DB Mark Fields Jr. (5-11 184) of Cornelius, NC committed to USC last Saturday while on campus for an unofficial visit to watch a spring practice. Fields made his commitment to Steve Spurrier and secondary coach Grady Brown while meeting with the pair in Spurrier’s office. “It’s close to home and it’s a good opportunity for me to come in and play and be a part of a great team,” Fields said. “Coach Brown’s coaching plays into my game. With his coaching I can accomplish a lot of things in taking my game to the next level. I like everything they do. Everything they do is what I’ve done in high school.” Fields, the son of former Panthers linebacker Mark Fields, is regarded as one of the top cornerback talents in the 2015 class. Last season he had 43 tackles with 3 interceptions. “My cover skills are real good,” Fields Jr. said. “I’m very physical and I like to use my physicality. And I’m good with my hands and feet.” Fields other offers included Clemson, Tennessee, NC State, Ohio State, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Alabama. He said he’s not sure if he will totally shut down his recruiting and not take any more visits. That’s something he said he had to discuss further with his mother.
WR Michael Bowman (6-0 195) of Havelock, NC committed to USC last Thursday, picking the Gamecocks over NC State. Bowman is considered one of the top receiver prospects in the country. Last season he had 52 catches for 972 yards and 11 touchdowns. 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 its home. It’s easy to make the decision because I’ve been there a lot and keeping in touch with coaches.” Bowman also had offers from Penn State, North Carolina, East Carolina, Georgia Tech and Tennessee. Bowman could play either outside receiver or in the slot at USC.
OL Paris Palmer of Lackawanna JC, PA announced a commitment to USC Sunday night on Twitter, one day after visiting with the Gamecocks. Beyond that, he said nothing about why he changed course and ended his recruiting earlier than planned with his pledge to the Gamecocks. Monday night, Palmer gave us exclusive insight into his rationale. “I just felt at home when I went there,” Palmer said. Me and (OL) coach Elliott have a real good relationship. We have a rapport because we connect so easily. I felt I matched up well with their whole coaching staff.” Palmer also pointed out the proximity to his home near Fayetteville, NC was another key reason for choosing the Gamecocks over the likes of Penn State and Ohio State. “It’s only a three hour drive so my mother can see me play and my family and friends,” he said. “To be able to play in front of my family and friends is something I wanted to do and that played a big part in the decision too.” Palmer had originally planned to hold off on a decision and take some more visits though he knew when he found the right place he would go ahead and nail down his decision. “When I was there, I didn’t feel the need to drag it on any longer,” Palmer said. “I looked at the situation at South Carolina, it was a win-win for me. I don’t see any negative for me committing to South Carolina. I love the fans, I’m used to the weather and the area, and my uncle lives out there. I didn’t feel the need to drag this on any longer. I let them know how I felt about the school and how I felt about the team and I wanted to commit right there.” Palmer left USC Saturday and returned to North Carolina and then went back to Lackawanna from where he called Elliott and later talked to Steve Spurrier and Steve Spurrier Jr. And the message Palmer got from Elliott was to come in to USC ready to play. “He wouldn’t be bringing me in if there wasn’t a chance for me to start right away,” said Palmer who has two years to play two after redshirting his first season at Lackawanna. They are going to give me the best opportunity to do that and I can’t wait to be a part of the Gamecock nation officially.” And Palmer said now that his commitment has been made, he is shutting down all of his recruiting activity. “I’m done. I’m 100% sure. I’m not decommitting at all. I’m only a Gamecock now.”
OL Shane Lemieux (6-6 295) of Yakima, WA made a return visit to USC Monday after first visiting on Friday and before leaving he made a commitment to the Gamecocks giving USC four new pledges for the 2015 class in less than a week. Lemieux said he’s completely sold on USC and his commitment is solid though he does want his mom to visit and give final approval. “It’s the place for me,” Lemieux said. “I am a Gamecock but I want my mom and stepdad and my little sister to come down. I’m sure they will love it. They’ve been to all the other visits. I want them to be there when I officially commit in another month or so.” Lemieux said he was impressed by what offensive line coach Shawn Elliott told him about the program and the SEC and the attention offensive linemen from the SEC receive from NFL scouts. And he’s looking forward to playing for Elliott. “I told him if I commit he has to bust my butt.” Lemieux also had Oregon high up on his list. His other offers included NC State, Miami, East Carolina, Cal, Boise State, Arizona State and Washington State. Lemieux is USC’s 8th commitment for the 2015 class.
