Projecting the Gamecocks’ 2017 recruiting class
Dec. 07, 2016
With about two months before National Signing Day, South Carolina’s 2017 class has 20 commitments.
SEC Country takes another look at that group and who else could end up with the Gamecocks on the first Wednesday in February:
Quarterbacks
Jay Urich remains firm with his commitment, but an offer to play at Tennessee remains in his back pocket. Time will tell if the 3-star prospect from Wren High School (Piedmont, S.C.) heads to Knoxville for an official visit, but it’s hard to see Urich backing away from his pledge to South Carolina.
Urich threw for 2,055 yards with 20 touchdowns and rushed for 1,036 yards and 15 scores.
Running backs
Kyshaun Bryan has been committed to South Carolina since April, but he’s left the door open for a handful of schools including Miami, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Michigan and UCLA.
The 3-star prospect from St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) has rushed 88 times for 632 yards and 7 touchdowns this season.
Assuming there’s no attrition, South Carolina will return six scholarship running backs in the 2017 season: Mon Denson, Rico Dowdle, C.J. Freeman, A.J. Turner, David Williams and Ty’Son Williams.
Chad Terrell is South Carolina’s most recent commitment.
Wide receivers
Four-star commitments OrTre Smith and Shi Smith were joined by Chad Terrell when the 3-star receiver from North Paulding High School (Dallas, Ga.) committed to the Gamecocksin November.
South Carolina’s 2017 WR group should be set with this trio of commitments on board.
The Gamecocks have parted ways with two 2017 WR commitments: Stephen Guidry and Shawn Smith. Neither has settled on a new landing spot.
Tight ends
Three-star tight end Will Register (Chapin, S.C.) has been committed to South Carolina since Steve Spurrier was running the show in Columbia.
Register is expected to be the lone tight end taken by the Gamecocks in 2017.
Offensive line
South Carolina’s 2017 OL haul still has three commitments: Summie Carlay, Dennis Daley and Eric Douglas.
Carlay, who is the No. 126-ranked offensive tackle, will enroll in January. He’s from Laurens, S.C., right up the road from Columbia. The mid-year enrollee took an official visit to South Carolina last weekend.
Originally from Ridge View High School in Columbia, Daley was placed at Georgia Military College. The No. 6 JUCO offensive tackle in the Class of 2017 is on track to enroll at South Carolina in the summer. Douglas, a 3-star prospect from Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte, N.C., is the No. 78-ranked offensive tackle in the country.
A handful of offensive linemen remain on the Gamecocks radar, including former commitment T.J. Moore, Douglas’ 4-star teammate. Moore is going to take an official visit to South Carolina in January, though he’s not expected to end up with the Gamecocks in February. A few weeks after de-committing from the Gamecocks, he took an unofficial visit for the Western Carolina game.
Three-star Jerry Drake Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) has taken official visits to South Carolina, Tennessee and Oklahoma.
Also a 3-star prospect, Jordan Rhodes of Creekside High School in Fairburn, Ga., will take an official visit to South Carolina in January. Missouri and Mississippi State are also in contact.
There’s no word yet whether 4-star Tony Gray (Loganville, Ga.) will take an official visit to South Carolina, though he visited unofficially for the Tennessee game. Earlier this month, he had Gamecocks offensive line coach Shawn Elliott over for an in-home visit.
It’s a similar story for North Carolina commitment Marcus McKethan, who took an unofficial visit to watch the Gamecocks play earlier this fall. There’s no word yet whether the 3-star prospect from Barnwell (S.C.) High School will take an official visit to South Carolina.
The Gamecocks missed out on 3-star K’Rojhn Calbert, who committed to in-state Tennessee last month after taking an official visit to South Carolina.
Defensive line
South Carolina was left with two DL commitments when Javon Kinlaw pulled the plug on his pledge. However, the Gamecocks are still in the mix for the JUCO placement from Jones County Junior College, by way of Goose Creek, S.C. He’ll take an official visit to South Carolina in January. Alabama, Texas A&M, Maryland and Southern Cal are also in the mix.
Four-star end M.J. Webb (Madison, Ga.) and 3-star end Tyreek Johnson (Sumter, S.C.) were among the commitments who took an official visit to South Carolina last weekend.
The Gamecocks continue to pursue a handful of defensive linemen including 3-star tackle Devonte Wyatt, who flipped from South Carolina to Georgia in the summer.
Romello Martin (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Aaron Sterling (Tucker, Ga.) and Tyrone Truesdell (Augusta, Ga.) are among the defensive linemen in the mix.
Linebackers
Pendleton (S.C.) High School 3-star prospect Brad Johnson profiles as a hybrid defensive end/linebacker, which means he probably would end up at South Carolina’s “Buck” position. South Carolina is scheduled to host him for an official visit in January. Tennessee and Virginia Tech are also in the picture.
Four 3-star linebackers are committed: Davonne Bowen, Sherrod Greene, Damani Staley and Eldridge Thompson.
