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HSSR Media Day Attracts 250 Football Prospects For Upcoming Season In South Carolina, Quarterbacks, Defensive Linemen Aboard
By Bill Mitchell
Special Writer
Columbia A recruiter’s wildest fantasy actually became a reality on Sunday July, 18 when the High School Sports Report held its annual pre-season football media day at the University of South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium.
Approximately 250 of the Palmetto State’s finest high school football players were on hand for a photo session and media interviews that included the daily media and several website organizations. While it was a recruiter’s dream, there were none present in conformity with NCAA rules.
Once again we thank Dusty Rhodes and all the staff members in South Carolina associated with Josten’s for sponsoring the HSSR-Josten’s recruiting page once again this year including on our website hssr.com.
“We were certainly pleased to have the majority of our Top 15 players here today, and with 50 teams here, our 160 page football tabloid we will print in August (covering every school in the state) has the potential of being our best one yet,” said HSSR founder Billy G. Baker who was on hand to run the event. “I can’t imagine it not being worth the $5 cover price seeing how we commit $20,000 in time, resources and expenses to produce the only type publication of its kind in South Carolina covering all schools large and small.”
Some of the marquee players on hand included number one rated defensive end Jadeveon Clowney of South Pointe (6-6, 250). Clowney, cutting jokes and laughing for most of the HSSR Media Day, lists his top five schools as South Carolina, Clemson, North Carolina, Alabama, and Florida State.
As a junior he had 139 tackles including 23 sacks and rivals.com has him listed as the top prospect in the nation.
Dorman receiver Charone Peake (6-4, 200) was also on hand at media day and he is a firm commitment to Clemson. Peake is rated as the number two prospect in the state by HSSR starting the season. Last year he caught 51 passes for 881 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Peake chose Clemson over Georgia in June from a pool of schools that also included Florida, Southern Cal and North Carolina. This summer Peake attended the Clemson football camp and he has been participated in various summer passing league games with the Dorman team.
“After I went to camp at Clemson I got home and talked over things with my parents and I felt like Clemson was the right decision for me,” said Peake. “Me and my family just love all the coaches at Clemson and we just feel comfortable with Clemson. I am 100 per cent committed to Clemson.”
The annual event, complete with a cook-out sponsored by the HSSR and Fatz Café (special thanks to Scooter Brandemuehl) of Orangeburg, marks the unofficial kickoff of the football year which will not begin officially until practice after next week’s South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association clinic to be held in Greenville.
The day brought together one of the strongest classes in the state’s history to talk, get their pictures taken, and to respond to media questions under a usually hot July sky that, true to form, produced a few afternoon showers.
Pictures included individual and team photos were taken of each school represented. Pictures of the top players attending by position were made for future use as football coverage goes into full swing
Other top players at the event included Goose Creek offensive lineman Brandon Shell (6-8,320) and both Gerald Dixon, Jr. of Northwestern and Gerald Dixon of South Pointe along with Summerville running back DeAngelo Henderson, Scott’s Branch tight end Jerrell Adams (6-5, 230) was also on hand along with number 15 rated Stanton Seckinger (6-5,200) of Porter-Gaud who is a clone of former Florida receiver Chris Doering who is now a sportscaster in the Gainesville, Florida area.
Seckinger has offers from N.C. State and Clemson and he was hoping to impress the Gamecocks at a one day prospect camp on July 23.
Does it bother Seckinger knowing that despite high jumping a new SCISA record of 6-6 and having close to a 40 inch vertical that some colleges don’t like the fact he plays at a small private school? “When you play in SCISA I understand what some coach’s say about the competition and some feel like you don’t play against good enough competition,” said Seckinger. “I ask the coaches when the last time they had been to a SCISA game was and I remind them that while we don’t have 500 athletes to draw from that we do have quality athletes in SCISA who can play at the next level. We might only have two or three per team but we do have some great athletes in SCISA.”
Seckinger has gone to summer camps at Georgia, Wake Forest, Clemson and Furman thus far. He will be going to South Carolina and Tennessee later in July. He visited N.C. State in June where he was offered. Seckinger’s mother is a former volleyball player at Clemson and his father went to college at Georgia. “I hope to play in the Southeast area but I am open minded at this point,” said Seckinger last year Seckinger caught 58 passes fro 1,095 yards and nine touchdowns. His yards after catch are very impressive and he is seldom tackled by just one person.