DB Rashad Roundtree (6-1 195) of Evans, GA is one of the top safety prospects in the country and “can go anywhere he wants to,” according to his coach Jarrett Troxler. “But I believe he wants to play in the SEC. He’s a smart kid, a down to earth kid. He wants to take some visits and kind of get his bearings. He’ll be a guy who will wait until after his senior season.” Roundtree visited Georgia Saturday. He’s also been to Auburn and Duke. Roundtree was going to visit USC for one of their first spring practices but the weather issue nixed that. He plans to visit this spring but the date hasn’t been set. He’s also going to visit Clemson at some point. Roundtree is in regular contact with USC and Clemson recruiters. “He likes USC a lot,” Troxler said. “He’s talked to coach Spurrier a good bit on the phone. And he likes Clemson a lot. He’s talked to coach Venables and coach Morris and they’ve been actively recruiting him.” Troxler said he expects Roundtree to narrow his list to five by the start of his season and take all five of his official visits before he makes his decision, Right now Roundtree doesn’t have favorites.
ATH RayRay McCloud of Tampa has been to South Florida and Florida State for junior days and has visited Florida and Central Florida as well. USC has offered as well though he has not heard from the Gamecocks recently McCloud still feels that USC is interested and would like to visit Columbia. Miami is his next visit and he also plans to see Clemson. He does not have any favorites.
LSU is the latest to offer OL Zach Giella of Augusta. He will visit Baton Rouge April 5th for their spring game. Giella visited Auburn last week and is planning to visit Florida State soon. With more interest, Giella intends to take a look at each program. This, however, has not deterred his interest in USC. “I still hear from them almost every day,” he said. “They stay in contact with me and let me know how much they want me. I get a letter from them almost every day. Obviously, it’s a good program and it’s close to home.” Michigan is the most recent program to begin showing interest along with Stanford. His offers are from USC, LSU, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Duke and Missouri. He did not name any favorites.
DL Dexter Wideman of Saluda was one of USC’s top signees in February, and the Gamecocks signed him knowing he still had plenty of academic work to complete to be eligible for freshman eligibility. According to his coach, Wideman is closer to accomplishing that goal. “He’s progressed towards the ultimate goal of qualifying but nothing will be official until the summer,” Saluda coach Stewart Young said. “He may have to take some summer school classes to improve his GPA. He may have to do a couple of (class) do overs to help with the sliding scale.” Young said it could be as late as July before Wideman’s status for this season is determined. Young said if Wideman does not qualify, USC will place him at Georgia Military Junior College.
RB Traveon Samuel of Phenix City, AL hopes to get to USC for a spring practice visit within the next couple of weeks. Florida State is another school Samuel wants to see. His last visit was to Auburn which is very close to home. Though he has not heard from Clemson lately, Samuel says he remains interested in the Tigers. “If they ask me to come, I would love to go visit their school,” he said.
WR Van Jefferson (6-2 175) of Brentwood, TN has receiving in his genes. He’s the son of former NFL star receiver Shawn Jefferson who is now an assistant coach with the Tennessee Titans. The younger Jefferson is plowing his own trail now after a junior season of 87 catches for 1257 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has a dozen offers including USC. The others are Clemson, Penn State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Ohio State, Purdue, Ole Miss, Middle Tennessee State, Mississippi State and Georgia. At this point, Jefferson holds interest in the Gamecocks and wants to visit as soon as possible. Jefferson has visited Ohio State, Vanderbilt and Tennessee and he plans to take more visits before trimming his list. He wants to make his decision before the season.
