The Bowman brothers of Havelock, NC plan to take their athletic skills in different directions for college based on their commitment announcements made early Thursday morning. The older and more heralded of the pair, WR Michael Bowman (6-0 195) committed to USC for the 2015 class. His younger brother, WR Kyran Bowman, made his pledge to North Carolina for the 2017 class. He also plans to play basketball for the Tar Heels.
Michael Bowman is considered one of the top receiver prospects in the country. Last season he had 52 catches for 972 yards and 11 touchdowns. His decision came down to USC and NC State. The Gamecocks were the early leaders for him but State made up ground after he visited there last season. But ultimately he turned back to the Gamecocks.
"The coaches," Bowman said in explaining why he picked USC. "They made me feel like it's home. It's easy to make the decision because I've been there a lot and keeping in touch with coaches. Coach Adams and Coach Spurrier Jr. made me feel at home, feel like a son to them. And I like the spread offense they got."
Bowman also had offers from Penn State, North Carolina, East Carolina, Georgia Tech and Tennessee.
The Gamecocks have two players who hail from Havelock, offensive tackle Corey Robinson and receiver Pharoh Cooper. Bowman said he talked to Cooper a lot about USC and got positive reviews and he expects his two home town boys to have a positive influence. "No matter what they are going to push me harder," he said.
Bowman could play either outside receiver or in the slot at USC. He's the Gamecocks' fifth commitment for the 2015 class and the third receiver.
OL Shane Lemieux of Yakima, WA will visit USC this Friday and the Gamecocks are weighing heavily on his mind going into the visit. Lemieux spoke with recruiter and Gamecock offensive line coach Shawn Elliott Monday night. “He’s a great guy! We have a lot of similarities,” Lemieux said. “He’s pumped (about the visit).” Lemieux has visited Oregon, Washington and Washington State. He’s also planning to see East Carolina, NC State and possibly Georgia State on this visit. Lemieux is moving closer to a decision and this USC visit will go a long way toward a decision and a possible commitment. “I could if it is the place for me,” Lemieux said. “I really want to get it done and over with before spring football. I will know right after my visit if it is the place or not. But I think I would need to go home and have another visit with the Ducks.” USC and Oregon have been running as his top two. Lemieux’s father lives in Lancaster and will join his son on the visits.
QB Brandon Wimbush (6-2 205) of Jersey City, NJ projects as one of the top quarterback prospects in the country this season. He’s a dual threat as a passer and a runner. USC is one of his offers and Gamecock recruiter and quarterbacks coach GA Mangus is making a strong push. Wimbush plans to visit the Gamecocks and is excited about the opportunity USC offers. “They have a real exciting offense and I think I could fit in,” Wimbush said. “I’m looking at academics and opportunity for early playing time.” Wimbush also has offers from Miami, Penn State, Boston College, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Florida, LSU, Tennessee and others equaling about 20. He does not have favorites right now but plans to cut his list down to about 10 in the next couple of weeks and he wants to make his decision in June. Wimbush visited Miami recently with his teammate DB Minkah Fitzpatrick who also holds a USC offer. They may visit USC together and they’ve discussed going to the same school. Wimbush visited Boston College and Penn State last month and he also wants to visit Ohio State, Florida, Virginia Tech and LSU in the weeks ahead.
Former Greenwood and Shrine Bowl LB Da’Von Durant now attends Butler Junior College in Kansas where he helped the Grizzlies finish sixth nationally last season. He is on track to graduate in December and will have three years to play two. And it appears now he will spend those years at USC. Durant has offers from USC, Clemson, NC State and Ole Miss. He’s also drawing interest from LSU, Florida State, Georgia, Arkansas and Tennessee. But he was strong on the Gamecocks coming out of high school and that hasn’t changed. Durant talked on the phone last week with USC recruiter Kirk Botkin. “We’ve got a good relationship and we talk a lot,” Durant said. “He’s very interested and I’m very interested in them. I really like them a lot. I liked them coming out of high school and still feel that way. I’m leaning that way. It’s a good fit there. I don’t have a number two. Carolina is definitely at the top and everybody else is about the same.” Durant said Botkin is coming out to visit him after USC’s spring game. Durant said his academics look good and should have no problem finishing up in December and enrolling in January.