Bowen, a defensive end at Woodmont High School in Piedmont, S.C., took his official visit last weekend. The No. 55-ranked outside linebacker in the country will play in the Shrine Bowl next week.
Greene will join him in the Shrine Bowl if Rocky Mount (N.C.) High School falls on Friday in the 3A state semifinals. He’s listed as the country’s No. 32 outside linebacker.
Staley, another Shrine Bowl selection, had 27 sacks for Ridge View High School (Columbia, S.C.) this season. He’s the No. 77-ranked outside linebacker in the nation.
Thompson, a JUCO prospect at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas, will enroll in January.
Jamyest Williams (left) and DeAngelo Gibbs (right) visited South Carolina for the Tennessee game.
Secondary
South Carolina is in hot pursuit of JUCO defensive backs Keisean Nixon and Kaleb Chalmers, both of whom took official visits to see the Gamecocks during the weekend of the Western Carolina game.
Nixon also has taken an official to Oregon State. His last one will be this weekend to Tennessee, which comes about a week after his offer from the Vols. Industry sentiment is that South Carolina remains as the front-runner.
Chalmers, a Clemson transfer who’s originally from Greenwood, S.C., is expected to take an official visit to Mississippi this weekend.
Naytron Culpepper, a 3-star recruit from Miami, already has taken an official visit to South Carolina. Four-star DeAngelo Gibbs, Jamyest Williams’ teammate at Grayson, took an unofficial to South Carolina for the Tennessee game.
Maryland, which hosted Culpepper for an official visit last weekend, could be the team to beat for Culpepper. Michigan State also is involved.
Late last month, South Carolina and 3-star cornerback Damarri Mathis had a parting of ways. Left behind in the 2017 haul of defensive backs were Zay Brown, Jaylin Dickerson, Tavyn Jackson, Hamsah Nasirildeen and Williams.
Nasirildeen and Williams have taken official visits to other schools. Nasirildeen, a safety from Concord, N.C., went to Florida State during the season. Williams, a cornerback from Loganville, Ga., is coming off an official to Oklahoma last weekend.
South Carolina remains in the driver’s seat for both.
Jackson is still on the Gamecocks commitment board, but he’s weighing other options: Maryland and Indiana. The 3-star prospect from Tallahassee, Fla., took an official visit to see the Terps last weekend.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if he follows the same path as Mathis and parts ways with the Gamecocks.
Dickerson, a 3-star safety from Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines, N.C., took an official visit to South Carolina last weekend. He’s set to enroll in January. Brown, the No. 103-ranked safety in the country, is a 3-star prospect from Clarke Central High School in Athens, Ga.
Dec. 07, 2016
With about two months before National Signing Day, South Carolina’s 2017 class has 20 commitments.
SEC Country takes another look at that group and who else could end up with the Gamecocks on the first Wednesday in February:
Quarterbacks
Jay Urich remains firm with his commitment, but an offer to play at Tennessee remains in his back pocket. Time will tell if the 3-star prospect from Wren High School (Piedmont, S.C.) heads to Knoxville for an official visit, but it’s hard to see Urich backing away from his pledge to South Carolina.
Urich threw for 2,055 yards with 20 touchdowns and rushed for 1,036 yards and 15 scores.
Running backs
Kyshaun Bryan has been committed to South Carolina since April, but he’s left the door open for a handful of schools including Miami, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Michigan and UCLA.
The 3-star prospect from St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) has rushed 88 times for 632 yards and 7 touchdowns this season.
Assuming there’s no attrition, South Carolina will return six scholarship running backs in the 2017 season: Mon Denson, Rico Dowdle, C.J. Freeman, A.J. Turner, David Williams and Ty’Son Williams.
Wide receivers
Four-star commitments OrTre Smith and Shi Smith were joined by Chad Terrell when the 3-star receiver from North Paulding High School (Dallas, Ga.) committed to the Gamecocksin November.
South Carolina’s 2017 WR group should be set with this trio of commitments on board.
The Gamecocks have parted ways with two 2017 WR commitments: Stephen Guidry and Shawn Smith. Neither has settled on a new landing spot.
Tight ends
Three-star tight end Will Register (Chapin, S.C.) has been committed to South Carolina since Steve Spurrier was running the show in Columbia.
Register is expected to be the lone tight end taken by the Gamecocks in 2017.
Offensive line
South Carolina’s 2017 OL haul still has three commitments: Summie Carlay, Dennis Daley and Eric Douglas.
Carlay, who is the No. 126-ranked offensive tackle, will enroll in January. He’s from Laurens, S.C., right up the road from Columbia. The mid-year enrollee took an official visit to South Carolina last weekend.
Originally from Ridge View High School in Columbia, Daley was placed at Georgia Military College. The No. 6 JUCO offensive tackle in the Class of 2017 is on track to enroll at South Carolina in the summer. Douglas, a 3-star prospect from Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte, N.C., is the No. 78-ranked offensive tackle in the country.
