[COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]COLUMBIA — Will Muschamp wants to win back the Palmetto State in recruiting. In his quest to rebuild the South Carolina football program, the Gamecocks head coach will have to win his share of battles beyond the border as well.[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]That’s the opinion of a pair of recruiting analysts, given the traditional lack of recruiting depth in South Carolina. While the state has produced top-flight players like Jadeveon Clowney and Marcus Lattimore, it doesn’t produce enough of them, and programs have to fill out their rosters by looking elsewhere — a tactic Clemson used to build a team that reached the national championship game.[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]South Carolina wasn’t as effective in that area in the final seasons under former head coach Steve Spurrier, a trend Muschamp will try to reverse beginning Wednesday, his first National Signing Day with the Gamecocks.[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]“Where Clemson I think has exceeded expectations and done a better job than South Carolina to this point is, they’ve been able to fulfill those needs from other states. So they’ve gone to Georgia and gotten Deshaun Watson. They’ve gone to Florida and gotten Sammy Watkins and Mackensie Alexander. Stephone Anthony goes from North Carolina to Clemson. South Carolina has struggled to do that,” said Tom Luginbill, national recruiting director for ESPN.[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]“If you look at those really good teams Steve Spurrier had, look at where all those top-echelon players were all from. Stephon Gilmore, Devonte Holloman, Jadeveon Clowney, Marcus Lattimore, Alshon Jeffery — all in-state kids that chose to go to South Carolina. So Will Muschamp not only has to win the state versus Clemson, which is hot right now, he’s got to come up with answers in other states, in other backyards, if he’s unable to fill a need that’s not in his immediate state.”[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]While USC under Spurrier effectively mined the Atlanta area to augment its in-state recruiting, the Gamecocks’ best seasons coincided with years when the Palmetto State produced some of its best talent in recent memory. When that talent leveled off, South Carolina’s fortunes did as well. The end result was a depleted roster riddled with current and former walk-ons, and the Gamecocks’ worst record in 16 years.[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]“The state of South Carolina cannot sustain a program to win a national championship,” said Mike Farrell, national recruiting director at Rivals. “They have to go into Georgia, have to go into Florida, have to go into North Carolina and other places. And they have less of a margin for error than, say, Florida State. If (the Seminoles) whiff on 10 guys in a class, well, they’re going to get 24 studs the next year, so they can recover. South Carolina definitely does not have that advantage.”[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]While Muschamp’s priority is winning recruiting battles in his backyard, he’s open to crossing the border. The Gamecocks’ general recruiting ground, he said, should be a five-hour drive from Columbia, which allows a player’s parents to see their son play. His prospective first signing class at USC includes five players from Georgia and four from North Carolina.[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]But none from Charlotte, continuing a curious trend at South Carolina, which recruits very heavily in the Rock Hill area but rarely signs players from across the border. The Gamecocks’ roster this past season included just one player from Charlotte, reserve nickel back Larenz Bryant.[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]Farrell said Florida State, Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech have enjoyed recruiting successes in Charlotte, a city of 800,000 which sustains North Carolina’s roster — 18 members of last season’s Tar Heels squad hailed from the Queen City, quarterback Marquise Williams among them. South Carolina has a strong Gamecock Club presence in the city, where many banking executives are graduates of USC’s school of business.[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]So why haven’t the Gamecocks hit it harder? “I don’t know. Spurrier is not a guy who micromanages recruiting. ... Perhaps he just relied too much on the judgment of his assistants. Because there’s no reason to go into northern South Carolina, and not go an hour north to Charlotte. It makes zero sense whatsoever,” Farrell said.[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]“Over the last 10 years, it’s one of the three or four East Coast talent areas that have risen the most when it comes to top talent. I’d say northern Virginia is in there, as well as Atlanta. I just don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t hammer that, because it’s close to home. South Carolina for a while was a better option than any of the in-state schools, and they probably could have had quite a bit of success there.”[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]Perhaps things will be different under Muschamp, who’ll need all the help he can find. Leading up to National Signing Day, Rivals had USC’s prospective class ranked 34th nationally, and 10th in the SEC.[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]“That was a horrible football team we saw this year. Recruiting’s been down for the last three years,” Farrell said. “The roster is not loaded with talent whatsoever, and they are probably sixth or seventh choice in the southeast right now, if that.”[/COLOR]http://www.postandco.../160209962/1032