TE Garrett Williams of Orlando announced a final four from a list of nearly 30 offers which included USC. The Gamecocks did not make his final four of Clemson, Florida State, Auburn and Stanford.
Highly touted LB Roquan Smith of Montezuma, GA released his top 12 list and USC made the cut. Smith listed his 12, in no order, as USC, Clemson, Auburn, UCLA, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Miami and Alabama. Smith recently visited Tennessee.
OL Paris Palmer of Lackawanna JC, PA was offered last week by Miami. He also has offers from USC, East Carolina, Baylor, Penn State, Ohio State, Temple, Arizona State and South Florida. Palmer plans to visit USC Saturday while home on spring break.
DE Marquavius Lewis of Hutchinson JC, KS will not be taking any visits during his upcoming spring break. The Greenwood native plans to stay in Kansas and won’t venture out to campuses until the summer. USC is among his offers and he talked with Gamecock defensive line coach Deke Adams about a week ago. “He was telling me how he needs me on his defensive line,” Lewis said. Lewis has also talked recently with Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee. He’s planning to visit USC during the summer and may possibly visit Auburn and Alabama.
Marshall is the third school to offer WR Markeyvious Adams of Greenwood. NC State and Appalachian State are the other two. USC and Clemson have shown some interest in Adams though he is unsure where he stands with the two in-state programs. North Carolina, Duke, Louisville, Florida State, Tennessee and Georgia are other schools to have shown interest. Adams has been to junior days at Clemson and NC State and would like to attend junior days at USC and North Carolina.
OL Tommy Hatton of Montvale, NJ has 13 offers and wants more. USC is one of those that Hatton really wants. “I spoke with coach (Shawn) Elliott today, as a matter of fact,” Hatton said. “He is coming to see me work out sometime after April 15th and, hopefully, I’ll get an offer from them then.” After visiting USC last month, Hatton feels good about the Gamecocks. He was impressed with what he saw and said that USC had “a good feel.” Hatton does not have any favorites and is planning to narrow his list this summer. He continues to familiarize himself with several schools through his visits. He was at Boston College last weekend and is going to Penn State this weekend. He also has been to Maryland and Rutgers.
The latest to offer DE Austin Bryant (6-5 248) of Thomasville, GA is USC. “Coach (Kirk) Botkin has been telling me they want to get me up there for a visit. I like South Carolina. They have produced a lot of NFL defensive linemen and they have a really good defensive coaching staff.” Bryant would like to visit Columbia this spring. His other offers include Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Alabama, UCLA, Texas A&M, Florida, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, NC State, Kentucky, Penn State, Vanderbilt and Stanford. He does not have any favorites but is looking to narrow his list to ten this summer.
WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside of Dorman was a Clemson’s junior day and plans to visit USC in the near future. He hopes to add both schools to his offer sheet. “Both schools want to see my athleticism is person so I will definitely camp at Carolina and Clemson,” Arcega-Whiteside said. He just picked up offers from Wake Forest and James Madison. He also has offers from Elon and Appalachian State.
DL DJ Jones of East Mississippi JC, a former Wren standout, stopped by Clemson briefly recently while home on spring break. Jones has not picked up any new offers since he got one from Georgia. He also has offers from Clemson, USC, Alabama, Florida State, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Southern Cal, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Arkansas and LSU. Jones has not yet worked up a favorites list. “That’s going to come very soon but not right now,” he said. “By the end of Summer I’ll narrow the list down to five or six. Nobody is standing out.”
DB Kaleb Chalmers of Greenwood has offers from Clemson, USC, North Carolina, Duke, Stanford, Wake Forest, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern and Marshall. He might attend the Gamecocks’ junior day March 29th. Other than that he has no other visits planned. Chalmers says he remains wide open and has no favorites.
Alabama OL commitment Dallas Warmack of Atlanta attended Clemson’s junior day. Warmack has been committed to Alabama since last July and has held firm to the pledge while visiting other schools. He has also been to Auburn as well as Alabama. USC also is an offer for Warmack and he has said he will visit there, too.