A handful of offensive linemen remain on the Gamecocks radar, including former commitment T.J. Moore, Douglas’ 4-star teammate. Moore is going to take an official visit to South Carolina in January, though he’s not expected to end up with the Gamecocks in February. A few weeks after de-committing from the Gamecocks, he took an unofficial visit for the Western Carolina game.
Three-star Jerry Drake Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) has taken official visits to South Carolina, Tennessee and Oklahoma.
Also a 3-star prospect, Jordan Rhodes of Creekside High School in Fairburn, Ga., will take an official visit to South Carolina in January. Missouri and Mississippi State are also in contact.
There’s no word yet whether 4-star Tony Gray (Loganville, Ga.) will take an official visit to South Carolina, though he visited unofficially for the Tennessee game. Earlier this month, he had Gamecocks offensive line coach Shawn Elliott over for an in-home visit.
It’s a similar story for North Carolina commitment Marcus McKethan, who took an unofficial visit to watch the Gamecocks play earlier this fall. There’s no word yet whether the 3-star prospect from Barnwell (S.C.) High School will take an official visit to South Carolina.
The Gamecocks missed out on 3-star K’Rojhn Calbert, who committed to in-state Tennessee last month after taking an official visit to South Carolina.
Defensive line
South Carolina was left with two DL commitments when Javon Kinlaw pulled the plug on his pledge. However, the Gamecocks are still in the mix for the JUCO placement from Jones County Junior College, by way of Goose Creek, S.C. He’ll take an official visit to South Carolina in January. Alabama, Texas A&M, Maryland and Southern Cal are also in the mix.
Four-star end M.J. Webb (Madison, Ga.) and 3-star end Tyreek Johnson (Sumter, S.C.) were among the commitments who took an official visit to South Carolina last weekend.
The Gamecocks continue to pursue a handful of defensive linemen including 3-star tackle Devonte Wyatt, who flipped from South Carolina to Georgia in the summer.
Romello Martin (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Aaron Sterling (Tucker, Ga.) and Tyrone Truesdell (Augusta, Ga.) are among the defensive linemen in the mix.
Linebackers
Pendleton (S.C.) High School 3-star prospect Brad Johnson profiles as a hybrid defensive end/linebacker, which means he probably would end up at South Carolina’s “Buck” position. South Carolina is scheduled to host him for an official visit in January. Tennessee and Virginia Tech are also in the picture.
Four 3-star linebackers are committed: Davonne Bowen, Sherrod Greene, Damani Staley and Eldridge Thompson.
Bowen, a defensive end at Woodmont High School in Piedmont, S.C., took his official visit last weekend. The No. 55-ranked outside linebacker in the country will play in the Shrine Bowl next week.
Greene will join him in the Shrine Bowl if Rocky Mount (N.C.) High School falls on Friday in the 3A state semifinals. He’s listed as the country’s No. 32 outside linebacker.
Staley, another Shrine Bowl selection, had 27 sacks for Ridge View High School (Columbia, S.C.) this season. He’s the No. 77-ranked outside linebacker in the nation.
Thompson, a JUCO prospect at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas, will enroll in January.
Secondary
South Carolina is in hot pursuit of JUCO defensive backs Keisean Nixon and Kaleb Chalmers, both of whom took official visits to see the Gamecocks during the weekend of the Western Carolina game.
Nixon also has taken an official to Oregon State. His last one will be this weekend to Tennessee, which comes about a week after his offer from the Vols. Industry sentiment is that South Carolina remains as the front-runner.
Chalmers, a Clemson transfer who’s originally from Greenwood, S.C., is expected to take an official visit to Mississippi this weekend.
Naytron Culpepper, a 3-star recruit from Miami, already has taken an official visit to South Carolina. Four-star DeAngelo Gibbs, Jamyest Williams’ teammate at Grayson, took an unofficial to South Carolina for the Tennessee game.
Maryland, which hosted Culpepper for an official visit last weekend, could be the team to beat for Culpepper. Michigan State also is involved.
Late last month, South Carolina and 3-star cornerback Damarri Mathis had a parting of ways. Left behind in the 2017 haul of defensive backs were Zay Brown, Jaylin Dickerson, Tavyn Jackson, Hamsah Nasirildeen and Williams.
Nasirildeen and Williams have taken official visits to other schools. Nasirildeen, a safety from Concord, N.C., went to Florida State during the season. Williams, a cornerback from Loganville, Ga., is coming off an official to Oklahoma last weekend.
South Carolina remains in the driver’s seat for both.
Jackson is still on the Gamecocks commitment board, but he’s weighing other options: Maryland and Indiana. The 3-star prospect from Tallahassee, Fla., took an official visit to see the Terps last weekend.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if he follows the same path as Mathis and parts ways with the Gamecocks.
Dickerson, a 3-star safety from Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines, N.C., took an official visit to South Carolina last weekend. He’s set to enroll in January. Brown, the No. 103-ranked safety in the country, is a 3-star prospect from Clarke Central High School in Athens, Ga.