Finalists for Mr. Football in South Carolina Announced

Release from Touchstone Energy:

Five high school seniors are finalists for the 2026 South Carolina Mr. Football award, the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association announced Friday. The state’s electric cooperatives sponsor the award, which recognizes South Carolina’s top high school football player.

The finalists are Kendaris “Peanut” Bailey of Gaffney High School, Xavier Means of Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, Tre Segarra of James F. Byrnes High School in Duncan, Jayven Williams of Summerville High School and Jaden Wuerth of Dutch Fork High School in Irmo.

The winner will be announced at halftime of the 79th annual Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 12, at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach. Kickoff is 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance at TouchstoneEnergyBowl.com/tickets and $30 at the gate.

Bailey is a four-year starter at outside linebacker who also plays tailback for the Indians. The 5-foot-11, 225-pound senior anchors Gaffney’s defense and was selected to the 2026 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. He stayed at Gaffney for all four years despite opportunities to play elsewhere. “Peanut is the heartbeat of our football team,” said head coach Donnie Littlejohn.

Means is a two-time state champion who moved from defense to quarterback and accounted for 52 touchdowns as a junior. The team captain has earned All-State, Region Player of the Year and Tri-County Player of the Year honors and was selected to the 2026 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. The East Carolina commit visits elementary schools through the “Game Day Give Back” program. “He is a young man who leads with purpose, serves with humility, and inspires others through his actions,” said head coach Page Wofford.

Segarra is a four-star running back ranked seventh nationally at his position by 247Sports. He ran for 1,460 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior. The LSU commit and 2025 Region 2 Player of the Year also starred in soccer and placed fifth in the state in wrestling. He holds a 4.9 GPA, ranks 28th in a class of 710 and is a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship recipient. “In thirty-two years of coaching, I have never had a student athlete excel in all these areas with such excellence,” said head coach Reggie Shaw.

Williams is the first player in Summerville history to rush for more than 5,000 career yards, breaking a record held by former NFL running back De’Angelo Henderson. A two-time Class 5A All-State pick and two-time unanimous captain, he has scored 65 career touchdowns and helped the Green Wave reach back-to-back state championship games. The Shrine Bowl selection will graduate in December and enroll early at James Madison. “He is the type of player every coach hopes to have,” said head coach Ian Rafferty.

Wuerth recorded 15 sacks and 15 tackles for loss by mid-October of his senior season. The defensive lineman helped the Silver Foxes win the 2025 state championship and was selected to the 2026 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. A Clemson commit, he scored a perfect 100 on the state’s U.S. History end-of-course exam and will graduate early in December. Head coach Tom Knotts called Wuerth “the best football player in South Carolina this season.”

“The nominations this year excel on and off the field,” said Chase Toler, manager of member services for The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina. “Teachers wrote about players who tutor classmates, mentor younger students and volunteer in their hometowns. Co-ops serve communities in every corner of this state, and these five young men represent the best of them. We can’t wait to celebrate them on Dec. 12.”

“This year’s nominees include state champions, record-setting rushers and future college players at every level,” said Scott Earley, director of the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association. “Narrowing that group to five was not easy. These finalists earned their spot on Friday nights and in the classroom, and any one of them would represent South Carolina well as Mr. Football.”

Each nomination included recommendation letters from the player’s head coach and at least one teacher.

South Carolina’s electric cooperatives are the primary sponsors of the Mr. Football award and the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl. The South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association organizes the event and is responsible for the selection of South Carolina’s Mr. Football award.