McLeod got that “Welcome Home” feeling from Gamecocks, though he wasn’t target of tweet
SPORTSTALK / March 21, 2022
Camden DT Xzavier McLeod has been a frequent visitor to USC, and each visit seems better than the previous one. He was back on Saturday to watch some spring practice and visit with head coach Shane Beamer and defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey. McLeod said Beamer’s Saturday tweet revealing a commitment from a prospect was not for him. But there very well may be one for him in the future.“Me and my dad and my girlfriend, we just discussed (with Beamer) that when I come over there, I’m always welcomed home,” McLeod said. “Really good comfort level. They’re the home school and you’re always going to have your home school as a comfortable place. And I know the coaches well, like the back of my hand. We’re definitely very close. He (Beamer) said he’s going to recruit me hard until I commit to them or commit somewhere else. We chopped it up on how practice went, and we just kept talking.”
Practice gave McLeod a chance to watch the defensive front do their work with Lindsey barking instructions.
“I was glad to get to visit South Carolina again,” McLeod said. “I was watching Coach Lindsey teach his defensive linemen different drills. Most of the drills that he does we do in practice, so I’m real familiar with what they are doing.”
McLeod has USC in a high place in his recruiting, but a final decision on a commitment is still months away.
“I don’t know when I’m going to finalize things,” McLeod said. “I’m going to drop a top ten this summer. After that, I’m going to get close to committing somewhere around the early signing period in December.”
One team the Gamecocks don’t have to worry about in this recruiting battle is Clemson as McLeod said he has no contact with the Tigers. But he is planning to visit Ohio State during his spring break in April. If he can, he wants to visit Alabama March 26th and Auburn that same weekend. He also plans to visit Florida, and he will return to USC for the spring game April 16th.