Fresh off official visit, Tyshawn Russell commits to South Carolina
Harrisburg (Pa.) Bishop McDevitt three-star WR Tyshawn Russell originally planned to make his announcement on Wednesday but he decided it couldn’t wait.
Fresh off an official visit to South Carolina over the weekend, Russell announced a commitment to the Gamecocks before he even hopped on the plane out of Columbia.
“It just clicked,” Russell said. “All of the other schools, there’s a lot of fakeness, they just put on a hat. These guys didn’t have to put on a hat, they were themselves and I liked that about them. They kept it real with me, they didn’t have to lie about nothing. They told me the truth.”
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Russell, who met with Shane Beamer in his office, gave the word to the Gamecocks’ head coach on Sunday afternoon.
“He got all hyped and stuff,” Russell said.
The 5-foot-11.5, 170-pounder chooses South Carolina over offers from Virginia Tech, Central Michigan and Maine and will officially sign with the Gamecocks on Wednesday.
Russell had tried to take an unofficial visit to Columbia earlier in the process but a bout with the flu kept him from going to the game as he planned.
This weekend’s trip offered the opportunity to get a complete look at the program including the chance to better get to know Beamer.
“That’s a great guy right there,” Russell said. “I love that man right there. It feels like he’s one of my uncles or something.”
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Russell also felt the love from wide receivers coach Justin Stepp who has prioritized him as the Gamecocks march toward National Signing Day.
“He’s a real energized person,” Russell said. “What stands out about him, he just brings the best out of you right away, he makes you feel right at home. You can talk to him about anything, not even football, like on a family basis and stuff.”
Continuing the trend, Russell likes what he heard from new South Carolina offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains.
“That’s a great guy too, I love being around him,” Russell said. “He’s always busting a joke and stuff around me and he loves me. He kept telling me when I come up here he’s going to use me a lot. He loves me. He wants me to be that impact in their offense.”
Loggains also was sure to let Russell know how’d he be used in the offense.
“They want me to as a big-time player and I feel like if I come in as a freshman, they want to use me a lot,” Russell said. “They want me to be that guy and that dog for them.”
Russell is ranked a three-star prospect by On3 with a rating of 88.
The On3 Consensus – a complete and equally-weighted industry standard that takes into account rankings from all four major recruiting services – tabs Russell as the No. 71 ATH in the country.
Russell is the second public commit for the day for the Gamecocks, joining Florida tight end transfer Nick Elksnis who announced earlier in the day.