Basketball News:
6-6 Shamiek Sheppard of Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, VA committed to USC last week Sheppard is a New York City native who signed with Towson with Towson in 2013. But after qualifying late, he decided to enroll at Fishburne to enhance his recruiting stock, and his coach said he had several other major programs interested in him. Sheppard made an official visit to USC in early February and the Gamecocks became the frontrunners at that point, and Huckaby said Martin was the primary reason for that. "He likes the values that Frank Martin stands for, just like I do," coach Ed Huckaby Jr. said. "How Frank coaches his team and his desire to win, but more importantly Shamiek really appreciates the discipline and the structure that Frank demands of his players and the accountability." Sheppard averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds per game this season and his coach says he's the type of player he could call on to fill a variety of roles. "His passion is just to win," he said. "If that requires some offensive output, he'll do that. The defensive end and glass, he'll do that. If it's to play point guard, he'll do that. He's a versatile player and that's something I tried to emphasize." Sheppard is very athletic and his coach said he gets his points in a variety of ways. "Mid-range, low block, transition, defensive steals, he'll hit a three very now and then. He's a guy that's going to fill the stats in a lot of areas. But more importantly he's use to winning." Sheppard becomes the third member of USC's 2014 class joining guards Marcus Stroman and Temarcus Blanton. He will sign during the spring signing period in April.
With his season complete, USC coach Frank Martin is hitting the recruiting trail seeking to add one more piece to his class of three for 2014. He was in New York Tuesday for a visit with 6-11 Adonis Delarosa, and Martin has a good chance at this point of landing the big man. “He’s going to visit there,” Delarosa’s coach Joe Arbitello said. “He focused on the state (tournament) right now but he’s very interested. Frank Martin has got him interested. He’s a really smart kid and he knows about every program (that’s recruiting him). Frank has been known to coach big New York City guys. He knows the mentality and he knows the game.” Delarosa has come on this season to become one of the better players available for the spring signing period. His coach said he will also visit Miami, Pittsburgh and Rutgers. He does not have a favorite and won’t determine one until after his visits. Delarosa led his team to a New York City championship earlier this month. He’s averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds per game this season. “His basketball IQ is off the chart,” Arbitello said. “He leads us in charges. He has great hands and feet and is a really good passer. And he has really good post up moves.”
Michael Bowman is considered one of the top receiver prospects in the country. Last season he had 52 catches for 972 yards and 11 touchdowns. His decision came down to USC and NC State. The Gamecocks were the early leaders for him but State made up ground after he visited there last season. But ultimately he turned back to the Gamecocks.
"The coaches," Bowman said in explaining why he picked USC. "They made me feel like it's home. It's easy to make the decision because I've been there a lot and keeping in touch with coaches. Coach Adams and Coach Spurrier Jr. made me feel at home, feel like a son to them. And I like the spread offense they got."
Bowman also had offers from Penn State, North Carolina, East Carolina, Georgia Tech and Tennessee.
The Gamecocks have two players who hail from Havelock, offensive tackle Corey Robinson and receiver Pharoh Cooper. Bowman said he talked to Cooper a lot about USC and got positive reviews and he expects his two home town boys to have a positive influence. "No matter what they are going to push me harder," he said.
Bowman could play either outside receiver or in the slot at USC. He's the Gamecocks' fifth commitment for the 2015 class and the third receiver.
OL Shane Lemieux of Yakima, WA will visit USC this Friday and the Gamecocks are weighing heavily on his mind going into the visit. Lemieux spoke with recruiter and Gamecock offensive line coach Shawn Elliott Monday night. “He’s a great guy! We have a lot of similarities,” Lemieux said. “He’s pumped (about the visit).” Lemieux has visited Oregon, Washington and Washington State. He’s also planning to see East Carolina, NC State and possibly Georgia State on this visit. Lemieux is moving closer to a decision and this USC visit will go a long way toward a decision and a possible commitment. “I could if it is the place for me,” Lemieux said. “I really want to get it done and over with before spring football. I will know right after my visit if it is the place or not. But I think I would need to go home and have another visit with the Ducks.” USC and Oregon have been running as his top two. Lemieux’s father lives in Lancaster and will join his son on the visits.
