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Wes Mitchell
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Recruiting Notes
-- If you missed our in-depth story with quotes from four-star JUCO DT right here. From everything I've heard, both from interacting with Jones and talking with people who Jones interacted with this weekend, that visit went about as well as it possible could have for the Gamecocks. Jones is, of course, still committed to Florida State but there are some positive signs that Jones could make a flip to the Gamecocks. Jones has developed a very close relationship with defensive line coach Deke Adams and the two continued to hit it off this week. The chance to return to his home state is also something that's very appealing to Adams -- and leaving home to go to Mississippi has sort of revealed that to him -- and he's also got a future Gamecock in Dante Sawyer on his team at East Mississippi. Jones also told some people that it was the best game he's been to.
One thing of interest that Jones mentioned was that he could take an official visit to Alabama and/or Clemson. Personally, based on some feedback I've heard, I wouldn't be surprised if he chose not to take anymore official visits. My feedback tells me that this is a South Carolina-FSU battle and that the gap between those two and the other two schools is a big one. Jones mentioned to me the idea of making a "final decision" either in November or even December, but if a switch is made, I also wouldn't be surprised to see a quicker timetable on that. This weekend certainly went incredibly well for the Gamecocks and it was reaffirmed to me this weekend that Jones could be a talented enough prospect to be a one-and-done type player at the defensive tackle position. He'll surely compete for playing time next year and would cap off what is probably the best class of JUCO defensive players in the country.
-- As Chris mentioned in Isaac Nauta of Buford (Ga.) made it in, and it was big for Nauta's father to be able to make it in. It was an excellent game for them to be at as the Gamecocks used tight end Rory Anderson to perfection and that was pointed out to Nauta during the visit. The family feel of the South Carolina program was also something that stood out. While South Carolina and FSU are the two schools most mentioned regarding Nauta, I'm told that at one time it's Georgia that's weighed heavily on Nauta's mind, and the idea that everything he could possibly need is right there in-state. That thought process may be changing, though, as staying in-state may not be as much of a draw as it once was, especially considering that they've only been in Georgia for a few years, so there aren't extremely strong ties there.
Nauta and his family stuck around until Sunday to have breakfast with quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus and I'm told the visit went as well as it possibly could have. South Carolina helped itself a great deal this weekend -- the game, crowd, stadium and 'Sandstorm' certainly helped -- but the way it was described to me was that it wasn't just the coaches and program that are now more appealing to Nauta and his family but also the place, school, university and people.
-- I had the chance to check out Roebuck (S.C.) Dorman three-star WR and Stanford commitment JJ Arcega-Whiteside Friday in his team's blowout win over Rock Hill. While South Carolina has not yet offered Arcega-Whiteside, the Gamecocks have definitely stepped up their recruitment of him as of late. If an offer comes, then I'd expect, at the very least, for Arcega-Whiteside to listen to what the Gamecocks have to say and to probably take a visit.
On the field, Arcega-Whiteside and class of 2016 quarterback Collin Hill (a solid prospect in his own right who threw the ball well at South Carolina's camp and throws a nice, catchable ball) have an excellent rapport and turned it on in the second half to put Rock Hill away. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound Arcega-Whiteside has sneaky speed with a knack for getting open and making people miss in the open field. He's one of those guys that doesn't appear to be exerting a ton of energy, but always seems to find a way to get open and make the catch.
-- As we mentioned over the weekend, class of 2016 Greensboro (N.C.) Northern Guilford three-star running back C.J. Freeman picked up an offer from the Gamecocks over the weekend and we'll be running an article this afternoon with his thoughts on landing the offer. Freeman was incredibly excited to pick up his second off (Virginia Tech was the first) and said that it was by far his best visit so far. Freeman liked the way the Gamecocks' running backs were used and the 5-foot-11, 195-pounder enjoyed the atmosphere as well, with 'Sandstorm' as a highlight (that seems to be a trend among the recruits).
Freeman didn't name a leader and said that he has a top two of South Carolina and Virginia Tech at this point. The North Carolina schools also seem close to offering, he says. There are some South Carolina connections at Freeman's school and despite the fact he didn't name a leader, I got the impression that the Gamecocks currently have an edge based on what he told me.
