Wingate, Lenoir-Rhyne and Mars Hill got huge play out of their quarterbacks during successful South Atlantic Conference campaigns in 2024.
Brooks Bentley piloted Wingate to a conference championship, earning first-team All-Piedmont Division status. Jalen Ferguson lit up Lenoir-Rhyne’s stat sheets and led the Bears to 10 wins and a playoff victory at West Alabama. JR Martin proved a dual-threat for Mars Hill, rushing and passing his way onto the All-Mountain Division team.
With Bentley (New Hampshire) and Ferguson (Campbell) off to the FCS for the upcoming season, and Martin playing his senior season in 2024, the three South Atlantic partners are looking to restock their QB rooms.
Here’s a look at the new players – transfers and high school seniors – who signed with the Bulldogs, Bears and Lions for 2025 at the all-important quarterback position.
Wingate Bulldogs
The Bulldogs announced five quarterback newcomers on National Signing Day. The list is impressive, including a graduate transfer with ACC experience and three high school standouts who combined for more than 6,700 yards passing and 69 touchdowns as prep seniors.
The battle for playing time could be fierce. Defense has been Wingate’s calling card for several years, but this group should give the ‘Dogs plenty of punch on the other side of the ball as well.
Brooks Brien | Hoschton, Ga. | Cherokee Bluff HS
6-1, 195
Enjoyed “the most prolific passing season in Cherokee Bluff history,” according to ScoreAtlanta – threw for a school-record 2,758 yards and 29 touchdowns … Also rushed for six touchdowns … Played the 2023 season at Bethlehem Christian, leading the Knights to an unbeaten regular season and a scoring average of better than 40 points per game.
Wyatt Cannon | Raleigh | Leesville Road/Palmetto Prep
6-1, 185
Camped with a number of FBS programs during spring/summer 2023, including Duke, Appalachian State, Virginia and Maryland … Played for a 9-3 Leesville Road team in 2023 … Spent 2021 and 2022 at Palmetto Prep.
Zachary Dilworth | Monroe | Forest Hills HS
6-3, 200
Had a big senior season in 2024, throwing for 2,749 yards and 28 touchdowns for Forest Hills … Completed 24-of-34 passes for 388 yards and four TDs against Randleman. Also threw four TD passes against Piedmont … Forest Hills finished 10-4, 4-1 in conference play, falling to Brevard in the fourth round of the state playoffs.
Luke McPhail | Boston | Syracuse/Utah Tech
6-4, 225
Played three seasons at Syracuse before moving to Utah Tech in 2024 … Completed 5-of-14 passes for 52 yards in games against Montana State, UNLV and Northern Arizona last fall … Had a stellar prep career at Dexter Southfield High in Massachusetts, throwing for more than 7,190 yards and 85 touchdowns. He threw for 2,545 yards and recorded 32 TD passes as a senior.
Preston Wright | Pompano Beach, Fla. | Chaminade Madonna Prep
6-2, 200
Finished with 4,626 career yards and 43 touchdowns in three seasons at Chaminade Prep (2024) and Trinity Catholic (2022-23). Chaminade is considered one of the premiere high school programs in the country … Only played in five games in 2024 due to a hand injury, but still averaged 261 yards passing per game, with 12 TDs and three interceptions – drawing rave reviews from area media.
Quarterbacks on 2024 Wingate roster: Starter – Brooks Bentley (Venice, Fla. | Venice HS), Noah Bell (Saluda, SC | Saluda HS), Elijah Holmes (Charlotte | Olympic HS), Jeremiah Judd (Greer, SC | Blue Ridge HS), Wesley Thompson (West Jefferson | Maiden HS), Kaeden West (Port Jefferson Station, NY | Comsewogue HS), Jaylen Wright (Fayetteville | Terry Sanford HS)
Mars Hill Lions
Dax Varnadore | Fort Payne, Ala. | Fort Payne HS
5-11, 180
Led Fort Payne to a 10-3 record in 2024, including a 10-game win streak … Threw for 2,700 yards with 25 touchdowns and six interceptions … Career passing stats include 6,426 yards, 57 touchdowns … Also rushed for 603 yards and eight touchdowns.
Kamron Hill | Pfafftown | Reagan HS/Catawba College
6-1, 180
Played in five games for Catawba in 2022, completing 64-of-114 passes for 703 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. Did not see the field in 2023 or 2024.
Quarterbacks on 2024 Mars Hill roster: Starter – JR Martin (Suwanee, Ga. | Coffeyville CC), Gavin Kuld (Spencer | Colorado), McKendrie Douglas (Hartsville, SC | Hartsville HS), Demetrius Boney (Orlando, Fla. | Florida A&M), Ridge Clayton (Roxboro | Person HS), Troy Hoilman (Newland | Wake Forest), Baylor Baxter (Newport, Tenn. | Cocke County), Matthew Shannon (Wellington, Fla. | Louisburg College), Jaxson Willis (Hendersonville | North Henderson HS).
Lenoir-Rhyne Bears
The Bears picked up an FCS transfer and signed two high school quarterbacks from out-of-state. Two of the three players stand a towering 6-foot-5. The other is a 6-1 dual-threat.
Max Blanc | Bethel Park, Pa. | Youngstown State
6-5, 210
After an all-conference senior high school season, Blanc served as a reserve quarterback for Youngstown State for three years. He still has two years of eligibility remaining … Saw action against Pitt this past season, completing a couple of passes.
Wells Bettenhausen | DeFuniak Springs, Fla. | Walton HS
6-5, 225
Got attention from FCS and FBS programs during the recruiting process … Finished his prep career with 5,332 passing yards and 59 touchdowns … Had nearly identical stat lines in 2023 (2,658 passing yards, 30 TDs, 7 INTs) and 2024 (2,674 yards, 29 TDs, 8 INTs).
Chase Cromartie | Peachtree City, Ga. | McIntosh HS
6-2, 165
Got offered by Lenoir-Rhyne last summer and committed to the Bears before the 2024 season … Threw for 2,009 yards and 22 touchdowns as a prep junior at Viera High (Florida) … Played seven games as a senior at McIntosh before suffering an injury in late October … He finished with 1,388 yards passing and nine touchdowns. He also rushed for 508 yards and two scores.
Quarterbacks on 2024 Lenoir-Rhyne roster: Starter – Jalen Ferguson (Clemmons | West Forsyth HS), Khamoni Robinson (Monroe | Monroe HS), Andrew Attmore (Greensboro | Dudley HS), Amari Yelding (Daphne, Ala. | Ben C. Rain HS), Taiden Mines (Lexington, SC | Lexington HS), Brooks Tulp (Chuluota, Fla. | The First Academy).