There are those who call this the Year of the Quarterback. At least three have already committed to major colleges. Myrtle Beach’s Everett Golson (North Carolina), Northwestern’s Justin Worly (Tennessee), and Tony McNeal of Chester (Clemson) by no means exhaust the talent pool at the position.
Worley was not recruited by South Carolina and Clemson got a late start with him. Worley has been compared to Peyton Manning at the same time of his career so it is almost fitting that Worley has committed to Tennessee. Worley owns the state record for touchdown passes in a season with 53 and with a good senior season he is expected to become the all-time passing yardage leader in state history.
Golson was the major focus of South Carolina recruiters in a year of strong quarterback talent but he decided to follow his childhood dreams of playing for the Tar Heels. Golson will enter the fall at Myrtle Beach with over 7,000 career passing yards. As a junior he completed 224 of 356 passes for 3,529 yards and 47 touchdowns.
North Augusta’s Loranzo Hammonds, Chesterfield’s Seth Truesdale, Hilton Head Prep’s Matt Layman (6-2, 180), Hammond’s David Nidiffer and Hilton Head Christian’s Luke Sirgo are among others highly thought of quarterbacks in the pre-season assessments.
Layman has the advantage of having Clemson “Ring of Honor” honoree Steve Fuller as his quarterback coach at Prep. Layman threw for 2,000 yards in just six games as a junior after being injured.
“It’s pretty cool to have a former NFL quarterback under your wing teaching you how to throw and make reads,’ said Layman. “He is a really good mentor for me.”
Layman said he would like to play both football and baseball but playing football has been a major dream of his for quite some time. “I would to be all-state in all of my sports that I play and I would love to help lead all my teams to state championships.”
Layman has been to Coastal Carolina, Furman, Duke, Wake Forest, Liberty, and Davidson. He was also invited and attended the USC spring game. He has also attended the well respected Peyton Manning Academy the past two years.
After these players, there are a number of exceptional athletes performing at the quarterback position who could well see another position at the next level. Some of those include Woodland’s Robert Smith who has committed to Clemson, Calhoun Country’s Shamier Jeffery and Gaffney’s DeEdward Burris. Jeffrey has been offered a chance to play quarterback at Kentucky.
“I play quarterback, but I also play all over the field” said Burris. “I play free safety and cornerback. at times too.”
As a junior Burris finished 7th in the HSSR stats when he threw for 2,643 yards and 26 touchdowns. As a runner he gained 1,129 yards on 243 carries and 14 touchdowns.
Before former Gaffney head coach Phil Strickland left for Newberry in the spring he told HSSR, “Last year Burris was a great athlete playing quarterback and as the season went along he got more comfortable in his role. His challenge for his senior season is to be a great pure quarterback and get all the reads down and show that he is capable of being a next level quarterback. I am confident that he will have an outstanding senior season.”
Dan Jones, the Indians’ defensive coordinator, has taken over from Phil Strickland in Gaffney this year and that means some changes.
“We’re working on our play book now,” Burris said. “I think things are going to be good. the changes could be for the better.”
Top running back Shon Carson (5-10, 200) of Lake City said his recruitment would come down to what colleges would allow him to play both football and baseball. Some observers feel that he prefers playing baseball at South Carolina and football at Clemson. “I just like playing both sports so whoever allows me to play both that is where I am going. “
Carson did say USC’s national championship in baseball had pushed him “a little bit” closer to that program. Carson did say that both USC and Clemson are pushing him hard for a football commitment.
Carson has a 320 pound bench and he runs low to the ground with 4.3 speed. As a junior he rushed for 2,146 yards and scored 33 touchdowns. He also played some defensive back where he had three picks.
His senior goals are to break the high school rushing record in the state. His top five schools right now in order of preference include Florida State, Clemson, South Carolina, North Carolina and Alabama.
Top recruits abound at all positions, but South Pointe’s Jadeveon Clowney, regarded by some as the top prep talent in the nation and his opposite number Gerald Dixon are highly regarded defensive ends along with Union’s Desmond Floyd. All three of these players indicated a strong lean to the SEC at the HSSR Media Day.
Northwestern’s massive defensive tackles Gerald Dixon and Rod Byers are strong inside, also among defensive linemen is Deshawn Williams of Daniel, committed to Clemson.
Offensive lineman Brandon Shell of Goose Creek is among the best on that side of the ball. Shaq Anthony of Wren and Jerome Maybank (6-5, 330) of Waccamaw are pledged to Clemson.
The players, their coaches and parents were treated to a calabash chicken from Fatz; along with a hamburger and hot dog cook out before the working session began.
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