-- The Gamecocks also helped themselves with class of 2015 Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian WR Darius Slayton this weekend, and Slayton plans to return to South Carolina for an official visit later on in the process. Slayton is currently in the process of setting up visits to other programs, and while the Gamecocks were behind some other schools at one point, Slayton is open to South Carolina and I get the impression some other schools aren't pushing for him the way they once were. South Carolina has picked up its recruitment of Slayton as of late, and Slayton tells me that the Gamecocks, Georgia and Auburn are the schools that are recruiting him the hardest.
-- A couple of South Carolina 2015 commitments who we never confirmed were going to make it prior to the game, did end up making it in: QB Nygel Edmonds who lived in Georgia before moving to McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tenn.
-- Class of 2017 Powder Springs (Ga.) McEachern quarterback Bailey Hockman is a young prospect with early offers from Alabama, FSU, Iowa State, Miami, Oklahoma State and Tennessee, who was also at the game on Saturday.
Team Notes
-- As big as this win was for South Carolina, I don't believe its the type victory that lends itself to a letdown the following week based on what I've heard around the program following Saturday's game. The staff and players were extremely excited about the win, and 2-1 is a heck of a lot better and 1-2 when it comes to the morale of the program, but the players understand that there's still a ton they have to get better at if they're going to be the team they want to be. That fact has already been drilled into the players' head at this early point in the week and the fact that the Gamecocks have to be better on third downs defensively, is something that Steve Spurrier is harping on.
South Carolina feels like both its defensive line and secondary are making positive steps forward as the young season has progressed, but that there's still plenty of room to improve and get better. Put simply, this isn't a "we've arrived" or a "we can't be beat" type win for for the Gamecocks. This was season-saver that keeps them alive in the SEC East but also shows them they still have a ways to go.
-- One look that South Carolina showed on defense Saturday that they hadn't shown previously this season was the "amoeba defense" on third down passing situations. The Gamecocks have known that they need to put more pressure on the quarterback (clearly) and it seems that defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward is willing to do anything and everything to try and create some 1-on-1 matchups and get defenders free. The Gamecocks version of the amoeba featured their three-man front personnel that they use against spread teams with the entire front seven standing up and moving around prior to the snap to try and confuse the opponents protection scheme regarding which players are rushing and which players are dropping back.
ALSO SEE: Chris Clark's Insider Report for Sept. 15
This post was edited on 9/15 3:22 PM by Brian Shoemaker
-- If you missed our in-depth story with quotes from four-star JUCO DT right here. From everything I've heard, both from interacting with Jones and talking with people who Jones interacted with this weekend, that visit went about as well as it possible could have for the Gamecocks. Jones is, of course, still committed to Florida State but there are some positive signs that Jones could make a flip to the Gamecocks. Jones has developed a very close relationship with defensive line coach Deke Adams and the two continued to hit it off this week. The chance to return to his home state is also something that's very appealing to Adams -- and leaving home to go to Mississippi has sort of revealed that to him -- and he's also got a future Gamecock in Dante Sawyer on his team at East Mississippi. Jones also told some people that it was the best game he's been to.
One thing of interest that Jones mentioned was that he could take an official visit to Alabama and/or Clemson. Personally, based on some feedback I've heard, I wouldn't be surprised if he chose not to take anymore official visits. My feedback tells me that this is a South Carolina-FSU battle and that the gap between those two and the other two schools is a big one. Jones mentioned to me the idea of making a "final decision" either in November or even December, but if a switch is made, I also wouldn't be surprised to see a quicker timetable on that. This weekend certainly went incredibly well for the Gamecocks and it was reaffirmed to me this weekend that Jones could be a talented enough prospect to be a one-and-done type player at the defensive tackle position. He'll surely compete for playing time next year and would cap off what is probably the best class of JUCO defensive players in the country.
-- As Chris mentioned in Isaac Nauta of Buford (Ga.) made it in, and it was big for Nauta's father to be able to make it in. It was an excellent game for them to be at as the Gamecocks used tight end Rory Anderson to perfection and that was pointed out to Nauta during the visit. The family feel of the South Carolina program was also something that stood out. While South Carolina and FSU are the two schools most mentioned regarding Nauta, I'm told that at one time it's Georgia that's weighed heavily on Nauta's mind, and the idea that everything he could possibly need is right there in-state. That thought process may be changing, though, as staying in-state may not be as much of a draw as it once was, especially considering that they've only been in Georgia for a few years, so there aren't extremely strong ties there.
