SpursUp Surveillance: New York DT prospect spends weekend in ColumbiaAugust 15, 2016
The weekend recapIt was a relatively busy weekend for South Carolina and several of the Gamecocks’ recruiting targets.
Cornerback target Jamyest Williams visited Georgia. The 2017 4-star from Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga., left Athens feeling pretty good about the way things went.
Williams is scheduled to announce his decision Aug. 27, before Grayson hosts IMG Academy.
South Carolina hosted a couple of prospects over the weekend. On Saturday, 3-star DT Romello Martin arrived from Brooklyn, N.Y., to start his multi-day stay in Columbia. The No. 27-ranked defensive tackle in the class of 2017 departed Monday morning.
Demarcus Gregory, the No. 55-ranked wide receiver in the 2018 class, returned to campus Saturday. The 3-star from Byrnes High School in Duncan, S.C., tweeted about the visit at its conclusion.
Two other 2017 cornerback targets are approaching decisions.
Four-star A.J. Terrell, who’s from Atlanta’s Westlake High School, will announce his at the end of the week. Clemson is expected to be his landing spot.
South Carolina was included in the top eight that Ameer Speed released Saturday. The 3-star from Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville, Fla., is considered by most to be a North Carolina lean.
More from MartinMartin’s arrival was a little later than previously reported, but still he spent two nights in Columbia.
“Basically, everything stood out to me,” Martin said. “All of the coaches down here are just all about the student-athletes.”
He added, “I just like how the coaches are all about the student-athletes and they’ll make you a better person.”
Muschamp made a good impression on Martin, who also visited Florida and Florida State this summer.
“He’s a very cool guy,” Martin said.
The No. 2 overall prospect from the state of New York said the campus and facilities at South Carolina were “amazing.”
“The atmosphere is good. I liked what I saw,” he said.
There are no plans to return for an official visit, but Martin, who attends Abraham Lincoln High School, sounded open to the idea of making a return to Columbia.
Skinny: South Carolina is very much in the mix, considering he made the drive from Brooklyn. An official visit would go a long way in solidifying the Gamecocks’ chances.
Thursday’s practice guestDax Hollifield, the No. 2 overall inside linebacker in the class of 2018, visited South Carolina on Thursday to watch practice. It left quite an impression.
“It really was UNC and Virginia Tech were the main two (favorites) and then South Carolina,” he said. “But (after) this last visit, South Carolina is the same as Virginia Tech and UNC. They’re all right there.
“I’m just going to give it a little bit more time. I really don’t know where I’m going to go. It’s going to be a really hard decision to make.”
Hollifield went into further detail about the practice.
“It was great. It was very intense. I liked that a lot. That’s how I like football to be played. It’s just great,” he said. “I liked how they combined special teams throughout their practice. It’s not at the first of practice or at the end of practice. I like how they mixed it all up into the practice.”
The 2018 prospect from Shelby, N.C., has attended practices at North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Georgia and NC State.
“The way South Carolina practices, it’s probably my favorite out of any school that I’ve been to,” Hollifield said. “I know they’re going to get you ready to play. When they’re going tempo on offense, they’re going faster than a real game, so when they get to a real game, it’s not as fast as practice. That’s how I think you’re supposed to get ready for a game.”
Running backs coach Bobby Bentley serves as his primary recruiter.
“I talk to them a lot. They’ve already tried to get all the recruiting out of it,” Hollifield said of the Gamecocks coaches. “They just want to talk to you and have good conversations with you. It’s not about football. It’s about how your family’s doing.”
During practice, freshman QB Brandon McIlwain caught his eye, as did LB T.J. Holloman.
“I thought (McIlwain) did well. He’s pretty fast and he can throw the ball,” Hollifield said.
Skinny: Hollifield was last on campus in June, when he attended Muschamp Camp. He hopes to return again this fall for a game.
SECCOUNTRY
The weekend recapIt was a relatively busy weekend for South Carolina and several of the Gamecocks’ recruiting targets.
Cornerback target Jamyest Williams visited Georgia. The 2017 4-star from Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga., left Athens feeling pretty good about the way things went.
Williams is scheduled to announce his decision Aug. 27, before Grayson hosts IMG Academy.
South Carolina hosted a couple of prospects over the weekend. On Saturday, 3-star DT Romello Martin arrived from Brooklyn, N.Y., to start his multi-day stay in Columbia. The No. 27-ranked defensive tackle in the class of 2017 departed Monday morning.
Demarcus Gregory, the No. 55-ranked wide receiver in the 2018 class, returned to campus Saturday. The 3-star from Byrnes High School in Duncan, S.C., tweeted about the visit at its conclusion.
Two other 2017 cornerback targets are approaching decisions.
Four-star A.J. Terrell, who’s from Atlanta’s Westlake High School, will announce his at the end of the week. Clemson is expected to be his landing spot.
South Carolina was included in the top eight that Ameer Speed released Saturday. The 3-star from Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville, Fla., is considered by most to be a North Carolina lean.
More from MartinMartin’s arrival was a little later than previously reported, but still he spent two nights in Columbia.
“Basically, everything stood out to me,” Martin said. “All of the coaches down here are just all about the student-athletes.”
He added, “I just like how the coaches are all about the student-athletes and they’ll make you a better person.”
Muschamp made a good impression on Martin, who also visited Florida and Florida State this summer.
“He’s a very cool guy,” Martin said.
The No. 2 overall prospect from the state of New York said the campus and facilities at South Carolina were “amazing.”
“The atmosphere is good. I liked what I saw,” he said.
There are no plans to return for an official visit, but Martin, who attends Abraham Lincoln High School, sounded open to the idea of making a return to Columbia.
Skinny: South Carolina is very much in the mix, considering he made the drive from Brooklyn. An official visit would go a long way in solidifying the Gamecocks’ chances.
Thursday’s practice guestDax Hollifield, the No. 2 overall inside linebacker in the class of 2018, visited South Carolina on Thursday to watch practice. It left quite an impression.
“It really was UNC and Virginia Tech were the main two (favorites) and then South Carolina,” he said. “But (after) this last visit, South Carolina is the same as Virginia Tech and UNC. They’re all right there.
“I’m just going to give it a little bit more time. I really don’t know where I’m going to go. It’s going to be a really hard decision to make.”
Hollifield went into further detail about the practice.
“It was great. It was very intense. I liked that a lot. That’s how I like football to be played. It’s just great,” he said. “I liked how they combined special teams throughout their practice. It’s not at the first of practice or at the end of practice. I like how they mixed it all up into the practice.”
The 2018 prospect from Shelby, N.C., has attended practices at North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Georgia and NC State.
“The way South Carolina practices, it’s probably my favorite out of any school that I’ve been to,” Hollifield said. “I know they’re going to get you ready to play. When they’re going tempo on offense, they’re going faster than a real game, so when they get to a real game, it’s not as fast as practice. That’s how I think you’re supposed to get ready for a game.”
Running backs coach Bobby Bentley serves as his primary recruiter.
“I talk to them a lot. They’ve already tried to get all the recruiting out of it,” Hollifield said of the Gamecocks coaches. “They just want to talk to you and have good conversations with you. It’s not about football. It’s about how your family’s doing.”
During practice, freshman QB Brandon McIlwain caught his eye, as did LB T.J. Holloman.
“I thought (McIlwain) did well. He’s pretty fast and he can throw the ball,” Hollifield said.
Skinny: Hollifield was last on campus in June, when he attended Muschamp Camp. He hopes to return again this fall for a game.
SECCOUNTRY