Top-rated South Carolina commit named Virginia Prep League Player of the Year

South Carolina football commitment Darius Gray is the highest-rated pledge in the 2026 cycle for the Gamecocks. Ranked as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman nationally in the Rivals Industry Ranking, he is the No. 35 overall player in the country. He is also No. 2 in the state of Virginia.

Now, he is Virginia’s co-Player of the Year at the Prep League level.

Gray, a 6-2.5, 285-pound athlete, won the honor last year, as well. He was the Virginia Prep League’s co-Player of the Year in basketball, too.

The future Gamecock is a standout offensive lineman and defensive lineman for the St. Christopher’s School Saints. Gray was All-League at both spots en route to leading St. Christopher’s to a share of the Virginia Prep title. This is the fourth year that Gray has made the Virginia Prep All-League team, too.

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Gray will play on the offensive line for South Carolina. The big fella is rated as an interior lineman but has a lot of high school experience at tackle. His combination of brute strength and athletic ability is ridiculous and could see him succeed at any spot up front, despite his lack of prototypical tackle length.

Despite coaching movement at South Carolina at both the offensive line spot and the offensive coordinator position, Gray has remained locked in with the Gamecocks. He originally pledged his services to USC back in August. He chose Carolina over virtually every team in the country, most notably, over the LSU Tigers.

Gray and South Carolina native and commitment Zyon Guiles are the No. 1 and No. 2 interior offensive linemen in the Rivals300 rankings. Both are four-star prospects, and Gray holds a five-star rating from another major recruiting service.

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