South Carolina ascends in On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings
South Carolina continued its successful summer on the recruiting trail Sunday by landing a commitment from Macon (Ga.) Tattnall Square Academy four-star defensive lineman Zavion Hardy. His pledge elevated the Gamecocks’ 2023 recruiting class to No. 17 in the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. South Carolina, whose class ranks No. 7 in the SEC, rose two spots from No. 19.
Hardy is the No. 146 overall prospect and No. 16 defensive lineman in the 2023 On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 12 player in Georgia.
The 6-foot-5, 260 pound prospect is currently the second-highest-rated recruit in South Carolina’s class behind Roebuck (S.C.) Dorman four-star interior offensive lineman Markee Anderson. Hardy and Anderson are two of the Gamecocks’ three top-200 prospects.
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Defensive line commits behind South Carolina’s recent rise
August has been a great month for the Gamecocks. Over the last three weeks, they have landed multiple top-300 prospects in Hardy, Camden (S.C.) four-star defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod and Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic four-star offensive tackle Oluwatosin Babalade. Hardy and McLeod committed within three days of each other. Additionally, the program notched August commitments from Carrollton (Ga.) three-star athlete Vicari Swain and Perry (Fla.) Taylor County three-star safety Cameron Upshaw.
At one point, the Gamecocks had no defensive lineman committed. Now they have Hardy and McLeod. Additionally, Sumter (S.C.) four-star EDGE Monteque Rhames pledged to South Carolina last month.
While the Gamecocks’ two defensive lineman commits are among the top three recruits in their class, head coach Shane Beamer and his staff have built a strong group heading into Beamer’s second season in Columbia. Within the last two months, South Carolina earned commitments from Hardy, McLeod, Anderson, Babalade, Rhames and Sandersville (Ga.) Washington County four-star running back Dontavius Braswell among others. All six are within the top-350 of the On3 Consensus.
Anderson, Babalade, Rhames and Villa Rica (Ga.) three-star offensive tackle Jatavius Shivers all announced their commitments within six days of one another a few weeks ago. The Gamecocks also have a commitment from Jacksonville (Fla.) Andrew Jackson four-star linebacker Grayson Howard, the No. 17 linebacker in the On3 Consensus.
Gamecocks may not be done on the recruiting trail
South Carolina is still in contention for multiple blue-chip recruits. Both of them have a capability to play on the defensive side of the ball.
Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll five-star athlete Nyckoles Harbor, the No. 10 overall player in the On3 Consensus is taking an official visit to Columbia on Sept. 17. He visited South Carolina earlier this summer.
“The feedback, for real, was just the atmosphere and how, you know, everything was going and just how they treated them,” Harbor told On3’s Chad Simmons about his recent trip to Columbia. “I just wanted to see how they were going to treat my parents. You know, how my mom looked at the educational part and see whatever education part that I need to take it to the next level. I want to get (better) educationally and just not athletically. And then my dad, just seeing, you know, if I could just be safe there and he could leave his child there and don’t have to come back and worry about me.”
Meanwhile, Upper Marlboro (Md.) Charles Herbert Flowers four-star EDGE Desmond Umeozulu has the Gamecocks in his top four schools alongside North Carolina, Ohio State and Pittsburgh. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, South Carolina has the second-best odds for Umeozulu’s commitment (33.2%) behind the Buckeyes (55.2%).