Nauta and his family stuck around until Sunday to have breakfast with quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus and I'm told the visit went as well as it possibly could have. South Carolina helped itself a great deal this weekend -- the game, crowd, stadium and 'Sandstorm' certainly helped -- but the way it was described to me was that it wasn't just the coaches and program that are now more appealing to Nauta and his family but also the place, school, university and people.
-- I had the chance to check out Roebuck (S.C.) Dorman three-star WR and Stanford commitment JJ Arcega-Whiteside Friday in his team's blowout win over Rock Hill. While South Carolina has not yet offered Arcega-Whiteside, the Gamecocks have definitely stepped up their recruitment of him as of late. If an offer comes, then I'd expect, at the very least, for Arcega-Whiteside to listen to what the Gamecocks have to say and to probably take a visit.
On the field, Arcega-Whiteside and class of 2016 quarterback Collin Hill (a solid prospect in his own right who threw the ball well at South Carolina's camp and throws a nice, catchable ball) have an excellent rapport and turned it on in the second half to put Rock Hill away. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound Arcega-Whiteside has sneaky speed with a knack for getting open and making people miss in the open field. He's one of those guys that doesn't appear to be exerting a ton of energy, but always seems to find a way to get open and make the catch.
-- As we mentioned over the weekend, class of 2016 Greensboro (N.C.) Northern Guilford three-star running back C.J. Freeman picked up an offer from the Gamecocks over the weekend and we'll be running an article this afternoon with his thoughts on landing the offer. Freeman was incredibly excited to pick up his second off (Virginia Tech was the first) and said that it was by far his best visit so far. Freeman liked the way the Gamecocks' running backs were used and the 5-foot-11, 195-pounder enjoyed the atmosphere as well, with 'Sandstorm' as a highlight (that seems to be a trend among the recruits).
Freeman didn't name a leader and said that he has a top two of South Carolina and Virginia Tech at this point. The North Carolina schools also seem close to offering, he says. There are some South Carolina connections at Freeman's school and despite the fact he didn't name a leader, I got the impression that the Gamecocks currently have an edge based on what he told me.
-- The Gamecocks also helped themselves with class of 2015 Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian WR Darius Slayton this weekend, and Slayton plans to return to South Carolina for an official visit later on in the process. Slayton is currently in the process of setting up visits to other programs, and while the Gamecocks were behind some other schools at one point, Slayton is open to South Carolina and I get the impression some other schools aren't pushing for him the way they once were. South Carolina has picked up its recruitment of Slayton as of late, and Slayton tells me that the Gamecocks, Georgia and Auburn are the schools that are recruiting him the hardest.
-- A couple of South Carolina 2015 commitments who we never confirmed were going to make it prior to the game, did end up making it in: QB Nygel Edmonds who lived in Georgia before moving to McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tenn.
-- Class of 2017 Powder Springs (Ga.) McEachern quarterback Bailey Hockman is a young prospect with early offers from Alabama, FSU, Iowa State, Miami, Oklahoma State and Tennessee, who was also at the game on Saturday.
Team Notes
-- As big as this win was for South Carolina, I don't believe its the type victory that lends itself to a letdown the following week based on what I've heard around the program following Saturday's game. The staff and players were extremely excited about the win, and 2-1 is a heck of a lot better and 1-2 when it comes to the morale of the program, but the players understand that there's still a ton they have to get better at if they're going to be the team they want to be. That fact has already been drilled into the players' head at this early point in the week and the fact that the Gamecocks have to be better on third downs defensively, is something that Steve Spurrier is harping on.
South Carolina feels like both its defensive line and secondary are making positive steps forward as the young season has progressed, but that there's still plenty of room to improve and get better. Put simply, this isn't a "we've arrived" or a "we can't be beat" type win for for the Gamecocks. This was season-saver that keeps them alive in the SEC East but also shows them they still have a ways to go.
-- One look that South Carolina showed on defense Saturday that they hadn't shown previously this season was the "amoeba defense" on third down passing situations. The Gamecocks have known that they need to put more pressure on the quarterback (clearly) and it seems that defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward is willing to do anything and everything to try and create some 1-on-1 matchups and get defenders free. The Gamecocks version of the amoeba featured their three-man front personnel that they use against spread teams with the entire front seven standing up and moving around prior to the snap to try and confuse the opponents protection scheme regarding which players are rushing and which players are dropping back.
ALSO SEE: Chris Clark's Insider Report for Sept. 15
This post was edited on 9/15 3:22 PM by Brian Shoemaker