QB Brandon Wimbush (6-2 205) of Jersey City, NJ projects as one of the top quarterback prospects in the country this season. He’s a dual threat as a passer and a runner. USC is one of his offers and Gamecock recruiter and quarterbacks coach GA Mangus is making a strong push. Wimbush plans to visit the Gamecocks and is excited about the opportunity USC offers. “They have a real exciting offense and I think I could fit in,” Wimbush said. “I’m looking at academics and opportunity for early playing time.” Wimbush also has offers from Miami, Penn State, Boston College, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Florida, LSU, Tennessee and others equaling about 20. He does not have favorites right now but plans to cut his list down to about 10 in the next couple of weeks and he wants to make his decision in June. Wimbush visited Miami recently with his teammate DB Minkah Fitzpatrick who also holds a USC offer. They may visit USC together and they’ve discussed going to the same school. Wimbush visited Boston College and Penn State last month and he also wants to visit Ohio State, Florida, Virginia Tech and LSU in the weeks ahead.
Former Greenwood and Shrine Bowl LB Da’Von Durant now attends Butler Junior College in Kansas where he helped the Grizzlies finish sixth nationally last season. He is on track to graduate in December and will have three years to play two. And it appears now he will spend those years at USC. Durant has offers from USC, Clemson, NC State and Ole Miss. He’s also drawing interest from LSU, Florida State, Georgia, Arkansas and Tennessee. But he was strong on the Gamecocks coming out of high school and that hasn’t changed. Durant talked on the phone last week with USC recruiter Kirk Botkin. “We’ve got a good relationship and we talk a lot,” Durant said. “He’s very interested and I’m very interested in them. I really like them a lot. I liked them coming out of high school and still feel that way. I’m leaning that way. It’s a good fit there. I don’t have a number two. Carolina is definitely at the top and everybody else is about the same.” Durant said Botkin is coming out to visit him after USC’s spring game. Durant said his academics look good and should have no problem finishing up in December and enrolling in January.
TE Garrett Williams of Orlando announced a final four from a list of nearly 30 offers which included USC. The Gamecocks did not make his final four of Clemson, Florida State, Auburn and Stanford.
Highly touted LB Roquan Smith of Montezuma, GA released his top 12 list and USC made the cut. Smith listed his 12, in no order, as USC, Clemson, Auburn, UCLA, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Miami and Alabama. Smith recently visited Tennessee.
OL Paris Palmer of Lackawanna JC, PA was offered last week by Miami. He also has offers from USC, East Carolina, Baylor, Penn State, Ohio State, Temple, Arizona State and South Florida. Palmer plans to visit USC Saturday while home on spring break.
DE Marquavius Lewis of Hutchinson JC, KS will not be taking any visits during his upcoming spring break. The Greenwood native plans to stay in Kansas and won’t venture out to campuses until the summer. USC is among his offers and he talked with Gamecock defensive line coach Deke Adams about a week ago. “He was telling me how he needs me on his defensive line,” Lewis said. Lewis has also talked recently with Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee. He’s planning to visit USC during the summer and may possibly visit Auburn and Alabama.
Marshall is the third school to offer WR Markeyvious Adams of Greenwood. NC State and Appalachian State are the other two. USC and Clemson have shown some interest in Adams though he is unsure where he stands with the two in-state programs. North Carolina, Duke, Louisville, Florida State, Tennessee and Georgia are other schools to have shown interest. Adams has been to junior days at Clemson and NC State and would like to attend junior days at USC and North Carolina.
OL Tommy Hatton of Montvale, NJ has 13 offers and wants more. USC is one of those that Hatton really wants. “I spoke with coach (Shawn) Elliott today, as a matter of fact,” Hatton said. “He is coming to see me work out sometime after April 15th and, hopefully, I’ll get an offer from them then.” After visiting USC last month, Hatton feels good about the Gamecocks. He was impressed with what he saw and said that USC had “a good feel.” Hatton does not have any favorites and is planning to narrow his list this summer. He continues to familiarize himself with several schools through his visits. He was at Boston College last weekend and is going to Penn State this weekend. He also has been to Maryland and Rutgers.
