There’s a note Wyquial Moss keeps on his iPhone’s Notes app. He studies it, reminds himself of everything it says, and prays over it.
It’s a list of his goals for his 2026 senior football season.
“100 or more tackles, 30 tackles for loss, eight sacks, four interceptions,” Moss says, smiling. “And, of course, being able to get blessed with my first Division 1 football offer. That’s what I’m aiming for.”
The Byrnes senior linebacker — who received his first college offer from Lenoir-Rhyne in May — is heading into his final year with Byrnes with high expectations. Not just for himself, but for the Rebels as a whole.
Folks around the state seem to feel the same way, ranking Byrnes No. 3 in Class 5-A to begin the season.
“We’ve been getting a lot of hype, and that’s good,” said Moss. “But we know that means there’s going to be a big target on our back. Every team that sees us is going to take us serious and give us their best shot.”
Moss, who contributed to the Byrnes defense fairly frequently at his linebacker position last season, likely won’t take many snaps off this year at all. He’s one of very few returners on the defensive side of the ball for Byrnes from last year’s dominant “Strike Force” unit.
He knows his time is now.
“At the end of my junior year, I knew I was up to the challenge to be the next up to help lead this defense,” said Moss. “I knew I was going to have to be that big voice and stand out. Last year, I feel like I played well and stood out, but there were so many other leaders and players within my group that I just pitched in when I needed to.”
"His leadership ability and the way his teammates rally behind him is special," said Byrnes outside linebackers coach Aaron Watson, Jr. "The kid works extremely hard on and off the football field, and we're excited about what he can bring to our defense."
Moss has football in his blood. His father, Jeremy, played under HC Stuart Holcombe at Greer. His brother, Julian Martin, Jr., played for the Rebels in the late 2010s.
It's Wyquial's turn now, as he will headline a linebacker group at Byrnes that has consistently been excellent for the Rebels. Some of the most recent standouts to come through include James Oates, Shayne Dixon, and Tyler Clark.
Moss has made sure to stay in touch with the guys who came before him as he prepares to take on a bigger role.
“Shayne, Tyler, James, all those guys, I’ll ask them questions and talk to them,” said Moss. “And James Oates specifically, man, he’s playing at Gardner-Webb now, but I still talk to him constantly. I send him my game film and get advice from him on what I could do better, because when he was here, he was amazing. He averaged somewhere over 10 tackles a game.
“I look up to those guys who came before me.”
It’s been a journey for Moss, who’s waited patiently to have his chance to fully shine under the Nixon Field lights. But his patience has paid off. In four days, he’ll be out there for the Rebels with a chance to add his name to a long list of LB standouts at Byrnes.
Moss just had to stay focused on his own path.
“It’s a long journey. You can’t focus on anyone else’s journey or path or what they’ve got going on; that’s just not the way to go,” said Moss. “I’ve just stayed down and stayed focused. My name hasn’t always been brought up in conversations or in the papers, and that’s okay.
“I just keep going and keep striving for greatness. Even though people may not know your name or what you can do now, that chance to shine will come later on.”
Moss is No. 5 of 10 of GreerNews.com's Preseason Football Player Profile series. For more coverage of Greer-area athletics, follow @GreerNewsSports on X and GreerNews.com - Sports on Facebook.
