The Verdict: Why is the 2024 class here?
South Carolina football superfan Chris Paschal writes a weekly column during the season for GamecockCentral called “The Verdict.” Chris is a lawyer at Goings Law Firm in Columbia.
The Verdict: Why is the 2024 class here?
“What are you doing here? Tell me why you are here. If you are not here to win a national championship, you’re in the wrong place. You boys are special. I don’t want my players to be like other students. I want special people.” – Paul W. “Bear” Bryant
In the 2024 college football recruiting class, South Carolina currently holds 15 commitments. This class includes a five-star from the DMV, a trio of offensive linemen from the Palmetto State, and even an under-recruited safety from Savannah. These men have committed to competing, fighting, and ultimately winning for the Garnet & Black.
In a video released on December 1, 2021 by Gamecock Football’s official Twitter page, the opening scene shows Shane Beamer addressing the 2021 Carolina Football team. In that team address, Coach Beamer relayed a message that had been repeated to him numerous times by multiple players. The reason Carolina had only won two football games in 2020 was because there was too much of “me-mentality and not a team-mentality.”
Recruiting in 2023, especially in the SEC, is a cutthroat and wild endeavor. Beamer and his staff are tasked with not only stockpiling this roster with talented difference-makers, but also with young men who will assimilate into the team-first culture. And in Carolina’s attempt to navigate these tough waters, there have been some recruitments that have ended with the young man announcing his commitment to the opposition.
There is no mistaking that some of these young men were recruited hard by Beamer and this Gamecock staff. Carolina wanted Jonathan Paylor. Carolina wanted Jalewis Solomon. Carolina has finished runner-up for a slew of recruits this cycle.
And Carolina beat out Ohio State for Dylan Stewart; Carolina beat out Tennessee for Mazeo Bennett; Carolina beat out Clemson for Blake Franks; Carolina beat out what felt like the entire Southeastern Conference for Josiah Thompson and Kam Pringle, “and so on, and so forth,” to quote Steve Spurrier.
Beamer has made it very clear that he will not sacrifice the family-like atmosphere within his program to make individuals happy. Stories that have been reported (and stories that have not been reported) illustrate this point exactly. One thing Beamer has made very clear is that he supports financial compensation through NIL opportunities – for players who deserve it. Coach Beamer has on-record stated before that NIL should be celebrated and utilized but should be gaged towards players that deserve to be compensated.
With that being the vision of the head coach of the Gamecocks, I want to give my two cents on how that should shape the NIL climate in Columbia.
I am unaware of any hard data being available that breaks down where most of the NIL compensation comes from, but my understanding (bolstered by Chris Clark’s breakdown on The Insiders Forum) is that a majority comes from the collectives. From my vantage point, there are two main objectives a collective must have: 1) raise as much capital as possible while 2) being as intentional with where that capital is spent.
The first objective is an ongoing battle for any organization structured like the collectives at South Carolina. As a Garnet Trust supporter, I have been impressed by the creativity that the organization has shown in terms of events and partnerships, while also being impressed with the hustle the staff has shown in tracking down donations. (I have heard similar returns from supporters of the other collective as well, but I have personal knowledge of the Garnet Trust.)
Something that I like about the Garnet Trust ethos is the unwavering intention of where NIL dollars are spent, and where they are not spent. NIL should be used by Carolina in recruiting as a shield, not as a sword.
What I mean by that is that Carolina’s coaching staff should be able to recruit elite-level prospects the same way they have in the past (ie. promoting the culture, the facilities, the fanbase, the conference, etc.) while using the potential for NIL success once on campus. NIL bolsters and protects Beamer and his staff to continue recruiting as they always have.
What it has not been is a sword. Beamer and this staff have not succumbed to the pressures of throwing an absurd amount of money at a young man to secure his commitment. It is a delicate balance between paying what is fair and over-paying. Every dollar spent on an unknown commodity is a dollar not spent on a known commodity.
Let me be very clear with this next statement: the members of the 2024 recruiting class are going to make a lot of NIL money throughout their time in Columbia. Because Dylan Stewart, and Wendell Gregory, and Dante Reno, and Kelvin Hunter, and most (if not all) of these current commitments are going to be great teammates who make a lot of plays for Carolina. They are going to add value to themselves by adding value to this roster. The current NIL landscape in Columbia, and what it will continue to progress into becoming, is very attractive for young men who love to work hard and compete.
Which brings me back to that question Bear Bryant posed to his recruits and players: What are you doing here? Are you here because a collective promised an absurd amount of money for a player that has not played a single snap of SEC football? Probably not. Are you here because you know you can compete, add value for yourself by being a good teammate and citizen, and then profit off that hard-earned NIL compensation? Probably so.
We want young men that want to win football games. We want young men that when they have that gut instinct that tells them they are Gamecocks, they act upon that instinct. As I sit in my office, of course, it is easy for me to write this, but I submit that no amount of “guaranteed” money should sway a young man away from following his heart to play for that Block C. Because as we have seen time-and-time again, often that money is not guaranteed, often those promises to get a young man in the door are not fulfilled, and often the large amounts of money given so early in a prospect’s career create unfair pressures and distractions.
While I am a fan who merely gives to the Garnet Trust, and not a spokesperson or agent or staff member, I feel confident in my assessment that the Garnet Trust (as well as the other collective) cannot wait to compensate future Gamecock football players with the money they deserve in the coming weeks, months, and years. And I am confident that many of my Gamecock brethren will continue to give, or choose to give for the first time, in our efforts to not only compensate great teammates and players but protect them (like a shield) from the alluring voices of sirens elsewhere in the SEC and across the country. A former player or two probably wishes he hadn’t listened to those empty promises of greener pastures.
The NIL landscape in Columbia is strong. And it will continue to get stronger with the help of every Gamecock fan. Every contribution, big or small, is important and we can all join together to buy into the rewarding efforts of supporting Gamecock student-athletes.
Earlier, this question was posed for recruits and players, but I now ask you, the fans: “What are you doing here? Tell me why you are here. If you are not here to win a national championship, you’re in the wrong place.”
