Clemson QB Commit Kharim Hughley Nearly Leads Gainesville Past Illinois' No. 1 Team

The Gainesville senior throws a 68-yard touchdown on his first snap and scores twice on the ground in a 24-21 road loss to East St. Louis.

Gainesville (Georgia) senior quarterback and Clemson commit Kharim Hughley accounted for three touchdowns Friday against East St. Louis. | Nate Latsch

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Gainesville (Ga.) senior quarterback Kharim Hughley showed his impressive game-breaking ability on the first play from scrimmage Friday night at East St. Louis.

Hughley Starts Fast for the Red Elphants

A dual-threat 6-foot, 200-pounder who committed to Clemson back in the summer of 2025, Hughley took the snap, faked a handoff, dropped back and dropped a dime way down the field to a streaking Doyle Morrison behind the defense for a 68-yard touchdown.

If there was any question about what Hughley and the Red Elephants' offense were capable of going into the high-profile out-of-state matchup, those doubts were swiftly erased.

Hughley showed off his arm and his legs as he accounted for three touchdowns – two rushing and one passing – on Friday, but Gainesville came up short on its final possession as East St. Louis, the No. 1 team in the Illinois High School Top 25 rankings, held on for a 24-21 victory.

Gainesville (Ga.) senior quarterback and Clemson commit Kharim Hughley showed off his dual-threat ability with three touchdowns -- two rushing, one passing -- in a 24-21 loss to East St. Louis on Friday night. pic.twitter.com/bFPjjzPZvN

— Nate Latsch (@NateLatsch) September 5, 2026

Gainesville played without Alabama running back commit Nigel Newkirk for the second consecutive game and fell to 0-2. The Red Elephants, No. 15 in the Georgia High School Top 25 rankings, lost to top-ranked Buford (Ga.) in Week 2.

Hughley showed, however, that Gainesville will have a chance whenever he is behind center.

East St. Louis Surges in the Second Quarter

After the shifty quarterback's 2-yard touchdown run with 6 minutes 40 seconds remaining in the first half, East St. Louis (2-1) tied the score with a field goal and then went ahead 21-14 before halftime on Ronnie Gomiller's second touchdown reception from Reece Shanklin.

After a scoreless third quarter, the host Flyers added a third field goal from kicker Austin Wilkinson to increase the lead to 24-14 with 10:59 remaining.

Hughley tried to rally the Red Elephants.

Hughley scored on a 24-yard run with 10:39 remaining, his third touchdown of the night, to pull Gainesville within 24-21. The Red Elephants couldn't produce the tying or go-ahead points against an East St. Louis defense led by SEC commits Raheem Floyd (Florida) and Jabarri Lofton (Missouri).

Hughley had a pair of passes downfield dropped on Gainesville's final series before his long hail mary pass at the buzzer came up short and was intercepted by Floyd as the Flyers survived.

The Red Elephants will now try to get their first win of the season as they host McEachern (2-1) on Friday, Sept. 11. McEachern is coming off a 21-19 loss to Marietta on Friday night.