, doing some camps, keep working over and over again,” the three-year starter said. “We’re used to playing teams like this. We’ve played Dutch Fork for the past two years, We’re used to playing big teams so I don’t think it’ll be much different from past seasons.”

Hartsville DT JaQuan Samuel (6-2, 290) is 56^th. Last year was his first year on defensive line after moving from the offensive line as a sophomore.

At No. 73 is Newberry DE Dontavias Griffin (6-1, 235). Griffin started his Newberry career as a safety but has since bulked up enough to be a quick and effective defensive end.

North Augusta DL and James Madison commit Simeon Jones (6-1, 305) is 89^th. Jones had 59 tackles, seven or loss, a fumble return for a touchdown and an interception in last year’s 11-1 effort. He’s at home playing in the middle but has the ability to post on the edge when needed.

Belton-Honea Path DL Kamarion Glenn (5-8, 290) is 96^th. Glenn had 28 tackles, 11 for loss, three sacks and five quarterback hurries as the Bears reached the AAAA state championship game for the second year in a row. With his height and stout frame, Glenn is a classic run-stopper in the middle for the Bears.

At 102 on the list is Carvers Bay C/DT and Citadel commit Triston Diggs (6-2, 275). As a 2-way lineman, he helped lead the bears to 12-1 record last year. As an interior lineman, he had 21 tackles, 10 for loss, six sacks, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. As an offensive lineman at center, he has shown his capability to stay solid in the middle, whether in run blocking or in pass protection.

“We’re coming off a great season last year and the expectations are as high as ever, so we have to work 10 times harder to meet those expectations,” he said, adding that his commitment to the SC military college makes it pertinent that he step up his game for his final high school year. “It just means I have to hold myself to a higher standard and elevate my level of play.”

Diggs’ teammate, TE/DE JaQuan Hannah (6-2,215) is 105^th on the list. He missed most of the 2025 season to a sprained knee but returned in time to show off his abilities in three postseason games. Now healthy and ready to go for his final season, he’s excited to get fully involved, whether as a defensive end, tight end, placekicker, or punter.

“I really started playing sports in High school and I came to find out I was good at it,” Hannah said. “Last year we did a good job leadership wise, we got the team to the third round where in the last couple of years we didn’t. we had good leaders like (c/o 2026 OL/DL) Zion Guiles and this year we’re going to continue to get better and try to get past the third round.”

James Island DE Rob Grant (6-3, 240) is 108^th. Grant had 35 tackles, 15 for loss last year and was ever present no matter where he posted on the line. After the Trojans 12-2 finish that ended with a loss at Summerville for the AAAAA Division 1 lower state championship, Grant said the team is focused on going further.

“We came up short and now, it’s momentum for us to get back. It’s that time now,” he said.

At 109^th on the list is Bluffton DL Rahiem Saunders (6-2, 275). Saunders played on both offensive and defensive lines at Class AA Whale Branch before transferring to Class AAAA Bluffton in August.

“I got some friends over there and it was pretty easy for me to make that move,” he said. “It’s also a business move; it’ll look better on me if I play higher-A ball.”

Saunders already has a lot of interest, as he has offers from Campbell, Coastal Carolina, Old Dominion, Appalachian State, Marshall, and he’s still in contact with Tulane.

Jaiden Bryant’s teammate, Irmo DT Tyrone Jennings (6-2, 285) is 110^th. Jennings had 72 tackles, six for loss, and a sack last season. He has offers from Appalachian State, East Carolina, Georgia State, Jacksonville State, and Liberty University.

Gaffney DT Marquel Smalls (6-5, 265) is 122nd on the list. He has an offer from Presbyterian College, Concord University and North Dakota State.

Laurence Manning Academy OL/NG Tristan White (6-3, 290) is 123rd. As a defender White had 33.5 tackles, eight for loss, six sacks, a fumble recovery, four pass breakups and a blocked kick. As an offensive lineman, White graded out at 92 percent and led the team in knockdowns and pancakes.

Philip Simmons DE/G Roman Hood (6-0, 205) is 130th. In spite of missing playing time because of an injury, Hood had 72 tackles, 28 for loss, 4.5 sacks, and an interception.

Hampton County DT/T Charles C.J. Williams (6-0, 245) is 133rd. He had 26 tackles, four for loss, a sack, and four quarterback hurries last year. He is also the Hurricanes’ starting left tackle.

“He is an awesome kid,” head coach Rob Hanna said. “Been a varsity player for 4 years and has grown into being a leader of the OL. He shows up every day with an attitude to work hard and get better each and every day.”

Highly Rated HSSR 2028 Junior Defensive Linemen

Quite a few defensive linemen in the Class of 2028’s top juniors list are worth watching as well.

Westside DL Christian Webb-Scott (6-6, 250) is sixth. He has offers from Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas.

Stratford DE Kermit Davis (6-4, 235) is 24^th. He had 40 tackles, 15 for loss last year, and has offers from Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State.

Oceanside Collegiate OL/DL Will Hunt (6-3, 275) is 30^th. He saw limited play last year on defense but is a Stalwart offensive lineman.
Newberry T/DT Elijah Sanders (6-1, 276) is 36^th. Sanders sees time on both sides of the football and has offers from UNC Pembroke and South Carolina State, and is getting interest from USC, Clemson, and Coastal Carolina.

“We have a lot of people in development and filling the spots (the seniors left),” Sanders said about the Bulldogs, who went 12-1 last year. “I want to make as big an impact as I can. We should have another great season.”

Laurence Manning OL/DT Blandyn Miller (6-1, 275) is 39^th. A transfer from Atlantic Collegiate Academy, he also plays baseball.

Central DL Tahir Wise (5-9, 210) is 42^nd. He had 27 tackles, three for loss, and two sacks last season.

Goose Creek T/DE Jadon Pringle-Jackson (6-0, 245) is 44^th. An up-and-comer with the Gators, he will look to helping turn the program around from its 0-10 record last year.

J.L. Mann DT Jayden Wheeler (6-0, 235) is 45^th. He had 41 tackles, 14 for loss, three sacks and three quarterback hurries last year.