With the South Carolina high school football season approaching the first day of practice on Aug. 2 and Week Zero regular-season games on Aug. 23, here is a look at the Upstate’s top seniors in 2024. They are listed in alphabetical order.
Torrean Davis
Spartanburg | 6-1, 170 | Wide receiver
Davis has an offer from Miami (Ohio). His sophomore season was hampered by injury, but he showed some of that athleticism during the Class AAAAA track and field season as a sprinter and a third-place finish in long jump. He could take a big leap this season in football.
Scottland Dover
Gaffney | 6-5, 305 | Gaffney
Dover is the state’s No. 7 overall player in the junior class and considered a top-40 inside offensive lineman in the country, according to 247Sports. He has offers from Tennessee and Kentucky as well as Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina. Dover teams with senior tackle Shedrick Sarratt, a South Carolina commit, in Gaffney’s strong line of protection.
Somad Eaddy
Riverside | 6-0, 155 | Defensive back
Eaddy has offers from Maryland and West Virginia. He made his presence felt early in his varsity career with six interceptions as a freshman and added three last season with a touchdown and six additional six pass breakups.
Jeremiah Favorite
Boiling Springs | 6-0, 170 | Defensive back
Favorite is a transfer from Myrtle Beach and will be a shut-down defender for Boiling Springs. He has offers from Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Indiana, East Carolina, Coastal Carolina and Old Dominion.
Eli Foster
Eastside | 5-11, 165 | Running back
Foster looks to inherit the lead back role at Eastside and that could lead to a monster season. Last year, senior Kalvin Banks, the program's all-time leading rusher, had 244 carries for 1,475 yards and 20 touchdowns. Foster had 50 carries, averaged 5.8 yards and scored four TDs.
UPSTATE'S TOP SENIORS: Greenville subscribers | Spartanburg | Anderson
Trent Garner
Pendleton | 6-2, 185 | Defensive line
Garner had nine sacks last season and 20.5 tackles for loss. He’ll get more attention from offensive schemes this season but has the ability to continue to thrive. He had 49 solo tackles and averaged 8.3 tackles per game.
Jayvon Gilmore
Gaffney | 6-6, 195 | Quarterback
Gilmore is the state’s fourth-ranked overall player in the junior class, according to 247Sports. Among his college offers are Arkansas, Louisville, N.C. State, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech. Gilmore is a transfer from Ben Lippen, where he passed for 1,767 yards and 22 touchdowns with seven interceptions. It’s a big jump from SCISA to Region 2-AAAAA.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL POSITION RANKINGS: Greenville subscribers: | Offensive line | Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Defensive back | Linebackers | Defensive line
Jude Hall
Christ Church | 6-4, 185 | Wide receiver
Hall teams with senior Jackson Repp to give Christ Church a dynamic combination of targets for quarterback Tucker Hendrix as Christ Church makes the jump of two classifications to AAA. He had 540 yards and nine touchdowns on only 24 catches. Hall has offers from Boston College, Central Michigan, Charlotte, Cincinnati and Georgia State.
Jaiden McDowell
Gaffney | 5-9, 160 | Running back
McDowell accounted for 1,861 yards from scrimmage and 17 touchdowns last season. He rushed for 1,313 with 13 TDs but was also the team’s third-leading receiver with 548 yards on 45 catches, just a dozen grabs short of tops on the team. He has offers from Appalachian State, Cincinnati and East Carolina.
Jaylen McGill
Mountain View Prep | 5-10, 195 | Running back
McGill, a transfer from Broome, has offers from Alabama and Georgia. He is a four-star recruit who is ranked No. 6 overall in the state for the junior class by 247Sports. He is a MaxPreps All-American. Last season, he rushed for 1,792 yards, 8.7 per carry and scored 30 total touchdowns. He brings speed and power to the backfield, as well as instant respect for the new program in its debut season.
Michael Posey
Eastside | 6-0, 205 | Defensive line
Posey last season had seven sacks, 15 tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries. He could be in for a monster season with offenses forced to focus more on teammate Jaquarious Dodd, the state’s No. 5 overall senior and South Carolina commit. Posey has an offer from Miami (Ohio).
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL POSITION RANKINGS: Spartanburg subscribers: | Offensive line | Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Defensive back | Linebackers | Defensive line
Jay Stoker
Easley | 6-1, 205 | Quarterback
Stoker played eight games last season as a sophomore and passed for 1,375 yards (60.4 completion percentage) with 15 touchdowns and only one interception. He’s a terrific building block for new coach Sam Houston.
Jaiden Taylor
Riverside | 5-4, 160 | Wide receiver
Taylor had 51 catches last season for 770 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those numbers should continue to rise. And don’t let his size fool you. Taylor is not just a possession receiver. He’s a red zone target with leaping ability.
Jaxx Wilson
Westside | 6-1, 190 | Linebacker
Wilson is the top returning tackler for Class AAAA state champion Westside, He had 116 tackles, 27 unassisted, with six for loss of yardage last season. With the Rams having graduated the outside linebackers on each side of Wilson, he should continue to pile up the tackles and lead the way.
Cayden Workman
J.L. Mann | 5-9, 180 | Linebacker
Workman is a transfer from Eastside and a difference-maker for Mann, which made it to the Class AAAAA Upper State final. Workman had 102 tackles last season at Eastside with 13 tackles for loss and eight quarterback pressures.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL POSITION RANKINGS: Anderson subscribers: | Offensive line | Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Defensive back | Linebackers | Defensive line
Todd Shanesy is an award-winning senior writer who now covers high school athletics for the Greenville News, Spartanburg Herald-Journal and Anderson Independent Mail in the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at todd.shanesy@shj.com . Follow him on X, formerly called Twitter, at @ToddShanesySHJ .
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Best Upstate high school football juniors for 2024 SCHSL season
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