News, notes and observations from The Opening, Elite 11
April 16, 2018
MINT HILL, N.C. — There were a handful of South Carolina recruiting notes to pass along from The Opening and Elite 11 stop outside of Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday.
The field of participants at this camp was lower than in years past, in part because this stop in the Charlotte area was only advertised an Elite 11 event.
Earlier this spring, 4-star athlete J.R. Walker visited South Carolina to check out the Gamecocks during practice.
“The practice was fast-paced. Everybody was moving around. Everybody was having fun. I got a chance to watch the safeties, to see how they work the drills, how they move and stuff like that,” Walker said. “That was pretty good.”
The Gamecocks, like most everyone else, have offered Walker as a defensive back. Some like him at cornerback. One program wants him to play wide receiver.
Walker wants to play defensive back.
“I’d rather hit than get hit,” he said.
Future war daddies?
There were a few other position players in attendance, including three of the top 2020 defensive linemen from the state of South Carolina — all of whom are rated by 247Sports as some of the best prospects in the country.
The highest among that trio, Alex Huntley, is a tackle from Hammond School in Columbia. His teammate, 2020 quarterback Jackson Muschamp, was also at the camp on Sunday.
Muschamp’s dad was there, too.
On the 247Sports ranking sheet, Huntley (6-4, 295) checks in ahead of fellow ends Tonka Hemingway of Conway and Demonte Capehart of Hartsville, and it was Huntley who appeared to be the best of the three on Sunday.
But all of the 4-star prospects won multiple reps during 1-on-1 work against offensive linemen. Huntley and Hemingway have already been offered by the Gamecocks.
Elite 11 observations
While watching the quarterbacks throw against air, the younger Muschamp worked in line next to Luke Doty, a 2020 prospect from Myrtle Beach, S.C., who lists an offer from the Gamecocks.
Both zipped some nice, crisp passes through fairly windy conditions. Doty (6-2, 189) tested well during the combine portionof the camp, posting numbers that were all in the 90th percentile. There’s no word yet on Muschamp’s combine figures, but it’s pretty clear that he has the tools to be a productive quarterback for Hammond School, where he’s coached by former South Carolina quarterback Erik Kimrey.
April 16, 2018
MINT HILL, N.C. — There were a handful of South Carolina recruiting notes to pass along from The Opening and Elite 11 stop outside of Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday.
The field of participants at this camp was lower than in years past, in part because this stop in the Charlotte area was only advertised an Elite 11 event.
Earlier this spring, 4-star athlete J.R. Walker visited South Carolina to check out the Gamecocks during practice.
“The practice was fast-paced. Everybody was moving around. Everybody was having fun. I got a chance to watch the safeties, to see how they work the drills, how they move and stuff like that,” Walker said. “That was pretty good.”
The Gamecocks, like most everyone else, have offered Walker as a defensive back. Some like him at cornerback. One program wants him to play wide receiver.
Walker wants to play defensive back.
“I’d rather hit than get hit,” he said.
Future war daddies?
There were a few other position players in attendance, including three of the top 2020 defensive linemen from the state of South Carolina — all of whom are rated by 247Sports as some of the best prospects in the country.
The highest among that trio, Alex Huntley, is a tackle from Hammond School in Columbia. His teammate, 2020 quarterback Jackson Muschamp, was also at the camp on Sunday.
Muschamp’s dad was there, too.
On the 247Sports ranking sheet, Huntley (6-4, 295) checks in ahead of fellow ends Tonka Hemingway of Conway and Demonte Capehart of Hartsville, and it was Huntley who appeared to be the best of the three on Sunday.
But all of the 4-star prospects won multiple reps during 1-on-1 work against offensive linemen. Huntley and Hemingway have already been offered by the Gamecocks.
- From counter moves, to nice hand placement and quick first steps, Huntley won reps in a variety of ways. He also out-performed 2019 4-star prospects C.J. Clark (New London, N.C.) and Ben Smiley (Chesapeake, Va.).
- The top interior offensive lineman was 3-star prospect Jacob Monk, a 2019 center who considered an offer from South Carolina before committing to Duke.
- Most of the competitive work during the camp was spent near those guys, so there’s not too much to pass along from the skill positions.
Elite 11 observations
While watching the quarterbacks throw against air, the younger Muschamp worked in line next to Luke Doty, a 2020 prospect from Myrtle Beach, S.C., who lists an offer from the Gamecocks.
Both zipped some nice, crisp passes through fairly windy conditions. Doty (6-2, 189) tested well during the combine portionof the camp, posting numbers that were all in the 90th percentile. There’s no word yet on Muschamp’s combine figures, but it’s pretty clear that he has the tools to be a productive quarterback for Hammond School, where he’s coached by former South Carolina quarterback Erik Kimrey.
- Former Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd, an Elite 11 alumnus, worked as a counselor during the camp. Boyd was particularly impressed with 2019 3-star recruit Brendon Clark (Midlothian, Va.), who’s committed to Wake Forest. Boyd also mentioned 2019 3-star Davis Beville (Greenville, S.C.), a non-committed prospect with offers from Pittsburgh, Appalachian State, Cincinnati and Georgia State.
- Another quarterback of note, 2019 3-star prospect Garrett Shrader (Charlotte, N.C.), left about halfway through the camp. The Mississippi State commitment was once among the top South Carolina targets in 2019.
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