Recruiting class retrospective: A look back at South Carolina’s 2010 class
July 26. 2016
We take a look at the careers of the players in those classes and provide a simple grading scale on their stock: up, even or down. First up: The impressive 2010 recruiting class.
RB Marcus Lattimore
The Skinny: Lattimore came in with all the hype in the world, a 5-star running back and the top in-state recruit coming to play at USC. He lived up to the billing immediately, earning All-American honors as a true freshman while also winning national freshman of the year, SEC Freshman of the Year and being honored as All-SEC. He rushed for 1,197 yards and 17 touchdowns on 249 carries as a freshman, but that was the best season for Lattimore. Back-to-back seasons with knee injuries derailed what surely would have been a stellar NFL career before it got started.
Stock: Up
OL A.J. Cann
The Skinny: Cann was a highly recruited in-state prospect who, like Lattimore, came in and lived up to the expectations. After a redshirt year, he became a staple of the USC offensive line, starting at left guard for the next four years. He made 51 starts in his career, missing just one, and earning All-American honors as a senior before being drafted in the third round by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Stock: Up
CB Victor Hampton
The Skinny: A four-star cornerbacks from Darlington, S.C., Hampton earned a starting spot in his third year on campus as a redshirt sophomore. His best season was as a junior, as he was named second-team All-SEC by the Associated Press. He jumped to the NFL after that promising season, but went undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Stock: Even
QB Connor Shaw
The Skinny: Shaw was a difference-maker early at South Carolina backing up Stephen Garcia as a true freshman before taking the starting spot as a sophomore. In the next three years, Shaw quarterbacked three straight 11-win teams and left as the winningest quarterback in program history. He won three bowl games with those teams, all of which finished in the top 10. He went undrafted, signing with the Cleveland Browns. He recently signed with the Chicago Bears.
Stock: Up
LB Qua Gilchrist
The Skinny: Gilchrist came to Columbia after two seasons at Butler County (Kan.) Community College following a nice year as a linebacker. His career never really took off at USC, as he spent two years playing in just six games total before moving to fullback for the 2012 season. He played in 12 games then, getting one start.
Stock: Down
WR Ace Sanders
The Skinny: The speedy wide receiver from Florida brought electric playmaking to the Gamecocks offense and did so right away. He played as a freshman, earning a spot on the freshman All-SEC team. He had three dynamic seasons both as a wide receiver and return man before leaving early for the NFL, becoming a fourth-round pick by the Jaguars.
Stock: Up
LB Brandon Golson
The Skinny: Golson never made it to South Carolina, as he did not qualify and headed instead to the Georgia Military Academy. From there, he went to West Virginia — though an arrest almost derailed his journey. He played in 20 games in two seasons for the Mountaineers.
Stock: Down
OL Du’Von Millsap
The Skinny: Millsap did not qualify and went to junior college.
Stock: Down
OL Tramell Williams
The Skinny: Williams redshirted then left the program, with TheState.com reporting he would play at Alabama State.
Stock: Down
CB Cadarious Sanders
The Skinny: After redshirting a year and serving backup duty as a redshirt freshman, Sanders transferred to Murray State for the rest of his playing days.
Stock: Down
WR Nick Jones
The Skinny: Coming from the same high school as Lattimore, Jones steadily worked his way into being a key player for USC. He had 12 catches in both his redshirt freshman and sophomore seasons before bouncing up to 27 as a junior then 42 as a senior, with 5 touchdowns in each of the latter two seasons. He went to Cleveland as an undrafted free agent.
Stock: Up
OL Cody Gibson
The Skinny: Gibson had some injury issues that hampered his career, both as a true freshman and as a junior. His biggest season on the offensive line came in 2012, when he started a pair of games. He moved to tight end as a senior, making five starts and playing in every game.
Stock: Even
OL Ronald Patrick
The Skinny: Patrick played in his first season with the Gamecocks, but took a couple years to take on a bigger role. He started 24 games in his final two seasons at right guard, consistently earning SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.
Stock: Even
DT J.T. Surratt
The Skinny: Surratt rose through the ranks from reserve duty to starter and captain as a senior. He started every game as a junior and missed only the bowl game in the 2014 season as a fifth-year senior.
