W
Wes Mitchell
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-- South Carolina extended an offer to Asheville (N.C.) A.C. Reynolds ATH Rico Dowdle on Wednesday and it's a resourceful offer for the Gamecocks, who are obviously looking to land playmakers late in the 2016 class. Dowdle is ranked a two-star prospect, but has put up huge numbers at his high school and has impressed multiple people I trust who have seen him play. In fact, when I arrived on the North Carolina side at the Shrine Bowl and spoke to a couple of coaches I know, one of the first things said to me was, more schools need to look at No. 15 (Dowdle).
South Carolina loves Dowdle as a player and currently has him down as a running back, though he certainly has the ability to play wide receiver as well. I'll be catching up with Dowdle soon to get thoughts straight from him, but I've already been told that the Carolina offer is a huge one for him. He's originally from Gaffney, S.C., and has given strong feedback about the Gamecocks. North Carolina State and Tennessee are the Gamecocks two biggest competitors here, but at the end of the day, he's someone I like Carolina's chances with. Dowdle is being recruited by Shawn Elliott and Bobby Bentley.
The words "under-the-radar" or "sleeper" get thrown around far too often, but I see no way that Dowdle stays the two-star prospect he's listed as now. Take one look at his film and you'll see why: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3270893/rico-dowdle
-- It's hard to describe just how big it was for South Carolina to get Conway (S.C.) four-star wide receiver Bryan Edwards back in the fold on Tuesday when you consider all of the factors. Edwards is a major in-state target at a major position of need who gives the Gamecocks a bit of momentum on the recruiting trail. Even though Edwards wasn't at the Shrine Bowl (due to injury) on Tuesday, there was a buzz about where he was going to end up, and for Will Muschamp to land Edwards -- versus the alternative of him going to Clemson to play safety -- is a big early win in the Muschamp era when you consider how well Clemson has recruited the state as of late.
Edwards wants to play early and he's certainly going to have every opportunity to do that. Edwards says he'll be cleared to participate this spring and that should give him the opportunity to be a factor as a true freshman. At 6-foot-3, Edwards can provide a big downfield and red zone threat that Carolina has lacked but he's also shifty enough to make defenders miss in the open field. I'm also told that the in-state guys already on the team (Deebo Samuel and K.C. Crosby were specifically mentioned) did a great job of helping sell Edwards on coming to Carolina during his official visit.
-- The buzz I've received regarding the pickup of four-star junior college cornerback Jamarcus King is incredibly positive as well. Several people have remarked to me just how good King looks physically with his size and length. King is a potential day-one starter for Carolina, especially since he's enrolling early.
-- The news is less positive for three-star wide receiver Sam Denmark. In speaking with people who have interacted with Denmark during the Shine Bowl week, the word I'm getting is that he's still likely to stick with Virginia Tech. He'll make a decision shortly after the week is over and Carolina will continue to work him hard, though.
-- One of the biggest mysteries in the entire class is Grove Hill (Ala.) Clark County three-star linebacker commitment Jacorey Morris. Morris doesn't do interviews, so solid news is difficult to come by, but one source close to him says it's far more likely at this point that Morris signs with Mississippi State than South Carolina. Take that for what it's worth, but it does come from a solid place.
-- Rock Hill (S.C.) South Pointe cornerback commitment Chris Smith was unable to take an official visit to South Carolina due to the timing of the coaching change, his state championship game this past week, and the beginning of the dead period. But Smith told me this week that despite that, he still plans to enroll early at South Carolina in January.
South Carolina loves Dowdle as a player and currently has him down as a running back, though he certainly has the ability to play wide receiver as well. I'll be catching up with Dowdle soon to get thoughts straight from him, but I've already been told that the Carolina offer is a huge one for him. He's originally from Gaffney, S.C., and has given strong feedback about the Gamecocks. North Carolina State and Tennessee are the Gamecocks two biggest competitors here, but at the end of the day, he's someone I like Carolina's chances with. Dowdle is being recruited by Shawn Elliott and Bobby Bentley.
The words "under-the-radar" or "sleeper" get thrown around far too often, but I see no way that Dowdle stays the two-star prospect he's listed as now. Take one look at his film and you'll see why: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3270893/rico-dowdle
-- It's hard to describe just how big it was for South Carolina to get Conway (S.C.) four-star wide receiver Bryan Edwards back in the fold on Tuesday when you consider all of the factors. Edwards is a major in-state target at a major position of need who gives the Gamecocks a bit of momentum on the recruiting trail. Even though Edwards wasn't at the Shrine Bowl (due to injury) on Tuesday, there was a buzz about where he was going to end up, and for Will Muschamp to land Edwards -- versus the alternative of him going to Clemson to play safety -- is a big early win in the Muschamp era when you consider how well Clemson has recruited the state as of late.
Edwards wants to play early and he's certainly going to have every opportunity to do that. Edwards says he'll be cleared to participate this spring and that should give him the opportunity to be a factor as a true freshman. At 6-foot-3, Edwards can provide a big downfield and red zone threat that Carolina has lacked but he's also shifty enough to make defenders miss in the open field. I'm also told that the in-state guys already on the team (Deebo Samuel and K.C. Crosby were specifically mentioned) did a great job of helping sell Edwards on coming to Carolina during his official visit.
-- The buzz I've received regarding the pickup of four-star junior college cornerback Jamarcus King is incredibly positive as well. Several people have remarked to me just how good King looks physically with his size and length. King is a potential day-one starter for Carolina, especially since he's enrolling early.
-- The news is less positive for three-star wide receiver Sam Denmark. In speaking with people who have interacted with Denmark during the Shine Bowl week, the word I'm getting is that he's still likely to stick with Virginia Tech. He'll make a decision shortly after the week is over and Carolina will continue to work him hard, though.
-- One of the biggest mysteries in the entire class is Grove Hill (Ala.) Clark County three-star linebacker commitment Jacorey Morris. Morris doesn't do interviews, so solid news is difficult to come by, but one source close to him says it's far more likely at this point that Morris signs with Mississippi State than South Carolina. Take that for what it's worth, but it does come from a solid place.
-- Rock Hill (S.C.) South Pointe cornerback commitment Chris Smith was unable to take an official visit to South Carolina due to the timing of the coaching change, his state championship game this past week, and the beginning of the dead period. But Smith told me this week that despite that, he still plans to enroll early at South Carolina in January.
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