GamecockCentral.com opens up our annual “Inside the Class” series, which takes subscribers behind the curtain of how the Gamecock football recruiting class was built.
This year, we have opted to structure this multi-part series a bit differently. Each installment will cover just one position, whether it’s prospects that South Carolina signed or did not sign. First up is quarterback, where Shane Beamer and his staff landed two prospects to add to the roster.
Quarterbacks tend to commit early in the process given limited slots - 1 or a maximum of 2 in a given class for programs – and that means that schools have often looked into or recruited a variety of options early in the process.
That was the case at South Carolina, which of course ultimately underwent a change in quarterbacks coach and, eventually, head coach. Under Will Muschamp, the staff was able to land visits from several high-profile quarterbacks that carried offers from the program.
Garrett Nussmeier, whose father, Doug, is a former SEC assistant and is on the Dallas Cowboys’ staff, also made a trip to South Carolina to throw for the staff at a camp session two summers ago. Nussmeier ultimately committed to – and signed with – LSU.
When Mike Bobo was hired at South Carolina, there was a brief window of wonder as to whether or not the Gamecocks could get involved with Brock Vandagriff out of Georgia. The five-star had decommitted from Oklahoma in January of 2020 – Shane Beamer was involved with his recruitment as Sooners assistant – citing concerns about distance from home. While there was never any legitimate buzz about South Carolina getting in the game, the question was put to bed when Vandagriff pledged to in-state UGA. The Gamecocks had hosted Vandagriff on a campus visit in the spring of 2019.
Speaking of Bobo, his first offer upon taking the offensive coordinator post under Muschamp was to Texas product Kaidon Salter, who eventually signed with Tennessee. Salter did make a trip to South Carolina and was someone that the Gamecocks kept on the board along the way.
USC also saw UNC signee Drake Maye – a former Alabama signee- roll through campus two summers ago with his Myers Park team to participate in Carolina’s 7-on-7 passing tournament.
Kansas State signee Jake Rubley and Penn State signee Christian Veilleux also made campus visits to Columbia during the recruiting process, as did Georgia’s Aaron McLaughlin, who matriculated to NC State after at one point pledging to Auburn.
Due to South Carolina’s landing of the since-departed Shilo Sanders, Muschamp’s staff also hosted quarterback Shedeur Sanders – Shilo’s brother - for a campus visit. Sanders, complete with a videographer that followed him around during his trip, also threw for the Gamecock staff during a session of summer camp.
South Carolina’s quarterback journey landed on a pledge from Georgia’s Colten Gauthier, a 6-foot-4 passer with a live arm and ample athleticism. He’s another that rolled through Columbia for camp, working out with then-quarterbacks coach Dan Werner during the summer of 2019 and putting on an impressive performance in drill work.
At one point, it looked like Gauthier was on track to an even earlier commitment to South Carolina, but he prolonged the process and hit Columbia again for games inside Williams-Brice later in the year. Carolina’s staff changed over, with Werner making way for Bobo on the quarterback coaching front. A few months after Bobo arrived, Gauthier made his commitment to South Carolina, one that he stuck with after a head coaching transition in becoming an early enrollee.
Gauthier remained solid throughout, never truly wavering in his pledge, and that was despite a host of overtures from other programs. Among others, Ole Miss, FSU, Louisville, and UCF continued attempts at communicating with the four-star prospect.
A series of events led to Shane Beamer’s pursuit of a second quarterback in the class, namely the fact that the coaching staff did not need to carry just two scholarship passers – Gauthier and Luke Doty -into the 2021 season. That, of course, was the situation after Collin Hill opted not to return for another season and Ryan Hilinski entered the transfer portal.
One name we at least heard that was checked on was Michigan’s Dylan McCaffrey, who decided to head to Northern Colorado.
In digging through the transfer portal themselves, South Carolina staffers landed on an intriguing package deal duo in wide receiver EJ Jenkins and quarterback Jason Brown from St. Francis. After clearing admissions, the Gamecocks landed a commitment from Brown, who will hit campus in March to provide more competition in the room.