The latest to offer DE Austin Bryant (6-5 248) of Thomasville, GA is USC. “Coach (Kirk) Botkin has been telling me they want to get me up there for a visit. I like South Carolina. They have produced a lot of NFL defensive linemen and they have a really good defensive coaching staff.” Bryant would like to visit Columbia this spring. His other offers include Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Alabama, UCLA, Texas A&M, Florida, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, NC State, Kentucky, Penn State, Vanderbilt and Stanford. He does not have any favorites but is looking to narrow his list to ten this summer.
WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside of Dorman was a Clemson’s junior day and plans to visit USC in the near future. He hopes to add both schools to his offer sheet. “Both schools want to see my athleticism is person so I will definitely camp at Carolina and Clemson,” Arcega-Whiteside said. He just picked up offers from Wake Forest and James Madison. He also has offers from Elon and Appalachian State.
DL DJ Jones of East Mississippi JC, a former Wren standout, stopped by Clemson briefly recently while home on spring break. Jones has not picked up any new offers since he got one from Georgia. He also has offers from Clemson, USC, Alabama, Florida State, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Southern Cal, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Arkansas and LSU. Jones has not yet worked up a favorites list. “That’s going to come very soon but not right now,” he said. “By the end of Summer I’ll narrow the list down to five or six. Nobody is standing out.”
DB Kaleb Chalmers of Greenwood has offers from Clemson, USC, North Carolina, Duke, Stanford, Wake Forest, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern and Marshall. He might attend the Gamecocks’ junior day March 29th. Other than that he has no other visits planned. Chalmers says he remains wide open and has no favorites.
Alabama OL commitment Dallas Warmack of Atlanta attended Clemson’s junior day. Warmack has been committed to Alabama since last July and has held firm to the pledge while visiting other schools. He has also been to Auburn as well as Alabama. USC also is an offer for Warmack and he has said he will visit there, too.
Basketball News:
6-6 Shamiek Sheppard of Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, VA committed to USC last week Sheppard is a New York City native who signed with Towson with Towson in 2013. But after qualifying late, he decided to enroll at Fishburne to enhance his recruiting stock, and his coach said he had several other major programs interested in him. Sheppard made an official visit to USC in early February and the Gamecocks became the frontrunners at that point, and Huckaby said Martin was the primary reason for that. "He likes the values that Frank Martin stands for, just like I do," coach Ed Huckaby Jr. said. "How Frank coaches his team and his desire to win, but more importantly Shamiek really appreciates the discipline and the structure that Frank demands of his players and the accountability." Sheppard averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds per game this season and his coach says he's the type of player he could call on to fill a variety of roles. "His passion is just to win," he said. "If that requires some offensive output, he'll do that. The defensive end and glass, he'll do that. If it's to play point guard, he'll do that. He's a versatile player and that's something I tried to emphasize." Sheppard is very athletic and his coach said he gets his points in a variety of ways. "Mid-range, low block, transition, defensive steals, he'll hit a three very now and then. He's a guy that's going to fill the stats in a lot of areas. But more importantly he's use to winning." Sheppard becomes the third member of USC's 2014 class joining guards Marcus Stroman and Temarcus Blanton. He will sign during the spring signing period in April.
With his season complete, USC coach Frank Martin is hitting the recruiting trail seeking to add one more piece to his class of three for 2014. He was in New York Tuesday for a visit with 6-11 Adonis Delarosa, and Martin has a good chance at this point of landing the big man. “He’s going to visit there,” Delarosa’s coach Joe Arbitello said. “He focused on the state (tournament) right now but he’s very interested. Frank Martin has got him interested. He’s a really smart kid and he knows about every program (that’s recruiting him). Frank has been known to coach big New York City guys. He knows the mentality and he knows the game.” Delarosa has come on this season to become one of the better players available for the spring signing period. His coach said he will also visit Miami, Pittsburgh and Rutgers. He does not have a favorite and won’t determine one until after his visits. Delarosa led his team to a New York City championship earlier this month. He’s averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds per game this season. “His basketball IQ is off the chart,” Arbitello said. “He leads us in charges. He has great hands and feet and is a really good passer. And he has really good post up moves.”