Gamecocks Connection: Recruiting 3-2-1
Hey, I’m Chris Clark with GamecockCentral.com, and welcome to Gamecocks Connection.
This weekly newsletter will consist of a summary of some of the latest happenings in Gamecock Country, reader questions, and one “main idea” that’s on my mind. Plus, there will be some other goodies along the way.
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What’s on the docket today?
I am giving my thoughts on the 2024 Gamecock football recruiting class in a unique format. Plus, more.
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Get caught up.
Three quick things to know about your Gamecocks from the last few days.
👟 New USC head of track and field Tim Hall – who comes to Columbia via Kentucky – has put together a strong resume as a sprinter’s coach during his lengthy career as an assistant.
He spoke recently of his excitement to coach a world-class athlete who’s a dual-sport athlete for USC in Nyckoles Harbor.
🏈 USC picked up a couple commitments over the last week, both from the state of Georgia.
Wayne County running back Matthew Fuller was first, and that was followed by Savannah defensive back David Bucey.
⚾ Mark Kingston has added another assistant coach to his bench, and the Gamecocks have also been busy on the transfer portal front.
Plenty of other big targets remain, but here’s a quick recap of the players that have been added via the portal:
Austin Brinling – OF – North Florida
Tyler Dean – P – Virginia Tech
Garrett Gainey – P – Liberty
Ty Good – P – College of Charleston
Blake Jackson – OF – Charlotte
Kennedy Jones – OF – UNC-G
Dalton Reeves – UTL – Presbyterian
The main idea.
South Carolina currently has a recruiting class that’s ranked in the nation’s top 15 but has been in the top 10 for much of the process.
For today’s topic, we have changed up the formatting.
3 things we know about the Gamecock football recruiting class
a. USC got off to a historically great start.
If you go back and look at past classes in Columbia, you would be hard pressed to find one that had the combination of quality and quantity that was found in the early stages of this one.
Getting some priority targets in the boat on the OL, DB, WR, TE, and QB was big in this class. It allows those players to help recruit others and for USC to focus on remaining priorities.
b. The ceiling remains high for the class
While the Gamecocks landed several big-timers at the outset of the class, it’s not like every player that the staff has a shot with was exhausted.
The June camp season has come and gone, and that did lead to a few summer evaluations and commitments: punter Mason Love, defensive back David Bucey, and linebacker Fred Johnson.
It was anticipated that USC may pick up a few prospects during that summer period that were more under the radar.
We’re now to the stage where there’s a mix of big-timers and under-the-radar players that USC likes still on the board.
c. The offensive line class is one of the best in the country.
Some positions in this class are still taking shape.
We’ll see if another offensive lineman ends up being added to the class. As it stands, Gamecocks fans should be really excited about what’s in this group.
Blake Franks, Kam Pringle, and Josiah Thompson all had national-level offer lists. They’re all from the state of South Carolina. You beat Clemson – and many others – on all of them.
They all bring unique skill sets and intriguing talent.
2 questions for the ’24 cycle
a. Can the class finish in the top 10?
This is to be determined, based on what USC does and what others do around them.
Carolina has spent much of the cycle in the top 10, giving hopes for a top 10 class. Some of that could be attributed to a quality start in terms of not even sheer number of commitments, but quality.
As the cycle progresses, perhaps top 15 is a more realistic benchmark than top 10.
We’ll see, though.
b. Will USC go “four for four” from its last big recruiting weekend?
Four major uncommitted targets visited during the final big official visit event over the weekend.
David Bucey has already committed. Three others: EDGE Dylan Stewart, RB Daniel Hill, and WR Jonathan Paylor, took their visits and may all commit before the summer’s over.
Looking back and saying you landed all of those prospects would be significant for the Gamecocks.
A bold prediction
a. USC lands Dylan Stewart
Yep, we’re going there.
To back up: Stewart’s recruitment is not over.
There’s been a revolving door of “other schools” in the mix for Stewart, but South Carolina’s been a constant. At times, Stewart has even named USC as his public leader.
The Gamecocks and Ohio State Buckeyes are thought to be the main contenders now as this recruitment could be coming down the stretch.
He’s been to Columbia more than any other school, and Sterling Lucas and others have done a great job building relationships and trust with Stewart and his family.
This isn’t a lock. This is projecting, putting something in the “bold prediction” category.
If we had to call it, we like where USC stands. As our subscribers know, we’re covering this one daily to see where it ends up landing.
A question from the crowd.
Q: It seems like the 2024 class has a lot of guys who are taking it to a whole new level in terms of recruiting other players to join them. I’d be interested in your perspective on how this has evolved over the last decade or so. Is it just the influence and pervasiveness of social media in general that’s allowed them to form this bond so early, or have some rules changed to allow commits to be more involved with prospects?
– scottsbranch from The Insiders Forum
— You make a good point in that, historically, many recruiting classes end up having a ringleader of sorts.
An example that still sticks with USC fans is Bryson Allen-Williams in the 2014 class.
Fast-forward to the 2024 class, and there are many current verbal commitments chipping in with advocacy on social media and direct contact with other priority targets.
Sure, quarterback Dante Reno is involved, but he’s far from the only one.
More than any rule tweaks over the years, what we are seeing at South Carolina and other places in terms of more and more prospect getting involved on the recruiting front is simply related to the times in which we live.
The explosion of social media means it’s easier than ever to contact others. The sheer amount of college visits that prospects are taking, plus the camp circuit, also means there are ample opportunities to meet others and form relationships.
Still, you also have to couple those touch points with players that are of a certain disposition and have the willingness – and belief in the program – to help out recruiting.
That’s what Shane Beamer appears to have in this class.
Want to have your Gamecocks question answered here? Email me: [email protected] or hit me on Twitter: @GCChrisClark.
Members can ask on The Insiders Forum. FYI: Premium subscribers do get priority; it’s only fair!
From Gamecocks Plus.
Our friends over at Gamecocks Plus continue to put out some great video content; here are just a few of their latest offerings:
— Nick Emmanwori talks about why USC knew it could pull off back-to-back top 10 upsets at the end of last season and beat Clemson.
— Josh Vann did not expect to be a father this early in his life. He wouldn’t change it for the world.
— The inspiring story of volleyball’s Lauren McCutcheon, who was born deaf but has leaned on her faith and strong support system to thrive.
— Tommy Suggs looks back on 50 years of broadcasting Gamecock football from the booth.
What we’re talking about.
LSU just won the College World Series.
The team the Tigers beat, Florida, took down USC in a Super Regional down in Gainesville.
Carolina swept the Gators at home during the regular season and split what ended up being a two-game series with the Tigers.
USC was much healthier at the end of the season but was still without ace pitcher Noah Hall.
At full strength, was USC the best baseball program in the country?
GamecockCentral subscriber Town_4 started a thread on The Insiders Forum posing the question, and there are many different perspectives from fans.
If you are a subscriber with us, VISIT to see what they’re saying and to weigh in!
A thanks and a request.
I sincerely thank you for reading this newsletter and hope it’s informative and enjoyable for you.
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