Where South Carolina football recruiting stands in the rankings on Signing Day Eve

On Wednesday, the Early Signing Period begins, and with the recent trends in college football, that means it will essentially be the National Signing Day.

At the time of this writing, South Carolina has 14 players committed in the class of 2026. However, the Gamecocks are hopeful for an early Christmas present or two on Signing Day.

Let’s take a look at South Carolina football recruiting, the program’s place in the team recruiting rankings, and the individual rankings of the players committed in the class of 2026. With Signing Day upcoming, USC is hopeful that the team ranking moves up a bit with a couple of flips.

*All rankings will come from the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted composite from the rankings from Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN*

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In total, the Gamecocks have 14 players committed in the 2026 cycle. Even so, Carolina ranks 19th nationally, the best mark for any team in the country with fewer than 15 commits. Shane Beamer’s team is also No. 9 in the Southeastern Conference.

Based on those rankings, it should come as no surprise that South Carolina is positioned well on a per-player basis. As things stand, the Gamecocks’ class is No. 11 in all of college football in average player rating. They are also sixth in the SEC in average player rating. Of the 18 teams ahead of USC in the overall rankings, nine of them have at least 25 players committed.

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. With several flip candidates still on South Carolina’s board, a fourth-straight top 20 class feels inevitable, and the Gamecocks’ spot in the rankings could be even better than last year.

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OL Darius Gray
No. 45 overall
No. 1 nationally among interior offensive linemen
No. 2 in Virginia
Four-star in Rivals Industry Ranking

The top player committed to South Carolina in the 2026 cycle is Gray. A Rivals Industry Ranking four-star, he also boasts a five-star ranking from another major recruiting outlet. He was a former five-star in the Rivals Industry Ranking, too. Gray might be the most athletic offensive lineman in the country.

S J’Zavien Currence
No. 88 overall
No. 9 nationally among safeties
No. 2 in South Carolina
Four-star in Rivals Industry Ranking

Though he plays all over the field for South Pointe High School (including at quarterback), Currence will be a defensive back for South Carolina. He is a consensus four-star prospect who profiles physically similarly to former Gamecock Nick Emmanwori.

DT Aiden Harris
No. 93 overall
No. 9 nationally among defensive linemen
No. 7 in North Carolina
Four-star in Rivals Industry Ranking

Harris was previously the No. 1 defensive lineman in the class of 2026. He is a consensus four-star prospect and ranks as a top-10 defensive lineman according to both Rivals and 247Sports. He fills a big South Carolina position of need at defensive tackle.

OL Zyon Guiles
No. 103 overall
No. 5 nationally among interior offensive linemen
No. 4 in South Carolina
Four-star in Rivals Industry Ranking

Rivals’ player rankings have Guiles inside of five-star territory as he is the highest-rated committed player in the Rivals300 and the No. 1 overall interior offensive lineman in the country. Guiles is also a consensus four-star prospect. Together with Darius Gray, the duo are the No. 1 and No. 2 interior blockers in the 2026 Rivals300.

QB Landon Duckworth
No. 144 overall
No. 10 nationally among quarterbacks
No. 6 in Alabama
Four-star in Rivals Industry Ranking

Duckworth was the first commitment in South Carolina’s 2026 class long ago. Now, after a winding road that included a decommitment, he is back in the fold. Duckworth also recently shut his recruitment down. A consensus four-star prospect, he is considered a top 12 national quarterback by all three major recruiting services.

WR Sequel Patterson
No. 251 overall
No. 43 nationally among wide receivers
No. 5 in South Carolina
Four-star in Rivals Industry Ranking

A 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 Rivals Industry Ranking for the ’27 cycle.

CB Kosci Barnes
No. 291 overall
No. 35 nationally among cornerbacks
No. 14 in North Carolina
Four-star in Rivals Industry Ranking

Barnes is the prototypical Torrian Gray defensive back, standing at 6-2 and weighing 185 pounds. Though he will begin his career at corner, he could see reps at safety or nickel, too. He recently moved up to the ranks of four-star status, jumping more than 300 spots in the Industry Ranking.

DT Noah Clark
No. 295 overall
No. 34 nationally among defensive linemen
No. 15 in North Carolina
Four-star in Rivals Industry Ranking

Clark ranks as high as 132nd nationally according to another outlet’s four-star evaluation. The big fella will be a nose tackle for South Carolina, filling a major positional need on the USC roster.

LB/EDGE Andrew Harris
No. 381 overall
No. 36 nationally among EDGE players
No. 18 in North Carolina
Four-star in Rivals Industry Ranking

South Carolina likes Harris at linebacker, rather than EDGE, despite the recruiting industry’s labeling. If his recruiting rating didn’t change, he would rank as the No. 25 linebacker nationally. As things stand, he is a four-star according to one major recruiting outlet.

DB KJ Johnson
No. 513 overall
No. 50 nationally among cornerbacks
No. 18 in Alabama
Three-star in Rivals Industry Ranking

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 two services.

LB Keenan Britt
No. 594 overall
No. 50 nationally among linebackers
No. 20 in Alabama
Three-star in Rivals Industry Ranking

Previously listed as an EDGE, Britt will join the Gamecocks as a linebacker. One recruiting service considers him a four-star player (at EDGE) in the 2026 cycle.

ATH/DB Triston Lewis
No. 705 overall
No. 20 nationally among athletes
No. 14 in South Carolina
Three-star in Rivals Industry Ranking

Lewis, a high school quarterback, earned a Gamecock offer and committed on the same day. At 6-4 and 200 pounds, he is an intriguing prospect who likely will be a defensive back for South Carolina.

TE Caden Ramsey
No. 979 overall
No. 66 nationally among tight ends
No. 18 in South Carolina
Three-star in Rivals Industry Ranking

Ramsey is a “Rivals outlier,” meaning that Rivals is much higher on him than the rest of the recruiting industry. He is now a four-star recruit, but his industry ranking is weighed down by a low ranking from ESPN and a wide receiver designation on 247Sports.

OL Anthony Baxter
No. 1427 overall
No. 138 nationally among interior offensive linemen
No. 26 in South Carolina
Three-star in Rivals Industry Ranking

Baxter, a high school teammate of J’Zavien Currence, is a consensus three-star prospect and the longest-tenured pledge in the class. He likely will play on the interior of the line for the Gamecocks.

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