Elite South Carolina high school football team welcomes ten transferees

Last season, South Carolina high school football powerhouse Gaffney Indians finished with a 10-2 record. While they lost to Northwestern in the Class 5A Division 2 state semifinals, they still finished seventh in the state’s On3 Composite Team Rankings.

However, as graduation makes high school football rosters fluid, Gaffney needs reinforcement to remain competitive. Hence, they will enter the 2025 season with nine new players. Former Blacksburg High School players Ross Ellis, Dominic Odom, and Shun Rodgers will now represent the Indians.

Joining them are Daniel’s Ayden Montgomery and Kareem Shaw. Gaffney will also welcome Kamari Williams from J.L. Mann and Hampton Boykins from North Carolina’s Crest High School. Finally, completing their transferees for 2025 are Justin Dawkins and Chanson Mickles from Chapman and quarterback Corey Taylor Jr.

Finally settled in and happy to call @GaffneyFootball my new home. I’m grateful for the opportunity that’s been presented to become apart of a great community, great school and football program in which I will spend my high school career. Eager to learn and do my part… pic.twitter.com/TQ8qFkAZNA

— Corey Taylor Jr (@corey_qb1) March 21, 2025

Gaffney gives quarterback Jayvon Gilmore a new target in Rogers, who had 1,023 receiving yards, 395 rushing yards, and 16 touchdowns last season. Meanwhile, Montgomery is a two-way player who excelled more on defense, tallying 51 tackles, two sacks, and an interception. He also had 112 receiving yards during the 2024 South Carolina high school football season, a facet his new head coach, Donnie Littlejohn, can maximize.

Likewise, Gaffney gets two solid running backs in Odom and Dawkins. The former had 1,305 yards from scrimmage (902 rushing) and 12 touchdowns last year. On the other hand, Dawkins had 927 yards and 12 touchdowns during his sophomore year at Chapman.

Like Montgomery, Shaw is a two-way player who lines up at running back and defensive back. He had 551 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns in 2024. Furthermore, Gaffney fortified their secondary via Mickles, who can also play linebacker.

Finally, Williams bolsters this South Carolina high school football team’s defensive line. Last year, he had 63 tackles, seven sacks, and three pass deflections for the Patriots. Seven of these nine transferees (with Ellis and Mickles as exceptions) will represent Gaffney for the first time.