4-star QB Dante Reno to shine for South Carolina at Elite 11
Fiskdale (Mass.) Cheshire Academy four-star quarterback Dante Reno feels he has the opportunity of a lifetime this week.
The South Carolina quarterback commit will make his way to Los Angeles to compete in the Elite 11 Finals starting on Wednesday.
Reno has followed Elite 11 for years. He understands the prestigious history as a quarterback and the son of a football coach.
Reno felt honored when he got the invite. Now, he’s hoping to go make a statement.
“There are a lot of great quarterbacks that are going to be in it,” Reno told On3. “Getting selected for it was a really cool experience for me and my family. It’ll be fun to go out there and compete and go represent for everybody. It’s going to be a good time…I know a lot about the history of the event growing up in a football family. I’ve followed Elite 11 my whole life. I know some people that went through it and I know them really well and they had good things to say about it. It’s going to be fun to go out there and compete and leave a legacy like they did with all the rest that have done it.”
Dante Reno gets a chance to shine with the South Carolina flag
Reno was the first player on board for the Gamecocks in the class of 2024. He’ll get to represent the Gamecocks this week in Los Angeles.
Reno has felt the support from the South Carolina fan base in everything that he’s done since he committed last summer.
“At South Carolina, we have the best fan base in the country,” Reno said. “They support the kids that come to Carolina. They support the guys that love coach (Shane) Beamer. Coach Beamer is doing a great job with the program. I’m going to represent for all those people as well. I’m going to spend the next portion of my life in Columbia South Carolina.”
Reno will see some of the faces he’ll see on Saturdays in the coming years. This week could act as a bit of a measuring stick.
“I’ll be playing against those guys on Saturdays one day hopefully so competing now and building a relationship with those guys is also important,” Reno said. “We’re all going to compete. At the same time, we’re going to build some relationships that will last us a lifetime. We all have the same goals in mind.”
‘Locked in’
On the recruiting end, Reno doesn’t have a lot to report these days. Schools have contained to reach out to check his temperature but Reno is done with the process. He has become an avid recruiter for South Carolina and has circled the No. 1 player in the On3 rankings, Dylan Stewart, as his primary target.
“I think we have a strong class, with the offensive line we’ve built and the receivers and skill that we’re about to get and we have a really good shot at the number one player in the country,” Reno said. “Being able to complete that class would be awesome… I’m 100 percent locked in with South Carolina. People still recruit you, text you and call you but that’s not going to change anything in my mind.”