South Carolina Football Recruiting: Gamecocks surging this cycle

South Carolina still has plenty of spots to fill in its 2026 recruiting class, but head coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks are making waves on the trail this summer.

As of Sept. 9, South Carolina has 16 commits and a class that now ranks No. 17 in the nation, according to the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. That’s good for No. 8 in the SEC, ahead of the likes of Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Auburn.

Of those 16 commits, seven are top-300 overall prospects. Local recruiting wins have paved the way for the Gamecocks thus far.

Of the top 10 players in South Carolina this cycle, five are currently committed to the in-state program. That includes Zyon Guiles, the No. 1 player in the state and the nation’s top interior offensive lineman in the Rivals300.

Guiles and five-star IOL Darius Gray, who pledged in August, form an elite duo in the trenches. Gray is the No. 1 IOL in the industry rankings. In June, the Gamecocks landed twin four-stars Aiden and Andrew Harris. On July 18, Beamer and Co. won out a second time for four-star quarterback Landon Duckworth.

“I always loved South Carolina,” Duckworth told Rivals’ Chad Simmons about his decision. “Coach Beamer was always the same. We have been close for a long time. That is what kept South Carolina high on my list. They had a change of offensive coordinator, so I had to get to know coach Shula better, but South Carolina was always up there.”

The class has eight commits on offense and seven on the defensive side with an athlete also in the mix. The full pledge list to date can be seen below:

South Carolina commitments by position

Quarterback
Four-star Landon Duckworth, No. 85 NATL. (No. 8 QB)

Running Back
Rivals four-star Amari Thomas, No. 438 NATL. (No. 28 RB)

Wide Receiver
Four-star Sequel Patterson, No. 229 NATL. (No. 39 WR)

Tight End
Four-star Jamel Howse, No. 280 NATL. (No. 13 TE)
Three-star Caden Ramsey, No. 1,475 NATL. (No. 89 TE)

Interior Offensive Lineman
Five-star Darius Gray, No. 31 NATL. (No. 1 IOL)
Four-star Zyon Guiles, No. 173 NATL. (No. 12 IOL)
Three-star Anthony Baxter, No. 1,338 NATL. (No. 129 IOL)

Offensive Tackle
Four-star Kamari Blair, No. 274 NATL. (No. 22 OT)

Defensive Lineman
Four-star Aiden Harris, No. 74 NATL. (No. 5 DL)
Four-star Noah Clark, No. 315 NATL. (No. 34 DL)

EDGE
Four-star Andrew Harris, No. 351 NATL. (No. 37 EDGE)

Linebacker
Three-star Keenan Britt, No. 478 NATL. (No. 40 LB)

Cornerback
Three-star Kejiaun Johnson, No. 472 NATL. (No. 44 CB)
Three-star Kosci Barnes, No. 590 NATL. (No. 56 CB)

Safety
Four-star J’Zavien Currence, No. 90 NATL. (No. 8 S)

Athlete
Three-star Triston Lewis, No. 755 NATL. (No. 39 ATH)