Meet the Sun Herald All-South Mississippi Preseason Football Team
The 2016 high school football season should provide one of the best displays of talent that the Coast has ever seen and this year's Sun Herald Preseason All-South Mississippi Team reflects that depth of gifted players.
From St. Stanislaus senior quarterback Myles Brennan, an LSU commit, to Gautier offensive tackle Paul Gainer, a Mississippi State commit, Division I talent is spread out across the area. There are at least 24 players with Division I scholarship offers on the Coast entering the new campaign.
The fact that not every player with a Division I scholarship offer makes this year's 24-member preseason team tells you how many great players there are in the region.
This year's team is heavy on quarterbacks, running backs and receivers. St. Martin senior quarterback Wayne Overman, who joined Brennan on the postseason squad last year, is again among the quarterbacks.
Pascagoula senior running back Reginald Hunter, who has offers from Louisville and Tulane, also earns a spot on the team.
Pearl River Central plays at Forrest County AHS on Thursday to open the season and the 2016 season begins in full on Friday.
Offense
QB
Myles Brennan
Senior
St. Stanislaus
Breakdown: LSU commit passed for 5,248 yards and 53 TDs and rushed for 497 yards and eight TDs as junior.
QB
Wayne Overman III
Senior
St. Martin
Breakdown: Takes over QB duties full time after passing for 1,752 yards and 17 TDs while splitting time as junior.
QB
Tavis Williams
Senior
Harrison Central
Breakdown: Passed for 1,610 yards and 16 TDs and rushed for 746 and 8 TDs after Casey Cain opened up the Red Rebels’ offense.
RB
Austin Bolton
Junior
Poplarville
Breakdown: Was one of Coast’s leading rushers, eclipsing 1,300 yards and 15 touchdowns.
RB
Reginald Hunter
Senior
Pascagoula
Breakdown: Powerful back rushed for 1,364 yards and 13 touchdowns.
RB
Patrick Watts
Senior
Resurrection Catholic
Breakdown: A catalyst for RCS’s Class 1A South State title, Watts rushed for 1,634 yards and 11 TDs.
WR
Tyrese Fryfogle
Senior
George County
Breakdown: After catching 52 passes for 919 yards and 8 TDs, Fryfogle picked up offers from Ole Miss and Idaho in spring.
WR
Tim Jones
Senior
Biloxi
Breakdown: A physical receiver, Jones missed three games and still caught 37 passes for 743 yards and 7 TDs as a junior.
WR
Austin Williams
Senior
Ocean Springs
Breakdown: The Mississippi State commit was one of Coast’s leading receivers in ’15 with 56 receptions for 928 yards and 7 TDs.
TE
Chase Rogers
Senior
St. Stanislaus
Breakdown: The Tennessee commit was among Mississippi’s leading receivers as a junior with 81 receptions for 1,462 yards and 19 TDs.
OL
Conner Estes
Senior
East Central
Breakdown: Versatile lineman committed to Louisiana Tech in the spring and will anchor potent ECHS rushing attack.
OL
Paul Gainer
Senior
Gautier
Breakdown: Bruising Mississippi State commit will team with Justin Scott to form one of best OLs on Coast.
OL
Justin Scott
Senior
Gautier
Breakdown: At 6-foot-2, 280 pounds, Scott is a force in pass protection and run blocking.
OL
Jacob Shoemaker
Senior
Harrison Central
Breakdown: The 6-foot-5, 290-pound tackle can play each offensive position.
Defense
DL
James Jackson
Senior
Pascagoula
Breakdown: At 6-foot-3, 345-pounds, the Mississippi State commit demands double and triple teams.
DL
Rasheed Jackson
Senior
Pascagoula
Breakdown: Jackson is a versatile defender who can pass rush or drop back into coverage.
DL
J’arius Warren
Senior
Long Beach
Breakdown: A tackle machine as a junior, Warren racked up 142 stops and four sacks as a junior.
LB
David Capers
Senior
Vancleave
Breakdown: Reliable tackler ranked among Mississippi’s best in ’15 with 162 tackles. Also rushed for 424 yards and 6 TDs.
LB
Karlos Dillard
Junior
Gulfport
Breakdown: Led strong Admirals defense as a sophomore in ’15 with 84 tackles. Projected by many opposing coaches as Region 8-4A defensive MVP.
LB
Donte Starks
Sophomore
St. Martin
Breakdown: As a freshman, Starks was third on St. Martin with 73 tackles and tied for team lead with six sacks. Starks already holds six D1 offers.
DB
Tyler Barnes
Senior
D’Iberville
Breakdown: A Southern Miss commit, Barnes can fly around the field. Recorded 72 tackles as a junior.
Athlete
QB/DB
Cleveland Ford
Senior
Gulfport
Breakdown: Passed for nearly 1,000 yards and 7 TDs as a junior. Several colleges are looking at Ford as an athlete.
WR/DB
Kalem Reddix
Senior
St. Martin
Breakdown: A dynamic athlete, Reddix caught 44 passes for 815 yards and 11 TDs last season. Expect more in 2016.
RB/DB
Omni Wells
Senior
Moss Point
Breakdown: Wells does it all for the Tigers. Last season, he rushed for 1,386 yards and also played defensive back.
This story was originally published August 13, 2016 at 8:14 AM with the headline "Meet the Sun Herald All-South Mississippi Preseason Football Team."