Recruiting
Based on the feedback from his official visit, plus some numbers situations at some other programs, I entered a Crystal Ball prediction of South Carolina for cornerback Rashad Fenton (Carol City, Fla.) today.
It’s more of a process of elimination type of deal combined with the feedback from his visit. Gamecocks area recruiter and secondary coach Grady Brown is expected to visit the 5-foot-11, 175-pound Fenton later this week.
Florida State has not issued a “committable” offer for Fenton and may not, based on what I am told. Florida has offered and is in it. Louisville gets the last visit and I am told they aren’t much of a factor heading in, but with lots of south Florida talent and former Miami receiver Lamar Thomas recruiting him, the Cards could emerge as a darkhorse this last week.
I think the Noles could still be the pick if they push late, but there’s not a lot out there saying that they will at present and South Carolina has done a good job with him.
He’d be a very good pick-up this late. Most successful college coaches and recruiters will tell you that if you need to pick up a defensive back this late in the process- head to the Miami area.
Coaching
It’s a fluid situation behind the scenes, but a number of signs are pointing toward Steve Spurrier adding Jon Hoke to the South Carolina defensive staff to lead the Gamecocks’ defense.
Keep in mind that no final decision has been made and it is up to Spurrier. All of this can literally change overnight and has several times.
At this point, we feel that Hoke will bring 2-3 new coaches in with him (that number could fluctuate), but that there will be an option for some on-field coaches to move into off-the-field roles within the program to satisfy the remainder of their contracts with USC.
There is a good chance there will at least be a coach added to coach the defensive line. Two names to look out for here are Chicago Bears defensive line coach and former Louisville and Miami assistant Clint Hurtt and current LSU defensive intern Brick Haley.
Of course, Hurtt has an NCAA “show cause” that expires in May because of some things that happened at Miami. What that means basically is there’s a zero-tolerance policy in place for the assistant in terms of secondary violations, etc. It is unknown if there will be an issue at South Carolina with hiring Hurtt because of that.
More on Haley below...
If Hoke is not the guy or lands another opportunity that’s a better fit, it looks like Ellis Johnson will be brought back to South Carolina to run the defense and fix things. Johnson coached with Haley at Mississippi State, so the connection there makes sense.
We also think its not out of the realm of possibility that Hoke and Johnson could both be on the staff. Johnson wants to return to Carolina and we are told he’s open to being a position coach and doesn’t necessarily have to run the whole show.
We are told Lorenzo Ward is retained with role to be determined.
Chicago Bears defensive quality control assistant Sean Desai is another name to watch in conjunction with South Carolina if Hoke is named. He can coach just about any position on the field, including special teams.
Regardless of any of the scenarios, it looks like the Gamecocks will upgrade their defensive staff- something that is needed if there is to be significant improvement given the additional player talent being added to the roster. Doing nothing was never an option.
Other things...
-Steve Spurrier and G.A. Mangus were supposed to have lunch with 2015 quarterback commit Lorenzo Nunez, then fly back to Columbia today.
-When fretting over offensive tackle, don’t forget that JUCO defensive lineman Ulric Jones is built like an offensive tackle (Jarriel King style). He’s going to get every opportunity on the defensive line first and foremost, but you can see he’s built to play on offense if the opportunity is greater.
-South Carolina feels good about its momentum in the Northeast for 2016 and overall feels like it has a chance to land another good class. It’s not going to be easy, but there’s a plan to combat some of the “retirement” talk that plagued the Gamecocks early in the offseason.
-Don’t expect huge numbers of high-level prospects for Saturday’s South Carolina Junior Day, but that annually is one of the most overrated things in a recruiting cycle (Junior Day attendance).
PERSONAL NOTE: This is a ways off, but I am pleased to announce that I will be returning to Columbia to live in July. I am glad to be heading home. My work in Nashville is complete and I can now perform my duties for 247Sports remotely. Obviously, you guys will be seeing a lot more of me on this site, around town, etc. Again, it's a few months down the road, but I am excited to be coming home.
