South Carolina high school football athletes scored big with offers in early May. After receiving the big news from collegiate programs, Palmetto Preps caught up with several of those players to field their exclusive reactions to the accomplishments which they worked so hard to achieve.

Read below to find out more about what Nathan Gilley, a physical, underrated, hardworking 6-foot-2, 260-pound interior offensive lineman for the Chapin Eagles, Amarii King, a dynamic, 6-foot-2, 188-pound speedy, pass-catching talent of the Cardinal Newman Cardinals, Jaquel Holman, a physical hitter and pass-defender on defense and hard-to-tackle running back of the Blackville-Hilda Hawks, and Jackson Repp, a speedy, 5-foot-8, 160-pound pocket rocket wide receiver of state powerhouse Christ Church of Greenville had to say in reaction to offers from Limestone, Lenoir-Rhyne, The Citadel, and Charleston Southern.

Nathan Gilley, the 6-foot-2, 260-pound, rising senior Midlands Class of 2025 offensive lineman, who raked in All-Region and All-State honors with a whopping 52 pancake blocks in 2025, has worked day and night to get his name out there on the recruiting trail, but it wasn't until the physical Chapin High School star rising senior heard from head coach Jerricho Cotchery's new staff at Division II contender Limestone University that he had earned a spot on a collegiate roster ahead of his big finale on the prep gridiron with the Eagles.

Gilley told Palmetto Preps co-owner Lee Wardlaw that he was excited about his offer from the Saints. “I’m excited. It was my first offer so far. (Offensive line coach) Nate Garner is a great guy, and he has lots of experience with the offensive line, which is good, because that is what I play! He said not only was I offered, but he wanted to see me play somewhere better than Limestone because he believes I can, so that’s the goal for now,” the 2023 All-Region and All-State selection said.

Gilley is also drawing interest from The Citadel.

It was head coach Maurice Drayton and The Citadel Bulldogs of the Southern Conference who came calling Jaquel Holman, a star, rising senior running back and safety for the Blackville Hilda Hawks on May 6. "I was very excited about (the offer). It made me feel like my hard work is paying off,” he said.

The instate, FCS military school was the No. 2 program to offer the physical running back and hard-hitting athlete of the Lowcountry, as the Old Dominion Monarchs of the Conference USA were the first to the punch back on April 12.

It was Monarchs' cornerbacks' coach Tarron Williams who informed Holman of the offer via a phone call, one which the assistant shared his belief in the Hawks' star to make an impact on the Division 1 gridiron, Holman who he sees as a a player with the potential to star on Sundays in the future.

"He said I was a heck of an athlete and he could see me in the NFL one day," he said.

Holman is being recruited to play defensive back in college, but caused major damage on the stat sheet on both sides of the ball starring for the Hawks in 2023, recording a whopping 1,765 rushing yards to the tune of 11 yards per tote on 160 carries at running back for Blackville-Hilda, all while making 80 solo tackles, 24 tackles for loss, five sacks, four quarterback hurries, and one interception on defense.

In the Midlands, 6-foot-2, 188-pound Cardinal Newman Cardinals wide receiver Amari King was jumping for joy about his offer from Division 2 powerhouse, Lenoir-Rhyne.

“Man, I was so hype. I wasn’t expecting an offer from them, but (the coach) was telling me he loved the way that I played and he liked the way I played basketball, so I kind of knew something was going to happen when I got it. It was surreal, I didn’t know how to feel. Just full of emotions. It made me feel like people are really getting to know who I am,” he said.

The rangy, speedy pass-catcher and two-sport star who also stars on the hardwood has made a big impact for the Cardinals and his former program, Keenan, all while staying dedicated on the recruiting trail, making an appearance for an unofficial visit to Coastal Carolina in Fall 2022, camps at Limestone and South Carolina in Summer 2023, for a gameday visit to South Carolina State last fall, among other functions, including Charlotte's Spring Game and Junior Day this April.

Now, the hard work of the swift, large target with soft hands who is good in deep routes, in the middle of the field, and in space who can also lay a juke move and is hard to tackle for SCISA defenses has finally paid off, as the Bears, a Division II powerhouse that loves to recruit the Palmetto State and have several South Carolinians on their team, have tendered King an offer.

Jackson Repp, a wide receiver of Christ Church in Greenville who has been hot on the recruiting trail of late, recording offers from Elon, Furman, Princeton, Boston College, and Dartmouth, scored his No. 6 offer from Charleston Southern on May 2.

“I appreciate the offer, and it’s always great to have options. It’s always important to have these options so I can be able to evaluate my offers side by side for the best fit. I appreciate all of the recognition I’ve been getting from the schools lately,” said the 5-foot-8, 160-pounder who recorded a whopping 63 receptions for 1,510 yards (24 yards per catch) with 2,933 all-purpose yards, earning Region Player of the Year Honors in reaction to the big offers from the Buccaneers.

Repp, whose repertoire of highlights is exciting to say the least, could be a serious Division 1 talent. The Cavaliers' star is especially exciting working his way up the field on the slot, working his way through defenders with jukes and a wide series of moves. His deceptive, explosive speed is a dangerous threat to high school defenses throughout the Palmetto State.

Repp runs his routes smoothly, showing off his speed, change of direction, and body control, which is also display on traffic when he is dodging defenders, which he can also do when getting open in space when lining up as a running back.

The most dangerous qualities of what Repp has to offer is on display at the 1:30 mark of his Hudl during the 1A state championship, where he fields a deep-range wheel route in traffic, backpedals to lay a nasty juke on a defender, and breaks out across the open field to the end zone.

Then, perhaps in the all-time funniest highlight in high school football history, Repp, who is all by himself after the big play, waits for seven seconds on the two-yard line before walking it in to the end zone.