Why ‘it’s only fitting’ that MarShawn Lloyd chose South Carolina over Georgia, others
May 29, 2019
It’s not a short drive MarShawn Lloyd has to make.
It takes about an hour and a half for the powerfully built tailback to get from home in Wilmington, Delaware, to DeMatha High School on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. It takes the four-star recruit ranked among the 30 best players nationally from a place without much high-level football into one of the most competitive leagues in the country.
His background, to a degree, informs an outlook.
“He’s said to me a few times, the state of Delaware is always overlooked,” Lloyd’s position coach and trainer Martin Gibson said. “So MarShawn has never been a guy that wanted to ride the winning coattail or anything like that. MarShawn has always wanted to play with a chip on his shoulder. He always had something to prove.
“I think it’s only fitting that he chose South Carolina over a Georgia.”
On Monday, Lloyd again pledged to enter one of the most competitive leagues in the country. He committed to South Carolina, spurning a slew of other top programs. In a way it means carving his own path.
To the coaches who have worked with him, the Gamecocks are getting quite a piece in their 2020 class.
“He is incredibly, incredibly balanced,” said Chris Grier, Lloyd’s offensive coordinator last season. “He can keep his balance and just do some really, really silly things. He can get hit or get up the sideline and look like he’s going to run out of bounds and just be able to manipulate his body to get back really, really quickly. He’s very, very explosive. In a short distance, he can go 0-to-100 faster than almost any guy I’ve ever seen.”
Grier went on to praise a whole range of skills, especially Lloyd’s ability to work in space and torment linebackers coming out of the backfield. The coach mentioned versatility and getting to run the shorter (he’s listed by 247Sports as being 5-foot-9) talented back in a modern, multifaceted high school offense.
Despite that ability as a space player, he’s also a back who can do his damage inside.
“MarShawn is very dangerous in space, I’ll say that,” Gibson said. “But MarShawn is also a guy who loves to run between the tackles.
“He’s a very strong and powerful kid.”
Grier noted Lloyd’s ability to quickly change direction as being something special. On inside zone, he can plant his foot as soon as a crease opens, burst through the hole and then quickly reach top speed.
One factor that was unusual with Lloyd, Grier explained, is that he was not asked to be a bellcow back in high school. Despite his prodigious talent, a loaded Stags team rotated him with two other backs.
Grier said there wasn’t much complaining or trying to throw his weight around as a top national prospect.
“It’s hard to be saying, ‘I should be starting over that guy,’ when that guy’s got offers, too,” Grier said, noting they rotated plenty.
“They all did a great job with understanding it’s a team effort.”
Grier added, players don’t need 2,000 yards to get exposure, as camps and other events can build a recruiting resume just as well.
Both coaches described Lloyd as a quiet kid whose competitive streak comes out on the field. Lloyd doesn’t speak much publicly, and even his commitment seemed to catch South Carolina’s coaches a bit off-guard.
“South Carolina is getting a very humble kid,” GIbson said. “He’s eager to learn and is willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win.
“He’s definitely a fiery kid. He’s a kid that plays with a lot of passion. He really loves the game and he loves to be coached. You’re not going to get a better kid than probably this guy.”
The Gamecocks staff has been on him for a long time, and USC’s coaches impressed him and Gibson with an attitude that was a bit laid-back.
The coach liked how comfortable the likes of Will Muschamp were with where they are. They’re not at a historical powerhouse, but they’re operating in their own way just the same. That also impressed Lloyd.
“He’s very comfortable with the environment,” Gibson said. “He’s very comfortable with the people, the coaches.
“Those guys are very relaxed. Those guys are like, ‘We are who we are. If you want to come here, you’ll be great. If not, you’ll be successful wherever you go.’ ”
And for the moment, that’s Columbia.
May 29, 2019
It’s not a short drive MarShawn Lloyd has to make.
It takes about an hour and a half for the powerfully built tailback to get from home in Wilmington, Delaware, to DeMatha High School on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. It takes the four-star recruit ranked among the 30 best players nationally from a place without much high-level football into one of the most competitive leagues in the country.
His background, to a degree, informs an outlook.
“He’s said to me a few times, the state of Delaware is always overlooked,” Lloyd’s position coach and trainer Martin Gibson said. “So MarShawn has never been a guy that wanted to ride the winning coattail or anything like that. MarShawn has always wanted to play with a chip on his shoulder. He always had something to prove.
“I think it’s only fitting that he chose South Carolina over a Georgia.”
On Monday, Lloyd again pledged to enter one of the most competitive leagues in the country. He committed to South Carolina, spurning a slew of other top programs. In a way it means carving his own path.
To the coaches who have worked with him, the Gamecocks are getting quite a piece in their 2020 class.
“He is incredibly, incredibly balanced,” said Chris Grier, Lloyd’s offensive coordinator last season. “He can keep his balance and just do some really, really silly things. He can get hit or get up the sideline and look like he’s going to run out of bounds and just be able to manipulate his body to get back really, really quickly. He’s very, very explosive. In a short distance, he can go 0-to-100 faster than almost any guy I’ve ever seen.”
Grier went on to praise a whole range of skills, especially Lloyd’s ability to work in space and torment linebackers coming out of the backfield. The coach mentioned versatility and getting to run the shorter (he’s listed by 247Sports as being 5-foot-9) talented back in a modern, multifaceted high school offense.
Despite that ability as a space player, he’s also a back who can do his damage inside.
“MarShawn is very dangerous in space, I’ll say that,” Gibson said. “But MarShawn is also a guy who loves to run between the tackles.
“He’s a very strong and powerful kid.”
Grier noted Lloyd’s ability to quickly change direction as being something special. On inside zone, he can plant his foot as soon as a crease opens, burst through the hole and then quickly reach top speed.
One factor that was unusual with Lloyd, Grier explained, is that he was not asked to be a bellcow back in high school. Despite his prodigious talent, a loaded Stags team rotated him with two other backs.
Grier said there wasn’t much complaining or trying to throw his weight around as a top national prospect.
“It’s hard to be saying, ‘I should be starting over that guy,’ when that guy’s got offers, too,” Grier said, noting they rotated plenty.
“They all did a great job with understanding it’s a team effort.”
Grier added, players don’t need 2,000 yards to get exposure, as camps and other events can build a recruiting resume just as well.
Both coaches described Lloyd as a quiet kid whose competitive streak comes out on the field. Lloyd doesn’t speak much publicly, and even his commitment seemed to catch South Carolina’s coaches a bit off-guard.
“South Carolina is getting a very humble kid,” GIbson said. “He’s eager to learn and is willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win.
“He’s definitely a fiery kid. He’s a kid that plays with a lot of passion. He really loves the game and he loves to be coached. You’re not going to get a better kid than probably this guy.”
The Gamecocks staff has been on him for a long time, and USC’s coaches impressed him and Gibson with an attitude that was a bit laid-back.
The coach liked how comfortable the likes of Will Muschamp were with where they are. They’re not at a historical powerhouse, but they’re operating in their own way just the same. That also impressed Lloyd.
“He’s very comfortable with the environment,” Gibson said. “He’s very comfortable with the people, the coaches.
“Those guys are very relaxed. Those guys are like, ‘We are who we are. If you want to come here, you’ll be great. If not, you’ll be successful wherever you go.’ ”
And for the moment, that’s Columbia.