This year, we have opted to structure this multi-part series a bit differently. Each installment will cover just one position, whether it’s prospects that South Carolina signed or did not sign. First up is quarterback, where Shane Beamer and his staff landed two prospects to add to the roster.
Quarterbacks tend to commit early in the process given limited slots - 1 or a maximum of 2 in a given class for programs – and that means that schools have often looked into or recruited a variety of options early in the process.
That was the case at South Carolina, which of course ultimately underwent a change in quarterbacks coach and, eventually, head coach. Under Will Muschamp, the staff was able to land visits from several high-profile quarterbacks that carried offers from the program.
Garrett Nussmeier, whose father, Doug, is a former SEC assistant and is on the Dallas Cowboys’ staff, also made a trip to South Carolina to throw for the staff at a camp session two summers ago. Nussmeier ultimately committed to – and signed with – LSU.
When Mike Bobo was hired at South Carolina, there was a brief window of wonder as to whether or not the Gamecocks could get involved with Brock Vandagriff out of Georgia. The five-star had decommitted from Oklahoma in January of 2020 – Shane Beamer was involved with his recruitment as Sooners assistant – citing concerns about distance from home. While there was never any legitimate buzz about South Carolina getting in the game, the question was put to bed when Vandagriff pledged to in-state UGA. The Gamecocks had hosted Vandagriff on a campus visit in the spring of 2019.
Speaking of Bobo, his first offer upon taking the offensive coordinator post under Muschamp was to Texas product Kaidon Salter, who eventually signed with Tennessee. Salter did make a trip to South Carolina and was someone that the Gamecocks kept on the board along the way.
USC also saw UNC signee Drake Maye – a former Alabama signee- roll through campus two summers ago with his Myers Park team to participate in Carolina’s 7-on-7 passing tournament.
Kansas State signee Jake Rubley and Penn State signee Christian Veilleux also made campus visits to Columbia during the recruiting process, as did Georgia’s Aaron McLaughlin, who matriculated to NC State after at one point pledging to Auburn.
Due to South Carolina’s landing of the since-departed Shilo Sanders, Muschamp’s staff also hosted quarterback Shedeur Sanders – Shilo’s brother - for a campus visit. Sanders, complete with a videographer that followed him around during his trip, also threw for the Gamecock staff during a session of summer camp.
South Carolina’s quarterback journey landed on a pledge from Georgia’s Colten Gauthier, a 6-foot-4 passer with a live arm and ample athleticism. He’s another that rolled through Columbia for camp, working out with then-quarterbacks coach Dan Werner during the summer of 2019 and putting on an impressive performance in drill work.
At one point, it looked like Gauthier was on track to an even earlier commitment to South Carolina, but he prolonged the process and hit Columbia again for games inside Williams-Brice later in the year. Carolina’s staff changed over, with Werner making way for Bobo on the quarterback coaching front. A few months after Bobo arrived, Gauthier made his commitment to South Carolina, one that he stuck with after a head coaching transition in becoming an early enrollee.
Gauthier remained solid throughout, never truly wavering in his pledge, and that was despite a host of overtures from other programs. Among others, Ole Miss, FSU, Louisville, and UCF continued attempts at communicating with the four-star prospect.
A series of events led to Shane Beamer’s pursuit of a second quarterback in the class, namely the fact that the coaching staff did not need to carry just two scholarship passers – Gauthier and Luke Doty -into the 2021 season. That, of course, was the situation after Collin Hill opted not to return for another season and Ryan Hilinski entered the transfer portal.
One name we at least heard that was checked on was Michigan’s Dylan McCaffrey, who decided to head to Northern Colorado.
In digging through the transfer portal themselves, South Carolina staffers landed on an intriguing package deal duo in wide receiver EJ Jenkins and quarterback Jason Brown from St. Francis. After clearing admissions, the Gamecocks landed a commitment from Brown, who will hit campus in March to provide more competition in the room.
