Elite defensive lineman commits to South Carolina football
South Carolina football addressed a big area of need as defensive lineman Aiden Harris committed to the Gamecocks on Saturday. On3’s Hayes Fawcett first reported the news. The commitment comes as part of a two-part commitment as Harris’ twin brother, 4-star linebacker Andrew Harris, also pledged to USC. Aiden Harris is a versatile defensive lineman, but South Carolina seems to like him as a 3-technique defensive tackle.
The South Carolina coaching staff has done a good job prioritizing both players. Aiden is the first defensive tackle commitment of the 2026 cycle for the Gamecocks. Carolina beat out Auburn, Penn State, Ohio State, and NC State for his services.
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Aiden Harris is listed at 6-2.5 and 250 pounds, but he looks bigger than that on film. Despite his size, the talented defensive lineman is a quick-twitch player for a big man. In fact, he competed as both a thrower and as a sprinter on his Weddington High School track team. Harris profiles very similarly to 2025 graduate and NFL Draft pick Tonka Hemingway but with an even higher upside.
On the field, Harris earned multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards in North Carolina last fall while logging 13.5 sacks and over 80 tackles from his interior defensive line position.
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This spring, Harris made it to campus for an unofficial visit for a shadow day. Following that visit, he quietly returned to Columbia again. The back-to-back trips helped flip his recruitment in favor of South Carolina. Back in the winter, Harris told On3, “I feel like [the Gamecocks] have the right people there helping mentor the players, and Coach Beamer is keeping them on track.”
The On3 industry ranking–a weighted composite of the rankings from On3, 247Sports, Rivals, and ESPN–considers Harris to be the country’s No. 55 overall prospect. He’s also No. 3 among all defensive linemen, and No. 4 in a talent-rich North Carolina. Harris’ ratings have flirted with 5-star territory at times during his recruitment.