Major target, South Carolina native, sets commitment date
South Carolina priority target Tamarion Watkins has set a commitment date. According to the four-star prospect’s social media pages, he will announce his college decision on July 14th. The announcement will come in the gym at Northwestern High School at 2:00 p.m.
Watkins has been a priority for the Gamecocks for some time. The South Carolina native announced a final four this spring that also included the Georgia Bulldogs, Texas A&M Aggies, and Miami Hurricanes. He took official visits to check out all four programs.
While USC has been viewed as the favorite, Georgia has been pretty heavily involved, recruiting him as a linebacker, and Texas A&M has pushed hard to make things interesting in recent weeks. GamecockCentral’s Chris Clark recently logged an RPM prediction in favor of South Carolina.
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On3’s industry ranking–a weighted composite that utilizes ratings from all four major recruiting services–considers Watkins the No. 333 overall player in the class of 2026. He’s also No. 32 among safeties and No. 8 in the Palmetto State.
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South Carolina has two defensive backs committed in the 2026 cycle so far. Four-star safety and fellow Rock Hill native J’Zavien Currence pledged his services to the Gamecocks back in the fall. Just a couple of weeks ago, versatile Alabama three-star KJ Johnson announced his commitment, as well.
Rock Hill and other Charlotte-area cities have been kind to South Carolina this cycle. In addition to Currence’s pledge, three-star offensive lineman Anthony Baxter (a high school teammate of Currence at South Pointe High School in Rock Hill) and twin four-star defenders Andrew Harris and Aiden Harris (from Weddington High School in Matthews, North Carolina) have already committed to USC. Watkins and Huntersville, North Carolina product Samari Matthews are four-star secondary targets heavily considering the Gamecocks. Four-star athlete Sequel Patterson, a wide receiver target from Indian Land High School in Fort Mill, announces on Thursday night.