After not signing a receiver in the 2013 class, the Gamecock coaches now have a trio of talented prospects at the position to work with after Shaq Davidson, Terry Googer, and Tyshun Samuel ink with USC in February. All of the prospects in the class are unique, with Samuel being the quicker, speedier type, Googer being the big-bodied receiver and Davidson falling in between.
As for Samuel, he moved up in the most recent Rivals.com rankings and has a chance to do so again with a big performance during Shrine Bowl week. I scouted him in a playoff game this season and came away very impressed. I can't give an exact comparison for him, but I came away thinking that he was the type of smaller receiver that USC has had success with lately.
To me, he has some similarities to Bruce Ellington. Ellington is built bigger and is the overall better athlete (how many are better athletes than Bruce?) whereas Samuel may be faster straight-line. In the game I watched, Chapman lined up Samuel a lot in the shotgun at running back to create mismatches and he was tougher than I anticipated running the ball between the tackles. I think he's a quick-twitch guy that will be able to get separation at the college level.
One coach I talked with recently with a good bit of experience told me that Samuel was the best player he had ever had to prepare against at the high school level and that last time a Gamecock coach dropped by his school to check in on one of his players that he actually showed him film of Samuel.
While USC's offer was a recent development after he received a qualifying test score, it's not as if this was a fallback option or a guy that USC reached on at this stage in the process. Shawn Elliott, who recruits the Upstate, kept in contact regularly with the coaching staff at Chapman to monitor Samuel's progress and has always really liked him as a player. Steve Spurrier Jr. also got a chance to see Chapman during the team passing camp in Columbia this summer and came away impressed.
Samuel holds 11 Chapman school records. His career statistics: 166 receptions for 2,751 yards and 36 TDs. He also rushed 133 times for 898 yards and 13 scores. He returned 30 kicks for 732 yards and two touchdowns and added 94 tackles with 12 interceptions and two scores on defense.
As for Samuel, he moved up in the most recent Rivals.com rankings and has a chance to do so again with a big performance during Shrine Bowl week. I scouted him in a playoff game this season and came away very impressed. I can't give an exact comparison for him, but I came away thinking that he was the type of smaller receiver that USC has had success with lately.
To me, he has some similarities to Bruce Ellington. Ellington is built bigger and is the overall better athlete (how many are better athletes than Bruce?) whereas Samuel may be faster straight-line. In the game I watched, Chapman lined up Samuel a lot in the shotgun at running back to create mismatches and he was tougher than I anticipated running the ball between the tackles. I think he's a quick-twitch guy that will be able to get separation at the college level.
One coach I talked with recently with a good bit of experience told me that Samuel was the best player he had ever had to prepare against at the high school level and that last time a Gamecock coach dropped by his school to check in on one of his players that he actually showed him film of Samuel.
While USC's offer was a recent development after he received a qualifying test score, it's not as if this was a fallback option or a guy that USC reached on at this stage in the process. Shawn Elliott, who recruits the Upstate, kept in contact regularly with the coaching staff at Chapman to monitor Samuel's progress and has always really liked him as a player. Steve Spurrier Jr. also got a chance to see Chapman during the team passing camp in Columbia this summer and came away impressed.
Samuel holds 11 Chapman school records. His career statistics: 166 receptions for 2,751 yards and 36 TDs. He also rushed 133 times for 898 yards and 13 scores. He returned 30 kicks for 732 yards and two touchdowns and added 94 tackles with 12 interceptions and two scores on defense.