TE Chris Clark of Avon, CT, who had USC in his final 10, committed to North Carolina
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Basketball News:
6-11 center Adonis Delarosa of New York helped his team with a state championship over the weekend, scoring 8 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and blocking 3 shots in the title game. USC coach Frank Martin was in New York Friday to watch Delarosa in the semi-finals. Martin has made Delarosa a major target for the spring signing period and his efforts are beginning to pay off. Delarosa plans to visit USC officially the weekend of April 12th his coach said Tuesday. They had considered visiting next week but with the dead period approaching for the Final Four, they’ve decided to wait until the following weekend. The USC visit is the only one Delarosa has set at this point and his coach said they’re not sure about other visits right now. “I think South Carolina is in very good shape,” Joe Arbitello said. But other schools are still working Delarosa. Alabama coach Anthony Grant and Georgia coach Mark Fox were both up to see him last week. And Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon is due in today.
WR Michael Bowman (6-0 195) of Havelock, NC committed to USC last Thursday, picking the Gamecocks over NC State. Bowman is considered one of the top receiver prospects in the country. Last season he had 52 catches for 972 yards and 11 touchdowns. 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 its home. It’s easy to make the decision because I’ve been there a lot and keeping in touch with coaches.” Bowman also had offers from Penn State, North Carolina, East Carolina, Georgia Tech and Tennessee. Bowman could play either outside receiver or in the slot at USC.
OL Paris Palmer of Lackawanna JC, PA announced a commitment to USC Sunday night on Twitter, one day after visiting with the Gamecocks. Beyond that, he said nothing about why he changed course and ended his recruiting earlier than planned with his pledge to the Gamecocks. Monday night, Palmer gave us exclusive insight into his rationale. “I just felt at home when I went there,” Palmer said. Me and (OL) coach Elliott have a real good relationship. We have a rapport because we connect so easily. I felt I matched up well with their whole coaching staff.” Palmer also pointed out the proximity to his home near Fayetteville, NC was another key reason for choosing the Gamecocks over the likes of Penn State and Ohio State. “It’s only a three hour drive so my mother can see me play and my family and friends,” he said. “To be able to play in front of my family and friends is something I wanted to do and that played a big part in the decision too.” Palmer had originally planned to hold off on a decision and take some more visits though he knew when he found the right place he would go ahead and nail down his decision. “When I was there, I didn’t feel the need to drag it on any longer,” Palmer said. “I looked at the situation at South Carolina, it was a win-win for me. I don’t see any negative for me committing to South Carolina. I love the fans, I’m used to the weather and the area, and my uncle lives out there. I didn’t feel the need to drag this on any longer. I let them know how I felt about the school and how I felt about the team and I wanted to commit right there.” Palmer left USC Saturday and returned to North Carolina and then went back to Lackawanna from where he called Elliott and later talked to Steve Spurrier and Steve Spurrier Jr. And the message Palmer got from Elliott was to come in to USC ready to play. “He wouldn’t be bringing me in if there wasn’t a chance for me to start right away,” said Palmer who has two years to play two after redshirting his first season at Lackawanna. They are going to give me the best opportunity to do that and I can’t wait to be a part of the Gamecock nation officially.” And Palmer said now that his commitment has been made, he is shutting down all of his recruiting activity. “I’m done. I’m 100% sure. I’m not decommitting at all. I’m only a Gamecock now.”
OL Shane Lemieux (6-6 295) of Yakima, WA made a return visit to USC Monday after first visiting on Friday and before leaving he made a commitment to the Gamecocks giving USC four new pledges for the 2015 class in less than a week. Lemieux said he’s completely sold on USC and his commitment is solid though he does want his mom to visit and give final approval. “It’s the place for me,” Lemieux said. “I am a Gamecock but I want my mom and stepdad and my little sister to come down. I’m sure they will love it. They’ve been to all the other visits. I want them to be there when I officially commit in another month or so.” Lemieux said he was impressed by what offensive line coach Shawn Elliott told him about the program and the SEC and the attention offensive linemen from the SEC receive from NFL scouts. And he’s looking forward to playing for Elliott. “I told him if I commit he has to bust my butt.” Lemieux also had Oregon high up on his list. His other offers included NC State, Miami, East Carolina, Cal, Boise State, Arizona State and Washington State. Lemieux is USC’s 8th commitment for the 2015 class.
