South Carolina 4-star WR signee Debron Gatling felt wanted by the Gamecocks

Thing started moving quick for Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton four-star wide receiver Debron Gatling during the final few weeks ahead of the Early Signing Period.

Amidst the coaching changes in College Station, Gatling decommitted from Texas A&M on Dec. 4. Just a couple weeks prior, he had made an official visit to South Carolina. Other programs tried to enter the picture late, but the Gamecocks grabbed momentum and landed the blue-chip wideout on Dec. 20.

Now, before heading to Columbia, Gatling is ready to show out at the Under Armour All-America Game on Jan. 3 in Orlando to show the SC faithful what kind of player Shane Beamer and Co. are getting.

“They’re gonna get a winner. I’ve never lost, for real. Somebody who’s going to come and compete and try to turn the program around,” Gatling said at UAAA media check-in on Friday.

Gatling, the No. 629 overall prospect and No. 100 WR in the On3 Industry Ranking, also heard from the likes of Georgia Tech, Louisville and Miami, but he felt like a priority to the South Carolina staff. Wide receivers coach Justin Stepp put on the full-court press and eventually hauled in the 6-foot, 175-pounder.

“They hit me up mid-season, we had been connecting ever since then,” Gatling said. “The whole offensive staff was recruiting me. I really felt wanted when I went down there on my OV and I feel like that’s what sealed it all,” Gatling said.

“(He’s) somebody that, in the springtime, (we) liked and watched on tape. He committed to A&M, and then opened things back up, and got him here on a visit,” Beamer said of Gatling. “(I) really enjoyed getting to know him.”

Gatling said he was surprised by the firing of Jimbo Fisher at A&M. The pair had a solid relationship and the WR was expecting the head coach to get one more year at the helm. Fisher was fired in November, Gatling took his SC official soon after and is now a part of the Gamecocks’ top-20 class in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

“The way I felt wanted and the way South Carolina felt home. They did a really good job on the OV, Coach Stepp kept trying and trying, even though he knew I was committed, that’s what I respect about him,” he said.