'A lot of people want to be Gamecocks'
August 13, 2014
South Carolina football already has commitments for most of its 2015 signing class which is currently ranked in the top-five in the nation, as high as second, by recruiting services.
The Gamecocks have drawn verbal commitments early this year with a larger class than usual at this point in the recruiting cycle. Co-offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator Steve Spurrier, Jr. said he is pleased, but not surprised by the number of players that want to come to South Carolina.
"If you look at what we've done, what our program has done, what we've done academically and keeping players out of trouble, it's just a good place to be a football player and people know that," Spurrier, Jr. said. "You think about our home winning streak, think about winning 11 three years in a row, it's a good place to be.
"Another thing that we talk a lot about is last year we had a smaller class and we spent a lot of time two years ago identifying this class … we spent a lot of time on these guys evaluating them and recruiting the heck out of them and it's really coming together. I'm kind of curious to see what the final number is going to be, but a lot of people want to be Gamecocks," Spurrier, Jr. continued.
Spurrier, Jr. noted that he enjoys being able to sell the program to prospects and their families right now.
"A parent was asking me a lot of questions and I said, 'I like answering questions because we can answer them.' We've got a lot to sell here. It's a heck of a program and people want to be a part of it. It's kind of fun," Spurrier, Jr. commented.
The improvements to the football facilities that are scheduled are part of the sell according to Spurrier, Jr., but the benefits of the program are the biggest draw right now.
"What we've done on the field, what we've done in the classroom, what our players have done off the field make this a program that people want to be a part of," Spurrier, Jr. said. "Certainly as those things get developed, that indoor comes along and that new dorm which is really going to be nice, they will help. Obviously our Dodie Academic Center has paid a lot of dividends because we're always in there. (Associate AD/Academics and Student Development) Maria Hickman and her staff do a great job and we've just got a lot going for us right now."
When asked how he felt about this class being ranked with some of the traditional recruiting powers such Alabama and LSU, Spurrier, Jr. said he felt that is how it should be.
"We finished No. 4 in the country last year and we ought to recruit that way. We expect that," Spurrier, Jr. commented. "If we're going to be a top-10 team, if we're going to compete in the SEC, then we've got to recruit with them and there's a lot of great schools in this conference. We expect to be in the top-10, top-5.
"When we recruit a kid he better be offered by Georgia, Florida, Tennessee. That's the guys we're recruiting against. If we want to compete with those guys then we have to recruit with those guys. That's certainly where we expect to be," Spurrier, Jr. added.
As far as how the class has shaped up thus far, Spurrier, Jr. simply said, "we've got a little bit of everything, so this is as good a class right now as I can imagine having."
Link: http://www.spursandfeathers.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/Jronrecruiting
August 13, 2014
South Carolina football already has commitments for most of its 2015 signing class which is currently ranked in the top-five in the nation, as high as second, by recruiting services.
The Gamecocks have drawn verbal commitments early this year with a larger class than usual at this point in the recruiting cycle. Co-offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator Steve Spurrier, Jr. said he is pleased, but not surprised by the number of players that want to come to South Carolina.
"If you look at what we've done, what our program has done, what we've done academically and keeping players out of trouble, it's just a good place to be a football player and people know that," Spurrier, Jr. said. "You think about our home winning streak, think about winning 11 three years in a row, it's a good place to be.
"Another thing that we talk a lot about is last year we had a smaller class and we spent a lot of time two years ago identifying this class … we spent a lot of time on these guys evaluating them and recruiting the heck out of them and it's really coming together. I'm kind of curious to see what the final number is going to be, but a lot of people want to be Gamecocks," Spurrier, Jr. continued.
Spurrier, Jr. noted that he enjoys being able to sell the program to prospects and their families right now.
"A parent was asking me a lot of questions and I said, 'I like answering questions because we can answer them.' We've got a lot to sell here. It's a heck of a program and people want to be a part of it. It's kind of fun," Spurrier, Jr. commented.
The improvements to the football facilities that are scheduled are part of the sell according to Spurrier, Jr., but the benefits of the program are the biggest draw right now.
"What we've done on the field, what we've done in the classroom, what our players have done off the field make this a program that people want to be a part of," Spurrier, Jr. said. "Certainly as those things get developed, that indoor comes along and that new dorm which is really going to be nice, they will help. Obviously our Dodie Academic Center has paid a lot of dividends because we're always in there. (Associate AD/Academics and Student Development) Maria Hickman and her staff do a great job and we've just got a lot going for us right now."
When asked how he felt about this class being ranked with some of the traditional recruiting powers such Alabama and LSU, Spurrier, Jr. said he felt that is how it should be.
"We finished No. 4 in the country last year and we ought to recruit that way. We expect that," Spurrier, Jr. commented. "If we're going to be a top-10 team, if we're going to compete in the SEC, then we've got to recruit with them and there's a lot of great schools in this conference. We expect to be in the top-10, top-5.
"When we recruit a kid he better be offered by Georgia, Florida, Tennessee. That's the guys we're recruiting against. If we want to compete with those guys then we have to recruit with those guys. That's certainly where we expect to be," Spurrier, Jr. added.
As far as how the class has shaped up thus far, Spurrier, Jr. simply said, "we've got a little bit of everything, so this is as good a class right now as I can imagine having."
Link: http://www.spursandfeathers.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/Jronrecruiting