Based on the feedback from his official visit, plus some numbers situations at some other programs, I entered a Crystal Ball prediction of South Carolina for cornerback Rashad Fenton (Carol City, Fla.) today.
It’s more of a process of elimination type of deal combined with the feedback from his visit. Gamecocks area recruiter and secondary coach Grady Brown is expected to visit the 5-foot-11, 175-pound Fenton later this week.
Florida State has not issued a “committable” offer for Fenton and may not, based on what I am told. Florida has offered and is in it. Louisville gets the last visit and I am told they aren’t much of a factor heading in, but with lots of south Florida talent and former Miami receiver Lamar Thomas recruiting him, the Cards could emerge as a darkhorse this last week.
I think the Noles could still be the pick if they push late, but there’s not a lot out there saying that they will at present and South Carolina has done a good job with him.
He’d be a very good pick-up this late. Most successful college coaches and recruiters will tell you that if you need to pick up a defensive back this late in the process- head to the Miami area.
Coaching
It’s a fluid situation behind the scenes, but a number of signs are pointing toward Steve Spurrier adding Jon Hoke to the South Carolina defensive staff to lead the Gamecocks’ defense.
Keep in mind that no final decision has been made and it is up to Spurrier. All of this can literally change overnight and has several times.
At this point, we feel that Hoke will bring 2-3 new coaches in with him (that number could fluctuate), but that there will be an option for some on-field coaches to move into off-the-field roles within the program to satisfy the remainder of their contracts with USC.
There is a good chance there will at least be a coach added to coach the defensive line. Two names to look out for here are Chicago Bears defensive line coach and former Louisville and Miami assistant Clint Hurtt and current LSU defensive intern Brick Haley.
Of course, Hurtt has an NCAA “show cause” that expires in May because of some things that happened at Miami. What that means basically is there’s a zero-tolerance policy in place for the assistant in terms of secondary violations, etc. It is unknown if there will be an issue at South Carolina with hiring Hurtt because of that.
More on Haley below...
If Hoke is not the guy or lands another opportunity that’s a better fit, it looks like Ellis Johnson will be brought back to South Carolina to run the defense and fix things. Johnson coached with Haley at Mississippi State, so the connection there makes sense.
We also think its not out of the realm of possibility that Hoke and Johnson could both be on the staff. Johnson wants to return to Carolina and we are told he’s open to being a position coach and doesn’t necessarily have to run the whole show.
We are told Lorenzo Ward is retained with role to be determined.
Chicago Bears defensive quality control assistant Sean Desai is another name to watch in conjunction with South Carolina if Hoke is named. He can coach just about any position on the field, including special teams.
Regardless of any of the scenarios, it looks like the Gamecocks will upgrade their defensive staff- something that is needed if there is to be significant improvement given the additional player talent being added to the roster. Doing nothing was never an option.
Other things...
-Steve Spurrier and G.A. Mangus were supposed to have lunch with 2015 quarterback commit Lorenzo Nunez, then fly back to Columbia today.
-When fretting over offensive tackle, don’t forget that JUCO defensive lineman Ulric Jones is built like an offensive tackle (Jarriel King style). He’s going to get every opportunity on the defensive line first and foremost, but you can see he’s built to play on offense if the opportunity is greater.
-South Carolina feels good about its momentum in the Northeast for 2016 and overall feels like it has a chance to land another good class. It’s not going to be easy, but there’s a plan to combat some of the “retirement” talk that plagued the Gamecocks early in the offseason.
-Don’t expect huge numbers of high-level prospects for Saturday’s South Carolina Junior Day, but that annually is one of the most overrated things in a recruiting cycle (Junior Day attendance).
PERSONAL NOTE: This is a ways off, but I am pleased to announce that I will be returning to Columbia to live in July. I am glad to be heading home. My work in Nashville is complete and I can now perform my duties for 247Sports remotely. Obviously, you guys will be seeing a lot more of me on this site, around town, etc. Again, it's a few months down the road, but I am excited to be coming home.