Where South Carolina football sits in updated recruiting rankings following four-star commitment

On Wednesday, four-star defensive tackle Noah Clark announced his commitment to the South Carolina football program. He picked the Gamecocks over the NC State Wolfpack, Virginia Tech Hokies, and Virginia Cavaliers.

Clark’s recruitment was a bit of a back-and-forth affair, mainly between South Carolina and NC State. However, USC remained optimistic throughout. In the end, South Carolina defensive line coach Travian Robertson and the Gamecocks staff got their man.

Let’s take a look at South Carolina football recruiting and its place in the team recruiting rankings and the individual rankings of the players committed in the class of 2026.*

*All rankings will come from the On3 industry ranking, a weighted composite from the rankings from On3, 247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals*

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Prior to Clark’s announcement, South Carolina sat at No. 21 in the country in the On3 team recruiting rankings. Shane Beamer’s team had just nine players publicly pledged so far in the class. Now, with No. 10 in the boat, things are trending upward. USC jumped three spots to No. 18 nationally.

The Gamecocks are the only team in the top 50 nationally with ten or fewer commitments. Because of that, it is unsurprising that USC is listed higher in average player rating, sitting ninth in the country.

The team’s No. 18 overall ranking puts the Gamecocks ninth in the SEC. Four of the Southeastern Conference squads ahead of South Carolina (Tennessee, Florida, Texas, and Ole Miss) trail USC in average player rating.

Last year, the Gamecocks landed the No. 18 class in the country, the program’s third-straight top 20 group. The 2025 class also ranked No. 11 in the SEC.

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DT Aiden Harris
No. 55 overall
No. 3 nationally among defense linemen
No. 4 in North Carolina

Harris is the highest-rated commit in the On3 industry ranking and is a consensus four-star prospect. He fills a big South Carolina position of need at defensive tackle.

S J’Zavien Currence
No. 98 overall
No. 8 nationally among safeties
No. 1 in South Carolina

Currence is the highest-rated player in the class according to at least one other major recruiting service and a consensus four-star prospect.

OL Zyon Guiles
No. 129 overall
No. 5 nationally among interior offensive linemen
No. 3 in South Carolina

On3’s player rankings have Guiles right on the verge of five-star territory as he is the highest-rated player in the class in those rankings and the No. 1 overall interior offensive lineman in the country. Guiles is also a consensus four-star prospect.

ATH/WR Sequel Patterson
No. 228 overall
No. 9 nationally among athletes
No. 5 in South Carolina

A recent reclassification from the class of 2027, Patterson could have been a four-star prospect at wide receiver or cornerback. He will play receiver for the Gamecocks. Before his reclassification, he was a top 100 prospect in the On3 industry ranking for the ’27 cycle.

DT Noah Clark
No. 275 overall
No. 28 nationally among defensive linemen
No. 15 in North Carolina

Clark ranks as high as 126th nationally according to another outlet. The big fella will be a nose tackle for South Carolina, filling a major need on the USC roster.

EDGE/LB Andrew Harris
No. 297 overall
No. 33 nationally among EDGE players
No. 15 in North Carolina

South Carolina likes Harris at linebacker, rather than EDGE. If his recruiting rating didn’t change, he would rank as the No. 20 linebacker nationally. As things stand, he is a four-star according to three major recruiting outlets.

TE Jamel Howse
No. 302 overall
No. 15 nationally among tight ends
No. 7 in South Carolina

Howse is a four-star prospect in three of the four major recruiting services, including earning top 250 honors in two of them.

DB KJ Johnson
No. 442 overall
No. 39 nationally among cornerbacks
No. 15 in Alabama

South Carolina’s coaching staff believes Johnson could play corner, safety, or nickel at the next level. He is a consensus three-star prospect but is just one recruiting point away from four-star status according to three services.

EDGE/LB Keenan Britt
No. 479 overall
No. 50 nationally among EDGEs
No. 19 in Alabama

Like Andrew Harris, Britt will come join the Gamecocks as a linebacker, not as an EDGE. Two recruiting services consider him a four-star player in the 2026 cycle.

OL Anthony Baxter
No. 1387 overall
No. 132 nationally among interior offensive linemen
No. 18 in South Carolina

Baxter, a high school teammate of J’Zavien Currence, is a consensus three-star prospect and the longest-tenured pledge in the class.

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