Florida DB Cameron Upshaw commits to South Carolina Gamecocks
The South Carolina Gamecocks added their third public commitment of the day Sunday afternoon when Perry (Fla.) Taylor County three-star DB Cameron Upshaw announced his pledge to the program.
The 6-foot-2, 165-pounder committed to South Carolina during an official visit to the program.
“Just the love the coaches showed. They showed my family crazy love. That’s really a big part of the whole visit. They showed my family crazy love, and they loved it. That was good,” he told Gamecock Central.
“I really got to meet coach (Shane) Beamer and sit down and talk with him. That was good. I enjoyed that. Last time I came, the coaches weren’t here so it was just me by myself. I didn’t get to feel the vibe of the place.”
Upshaw chooses South Carolina over offers from Florida State, Maryland, Arkansas and Penn State, among others.
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This was one of the first times he got to spend extended time around not only head coach Shane Beamer but his future position coach Torrian Gray, who also serves as his recruiter of record.
“The amount of time they spent with me. It wasn’t just about football,” he said. “They really set out a whole plan with me academically to keep me straight academically when I get here. Then sports too.”
On the visit, Upshaw got to see how Gray wants to use him in the system and what things might look like if he ultimately does commit to South Carolina.
“Coach Gray, that’s my boy. We talk almost every other day. So it was good to be around him, be around him and see where his head’s at as far as recruiting me,” “Then where he sees the program going and what he wants to do with the DBs.”
Gray likes Upshaw as a safety but mentioned if he runs well enough there’s the potential to play nickel or cornerback as well.
“He sees me playing free safety,” Upshaw said. “But he said depending on how well I run when I get here—if I was to come here—I can end up being a nickel or a boundary corner and playing all three.”
The three-star safety got to spend time with fellow Florida native and defensive back signee Kajuan Banks on the visit.
Banks is a freshman this year. Gray also recruited Banks, and the freshman safety got to lay out the recruiting pitch yet again.
“We never played against each other but once I blew up he knew who I was and we knew each other,” Upshaw said. “We chopped it up a little bit. When I got offered by South Carolina he started recruiting me instantly. As soon as I got offered he started recruiting me.”
The On3 Consensus – a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies – has him as a three-star prospect and the No. 969 overall player in the 2023 class. He’s considered the No. 82 safety.
“It feels like home as far as me hanging around with the coaches. Even the players, too,” Upshaw said. “It feels like home. I feel like I could see myself coming here, staying in the city and being a big asset to South Carolina football.”
The commitment of Upshaw gives the Gamecocks five public pledges, including three of whom announced on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Jacksonville (Fla.) The Bolles School three-star tight end Connor Cox and Fort Myers (Fla.) Lehigh four-star ATH Kelton Henderson committed to South Carolina.
