The top 3 players in South Carolina are committed to USC. What it took to get there
August 19, 2018
South Carolina football coach Will Mushamp has said time and again, he doesn’t look at recruiting rankings.
On the in-state front, those rankings seem to look good to everyone else.
With Westwood defensive back Cam Smith pledging on Friday night, the Gamecocks have commitments from the top three players in the state in the 2019 class. He joins Northwestern wide receiver Jamario Holley and five-star T.L. Hanna defensive end Zacch Pickens.
The team has done some work to reach that point heading into Year 3 with the current staff. Muschamp said that change, a revitalization of the brand as it were, started with the small things.
“Coming off a three-win season, there’s not a lot of positive thoughts about your brand,” Muschamp said. “So to me, it’s all about building relationships with people. We do that through work. We do that through communication, whether it’s by text or a phone call or your presence in a high school. And people, I think, going on our third season, have realized that we’re committed to doing that.”
USC was 3-9 in Steve Spurrier’s final season. It won six and then nine games, and Muschamp did point out, the results become a major selling point.
In his first, hastily assembled class, Muschamp’s staff got three of the top 15 players in the state in wide receiver Bryan Edwards, defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw (who had to go to junior college) and linebacker T.J Brunson, who has grown into a centerpiece on defense.
The 2017 class included five of the state’s top six players and six of the top eight, but in 2018, South Carolina got only one of the top seven (Dakereon Joyner) and lost out on five-star Xavier Thomas. One of those players, Josh Belk, eventually ended up at USC after enrolling at Clemson.
This year isn’t the strongest in-state, with only five players in the top 450 nationally. But USC has secured three rated No. 311 or better in the 247Sports composite rankings.
Muschamp said he’s seen the progress and culture, but something else carries weight.
“It goes back to trust,” Muschamp said. “It goes back to the young men that are having a really positive experience on your campus right now. It goes back to the progress your team has made from year 1 to where we are now.”
August 19, 2018
South Carolina football coach Will Mushamp has said time and again, he doesn’t look at recruiting rankings.
On the in-state front, those rankings seem to look good to everyone else.
With Westwood defensive back Cam Smith pledging on Friday night, the Gamecocks have commitments from the top three players in the state in the 2019 class. He joins Northwestern wide receiver Jamario Holley and five-star T.L. Hanna defensive end Zacch Pickens.
The team has done some work to reach that point heading into Year 3 with the current staff. Muschamp said that change, a revitalization of the brand as it were, started with the small things.
“Coming off a three-win season, there’s not a lot of positive thoughts about your brand,” Muschamp said. “So to me, it’s all about building relationships with people. We do that through work. We do that through communication, whether it’s by text or a phone call or your presence in a high school. And people, I think, going on our third season, have realized that we’re committed to doing that.”
USC was 3-9 in Steve Spurrier’s final season. It won six and then nine games, and Muschamp did point out, the results become a major selling point.
In his first, hastily assembled class, Muschamp’s staff got three of the top 15 players in the state in wide receiver Bryan Edwards, defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw (who had to go to junior college) and linebacker T.J Brunson, who has grown into a centerpiece on defense.
The 2017 class included five of the state’s top six players and six of the top eight, but in 2018, South Carolina got only one of the top seven (Dakereon Joyner) and lost out on five-star Xavier Thomas. One of those players, Josh Belk, eventually ended up at USC after enrolling at Clemson.
This year isn’t the strongest in-state, with only five players in the top 450 nationally. But USC has secured three rated No. 311 or better in the 247Sports composite rankings.
Muschamp said he’s seen the progress and culture, but something else carries weight.
“It goes back to trust,” Muschamp said. “It goes back to the young men that are having a really positive experience on your campus right now. It goes back to the progress your team has made from year 1 to where we are now.”