DB Rashad Roundtree (6-1 195) of Evans, GA is one of the top safety prospects in the country and “can go anywhere he wants to,” according to his coach Jarrett Troxler. “But I believe he wants to play in the SEC. He’s a smart kid, a down to earth kid. He wants to take some visits and kind of get his bearings. He’ll be a guy who will wait until after his senior season.” Roundtree visited Georgia Saturday. He’s also been to Auburn and Duke. Roundtree was going to visit USC for one of their first spring practices but the weather issue nixed that. He plans to visit this spring but the date hasn’t been set. He’s also going to visit Clemson at some point. Roundtree is in regular contact with USC and Clemson recruiters. “He likes USC a lot,” Troxler said. “He’s talked to coach Spurrier a good bit on the phone. And he likes Clemson a lot. He’s talked to coach Venables and coach Morris and they’ve been actively recruiting him.” Troxler said he expects Roundtree to narrow his list to five by the start of his season and take all five of his official visits before he makes his decision, Right now Roundtree doesn’t have favorites.
ATH RayRay McCloud of Tampa has been to South Florida and Florida State for junior days and has visited Florida and Central Florida as well. USC has offered as well though he has not heard from the Gamecocks recently McCloud still feels that USC is interested and would like to visit Columbia. Miami is his next visit and he also plans to see Clemson. He does not have any favorites.
LSU is the latest to offer OL Zach Giella of Augusta. He will visit Baton Rouge April 5th for their spring game. Giella visited Auburn last week and is planning to visit Florida State soon. With more interest, Giella intends to take a look at each program. This, however, has not deterred his interest in USC. “I still hear from them almost every day,” he said. “They stay in contact with me and let me know how much they want me. I get a letter from them almost every day. Obviously, it’s a good program and it’s close to home.” Michigan is the most recent program to begin showing interest along with Stanford. His offers are from USC, LSU, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Duke and Missouri. He did not name any favorites.
DL Dexter Wideman of Saluda was one of USC’s top signees in February, and the Gamecocks signed him knowing he still had plenty of academic work to complete to be eligible for freshman eligibility. According to his coach, Wideman is closer to accomplishing that goal. “He’s progressed towards the ultimate goal of qualifying but nothing will be official until the summer,” Saluda coach Stewart Young said. “He may have to take some summer school classes to improve his GPA. He may have to do a couple of (class) do overs to help with the sliding scale.” Young said it could be as late as July before Wideman’s status for this season is determined. Young said if Wideman does not qualify, USC will place him at Georgia Military Junior College.
RB Traveon Samuel of Phenix City, AL hopes to get to USC for a spring practice visit within the next couple of weeks. Florida State is another school Samuel wants to see. His last visit was to Auburn which is very close to home. Though he has not heard from Clemson lately, Samuel says he remains interested in the Tigers. “If they ask me to come, I would love to go visit their school,” he said.
WR Van Jefferson (6-2 175) of Brentwood, TN has receiving in his genes. He’s the son of former NFL star receiver Shawn Jefferson who is now an assistant coach with the Tennessee Titans. The younger Jefferson is plowing his own trail now after a junior season of 87 catches for 1257 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has a dozen offers including USC. The others are Clemson, Penn State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Ohio State, Purdue, Ole Miss, Middle Tennessee State, Mississippi State and Georgia. At this point, Jefferson holds interest in the Gamecocks and wants to visit as soon as possible. Jefferson has visited Ohio State, Vanderbilt and Tennessee and he plans to take more visits before trimming his list. He wants to make his decision before the season.
TE Chris Clark of Avon, CT, who had USC in his final 10, committed to North Carolina
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Basketball News:
6-11 center Adonis Delarosa of New York helped his team with a state championship over the weekend, scoring 8 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and blocking 3 shots in the title game. USC coach Frank Martin was in New York Friday to watch Delarosa in the semi-finals. Martin has made Delarosa a major target for the spring signing period and his efforts are beginning to pay off. Delarosa plans to visit USC officially the weekend of April 12th his coach said Tuesday. They had considered visiting next week but with the dead period approaching for the Final Four, they’ve decided to wait until the following weekend. The USC visit is the only one Delarosa has set at this point and his coach said they’re not sure about other visits right now. “I think South Carolina is in very good shape,” Joe Arbitello said. But other schools are still working Delarosa. Alabama coach Anthony Grant and Georgia coach Mark Fox were both up to see him last week. And Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon is due in today.