Stock: Even
S Sharrod Golightly
The Skinny: Golightly had a similar path to Surratt, but with even more success. The SPUR hybrid linebacker/safety was named second-team All-SEC as a junior and was a captain as a senior, playing a key role on the defense in both of those seasons.
Stock: Up
OT Corey Robinson
The Skinny: Robinson flip-flopped between offensive and defensive lines early in his career, but settled in on the offensive side as a redshirt sophomore. He started 35 games at left tackle from 2012-14. He was picked by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Stock: Up
QB Dylan Thompson
The Skinny: It’s not often you wind up hitting with two quarterbacks in a single class, but USC did in 2010. Thompson had to wait his turn behind Shaw for the first four years of his career before being the starter in his final season. In that, he completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for 3,564 yards and 26 touchdowns. He spent a year with the San Francisco 49ers and is now with the Los Angeles Rams.
Stock: Even
WR Javon Bell
The Skinny: Bell signed with USC out of high school, but never made it to campus. He went to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College before going to Texas Tech. He played in four games with the Red Raiders before academic issues ended his stint with them.
Stock: Down
DT Byron Jerideau
The Skinny: Two years at Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College led Jerideau to the Gamecocks. He was a starter as a senior after spending two years as a backup. He spent a year with the San Diego Chargers. Now, he’s a strength coach at Appalachian State.
Stock: Even
P Patrick Fish
The Skinny: His contributions on the field as a punter were minimal, but he earned fame for being the holder paired with Elliott Fry – “Fish-Fry.”
Stock: Down
DE Corey Simmons
The Skinny: Simmons moved to tight end once he finished his redshirt year in 2012. He played sparingly from there and transferred to Northwestern State, where he had a nice FCS career in his final two seasons.
Stock: Down
2010 recruiting class
The Skinny: This class was one of the best for South Carolina, having stars in Lattimore, Shaw and Cann, while plenty of starters developed from it as well, like Sanders, Jones, Robinson and so on.
The class went on to be key in some of the best seasons in USC history from 2011-13.
It was only ranked No. 26 in the nation by the 247Sports Composite, a ranking which it surely outperformed.
SECCOUNTRY
July 26. 2016
We take a look at the careers of the players in those classes and provide a simple grading scale on their stock: up, even or down. First up: The impressive 2010 recruiting class.
RB Marcus Lattimore
The Skinny: Lattimore came in with all the hype in the world, a 5-star running back and the top in-state recruit coming to play at USC. He lived up to the billing immediately, earning All-American honors as a true freshman while also winning national freshman of the year, SEC Freshman of the Year and being honored as All-SEC. He rushed for 1,197 yards and 17 touchdowns on 249 carries as a freshman, but that was the best season for Lattimore. Back-to-back seasons with knee injuries derailed what surely would have been a stellar NFL career before it got started.
Stock: Up
OL A.J. Cann
The Skinny: Cann was a highly recruited in-state prospect who, like Lattimore, came in and lived up to the expectations. After a redshirt year, he became a staple of the USC offensive line, starting at left guard for the next four years. He made 51 starts in his career, missing just one, and earning All-American honors as a senior before being drafted in the third round by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Stock: Up
CB Victor Hampton
The Skinny: A four-star cornerbacks from Darlington, S.C., Hampton earned a starting spot in his third year on campus as a redshirt sophomore. His best season was as a junior, as he was named second-team All-SEC by the Associated Press. He jumped to the NFL after that promising season, but went undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Stock: Even
QB Connor Shaw
The Skinny: Shaw was a difference-maker early at South Carolina backing up Stephen Garcia as a true freshman before taking the starting spot as a sophomore. In the next three years, Shaw quarterbacked three straight 11-win teams and left as the winningest quarterback in program history. He won three bowl games with those teams, all of which finished in the top 10. He went undrafted, signing with the Cleveland Browns. He recently signed with the Chicago Bears.
Stock: Up
LB Qua Gilchrist
The Skinny: Gilchrist came to Columbia after two seasons at Butler County (Kan.) Community College following a nice year as a linebacker. His career never really took off at USC, as he spent two years playing in just six games total before moving to fullback for the 2012 season. He played in 12 games then, getting one start.
