Biggest misses in 2015 class
Feb. 7, 2015
Every recruiting class is going to have misses but some hurt more than others. Sometimes losing a player hurts because he decommitted and went to another program. Other times, it’s just because he decided somewhere else would be a better fit. Since South Carolina had nine players decommit in this cycle, all of the biggest misses come from that designation.
Defensive back Mark Fields - While it’s true that Fields had the potential to be an elite cornerback at the college level, he would have come to South Carolina with the ability to make an immediate impact at the safety position. While he’s a different type of player, he could have followed the same career path as D.J. Swearinger - a versatile secondary player who could go where the team needed him most.
Swearinger was predominately a safety, but he played cornerback at times over the course of his career when the situation required. Both safety positions are wide open going into next year with the level of play being average at best in 2014. Fields would likely have been a top three safety on the team immediately and could have slid to cornerback when needed. Corner wasn’t a huge position of need in this class, but safety was, and losing Fields hurts.
How South Carolina made up for the miss: With safety being a glaring need and the Gamecocks needing someone with the ability to come in and play right away, defensive backs coach Grady Brown found a junior college player he liked, Toure Boyd. The three-star player in the 247Sports Composite but four-star by company ranking, Boyd should work his way into the mix quickly.
Defensive end Arden Key - While South Carolina signed enough defensive ends in the class to make up for the loss of Key, losing him certainly was one of the three biggest recruiting losses of the year. He’s an Under Armour All-American, who was impressive all week in practice and in the game, with elite pass-rushing ability. Pass rushers are a premium position at both the college and NFL level and while Key isn’t ready to be an every down defensive end as a freshman, he was ready to come in and get to the quarterback.
Another reason losing Key hurts is from a perception standpoint. The four-star end was all over the place as it related to South Carolina committing and decommitting twice. Even after backing off his pledge for a second time, Key still called the Gamecocks his leader only to silently commit to LSU on his visit and then reaffirm that pledge in an in-home less than a week before National Signing Day. Losing out on the talent hurt and being played for so long doesn’t help the school’s image too much.
How South Carolina made up for the miss: There wasn't much that South Carolina could do to replace Key, who gave the staff positive indications he'd be a Gamecock until five days before National Signing Day. Key would have been the cherry on the top of a great class of defensive linemen.
Offensive tackle Paris Palmer - Aside from defensive end, the biggest need in the 2015 class came at offensive tackle, which is exactly why position coach Shawn Elliott targeted Palmer, a junior college player who could enroll early. Elliott had Palmer in the Gamecock Showcase camp over the summer and felt sure that he would sign the player who committed in March 2014. Palmer, however, decided at the 11th hour to change course and sign with Penn State.
South Carolina did sign two offensive tackles in the class, but there are only two true tackles on campus - one a senior and the other a junior. Mike Matulis, if healthy, could figure in at tackle and there’s more than one guard, including D.J. Park, who will get a look at the position. But losing Palmer’s college-ready body and experience is the biggest loss the class suffered, and it doesn’t seem close.
How South Carolina made up for the miss: Elliott didn't have any other mid-year enrollee options, so that was out. He was able to flip Blake Camper from Rutgers, but he projects to be a redshirt. Perhaps four-star high school signee Christian Pellage can be an immediate impact player, but the Gamecocks didn't sign anyone who is sure to be college-ready.
Feb. 7, 2015
Every recruiting class is going to have misses but some hurt more than others. Sometimes losing a player hurts because he decommitted and went to another program. Other times, it’s just because he decided somewhere else would be a better fit. Since South Carolina had nine players decommit in this cycle, all of the biggest misses come from that designation.
Defensive back Mark Fields - While it’s true that Fields had the potential to be an elite cornerback at the college level, he would have come to South Carolina with the ability to make an immediate impact at the safety position. While he’s a different type of player, he could have followed the same career path as D.J. Swearinger - a versatile secondary player who could go where the team needed him most.
Swearinger was predominately a safety, but he played cornerback at times over the course of his career when the situation required. Both safety positions are wide open going into next year with the level of play being average at best in 2014. Fields would likely have been a top three safety on the team immediately and could have slid to cornerback when needed. Corner wasn’t a huge position of need in this class, but safety was, and losing Fields hurts.
How South Carolina made up for the miss: With safety being a glaring need and the Gamecocks needing someone with the ability to come in and play right away, defensive backs coach Grady Brown found a junior college player he liked, Toure Boyd. The three-star player in the 247Sports Composite but four-star by company ranking, Boyd should work his way into the mix quickly.
Defensive end Arden Key - While South Carolina signed enough defensive ends in the class to make up for the loss of Key, losing him certainly was one of the three biggest recruiting losses of the year. He’s an Under Armour All-American, who was impressive all week in practice and in the game, with elite pass-rushing ability. Pass rushers are a premium position at both the college and NFL level and while Key isn’t ready to be an every down defensive end as a freshman, he was ready to come in and get to the quarterback.
Another reason losing Key hurts is from a perception standpoint. The four-star end was all over the place as it related to South Carolina committing and decommitting twice. Even after backing off his pledge for a second time, Key still called the Gamecocks his leader only to silently commit to LSU on his visit and then reaffirm that pledge in an in-home less than a week before National Signing Day. Losing out on the talent hurt and being played for so long doesn’t help the school’s image too much.
How South Carolina made up for the miss: There wasn't much that South Carolina could do to replace Key, who gave the staff positive indications he'd be a Gamecock until five days before National Signing Day. Key would have been the cherry on the top of a great class of defensive linemen.
Offensive tackle Paris Palmer - Aside from defensive end, the biggest need in the 2015 class came at offensive tackle, which is exactly why position coach Shawn Elliott targeted Palmer, a junior college player who could enroll early. Elliott had Palmer in the Gamecock Showcase camp over the summer and felt sure that he would sign the player who committed in March 2014. Palmer, however, decided at the 11th hour to change course and sign with Penn State.
South Carolina did sign two offensive tackles in the class, but there are only two true tackles on campus - one a senior and the other a junior. Mike Matulis, if healthy, could figure in at tackle and there’s more than one guard, including D.J. Park, who will get a look at the position. But losing Palmer’s college-ready body and experience is the biggest loss the class suffered, and it doesn’t seem close.
How South Carolina made up for the miss: Elliott didn't have any other mid-year enrollee options, so that was out. He was able to flip Blake Camper from Rutgers, but he projects to be a redshirt. Perhaps four-star high school signee Christian Pellage can be an immediate impact player, but the Gamecocks didn't sign anyone who is sure to be college-ready.