Stock: Down
WR Ace Sanders
The Skinny: The speedy wide receiver from Florida brought electric playmaking to the Gamecocks offense and did so right away. He played as a freshman, earning a spot on the freshman All-SEC team. He had three dynamic seasons both as a wide receiver and return man before leaving early for the NFL, becoming a fourth-round pick by the Jaguars.
Stock: Up
LB Brandon Golson
The Skinny: Golson never made it to South Carolina, as he did not qualify and headed instead to the Georgia Military Academy. From there, he went to West Virginia — though an arrest almost derailed his journey. He played in 20 games in two seasons for the Mountaineers.
Stock: Down
OL Du’Von Millsap
The Skinny: Millsap did not qualify and went to junior college.
Stock: Down
OL Tramell Williams
The Skinny: Williams redshirted then left the program, with TheState.com reporting he would play at Alabama State.
Stock: Down
CB Cadarious Sanders
The Skinny: After redshirting a year and serving backup duty as a redshirt freshman, Sanders transferred to Murray State for the rest of his playing days.
Stock: Down
WR Nick Jones
The Skinny: Coming from the same high school as Lattimore, Jones steadily worked his way into being a key player for USC. He had 12 catches in both his redshirt freshman and sophomore seasons before bouncing up to 27 as a junior then 42 as a senior, with 5 touchdowns in each of the latter two seasons. He went to Cleveland as an undrafted free agent.
Stock: Up
OL Cody Gibson
The Skinny: Gibson had some injury issues that hampered his career, both as a true freshman and as a junior. His biggest season on the offensive line came in 2012, when he started a pair of games. He moved to tight end as a senior, making five starts and playing in every game.
Stock: Even
OL Ronald Patrick
The Skinny: Patrick played in his first season with the Gamecocks, but took a couple years to take on a bigger role. He started 24 games in his final two seasons at right guard, consistently earning SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.
Stock: Even
DT J.T. Surratt
The Skinny: Surratt rose through the ranks from reserve duty to starter and captain as a senior. He started every game as a junior and missed only the bowl game in the 2014 season as a fifth-year senior.
Stock: Even
S Sharrod Golightly
The Skinny: Golightly had a similar path to Surratt, but with even more success. The SPUR hybrid linebacker/safety was named second-team All-SEC as a junior and was a captain as a senior, playing a key role on the defense in both of those seasons.
Stock: Up
OT Corey Robinson
The Skinny: Robinson flip-flopped between offensive and defensive lines early in his career, but settled in on the offensive side as a redshirt sophomore. He started 35 games at left tackle from 2012-14. He was picked by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Stock: Up
QB Dylan Thompson
The Skinny: It’s not often you wind up hitting with two quarterbacks in a single class, but USC did in 2010. Thompson had to wait his turn behind Shaw for the first four years of his career before being the starter in his final season. In that, he completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for 3,564 yards and 26 touchdowns. He spent a year with the San Francisco 49ers and is now with the Los Angeles Rams.
Stock: Even
WR Javon Bell
The Skinny: Bell signed with USC out of high school, but never made it to campus. He went to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College before going to Texas Tech. He played in four games with the Red Raiders before academic issues ended his stint with them.
Stock: Down
DT Byron Jerideau
The Skinny: Two years at Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College led Jerideau to the Gamecocks. He was a starter as a senior after spending two years as a backup. He spent a year with the San Diego Chargers. Now, he’s a strength coach at Appalachian State.
Stock: Even
P Patrick Fish
The Skinny: His contributions on the field as a punter were minimal, but he earned fame for being the holder paired with Elliott Fry – “Fish-Fry.”
Stock: Down
DE Corey Simmons
The Skinny: Simmons moved to tight end once he finished his redshirt year in 2012. He played sparingly from there and transferred to Northwestern State, where he had a nice FCS career in his final two seasons.
Stock: Down
2010 recruiting class
The Skinny: This class was one of the best for South Carolina, having stars in Lattimore, Shaw and Cann, while plenty of starters developed from it as well, like Sanders, Jones, Robinson and so on.
The class went on to be key in some of the best seasons in USC history from 2011-13.
It was only ranked No. 26 in the nation by the 247Sports Composite, a ranking which it surely outperformed.
SECCOUNTRY