I wanted to address Lateek Townsend and that situation here first. As some of you have seen, Townsend recently made some public comments that South Carolina was "pretty much the only school he was looking at." While I'm not really buying that as much, the Gamecocks are in a better position than they were a few months ago to make a move with him for several reasons.
Townsend was on campus, along with fellow Marlboro County LB Sam Merriman, for the Alabama game and the returns were positive there. He was also in town for the Furman game and I can tell you that South Carolina's staff felt like that visit also went well, as I posted after he was on campus. USC has done a good job with him in that regard. Townsend is an interesting and different type of person, but there's no doubt he's got a lot of athletic ability and upside as a linebacker. I've been told that Ellis Johnson (who coaches linebackers for USC as well) wants him as a part of the class. Additionally, Johnson does an excellent job on the recruiting trail with all of his experience and connections and will be able to sort through any of the misinformation, etc. that comes out of Townsend’s recruiting.
While you cannot put a great deal of stock into what Townsend says publicly, he also told me in the past few weeks that there "was a good chance he would be a Gamecock", for whatever that is worth. A couple of other folks around his recruitment I have spoken with believe the door is open for South Carolina. It's helped that USC has gotten off to a good start this year and Clemson has struggled some. I still think there are some ties to Clemson there that could make it tough on USC, but Townsend has proven he's a wildcard and he will likely go where he wants to go, in my opinion. It will be interesting to follow, but it's also a tough situation to project because even those close to him can't read him. Personally, I think USC is in the mix here just based on what I've gathered, and others close to the program also believe USC is in the thick of it. Certainly, they are more than they were a while back but that doesn't mean I'm telling you he's going to South Carolina. I’ll keep you posted.
Just to reiterate, I spoke with junior college defensive tackle Maurice Couch after he had actually completed his visit to South Carolina and got the feeling that the Gamecocks made a big move with him. On Saturday, he saw GameDay and the football game and then on Sunday he got to get a look at the academic side of things and the real nuts and bolts of the program. After that, he had a lot of positive things to say.
I spoke with another source familiar with his recruitment who felt like the Gamecocks may be out in front at this time. While Couch is still planning on visiting Southern California, there is a thought that they may not end up being as big of a factor as some of the other programs on his list. That remains to be seen of course, but there's a good chance it's going to be Kansas/South Carolina/Tennessee. The Vols will also get a visit, and Couch likes line coach Chuck Smith a lot from the school. USC has some help with Couch, and I've been told the visit there went as well as it possibly could. His father was also there on the visit, which helped things. It's going to come down to the other visits, but the Gamecocks are definitely in the thick of it coming off of their official with him.
I mentioned before the Alabama game that LB Rory Anderson may be making it in, but I understand they did not because of transportation issues. I hear they are planning on being on campus for the Tennessee game.
Jacksonville (FL) University Christian TE Andrew Buie who is also from Jacksonville, but the feedback given to USC's staff at that time was that he was solid to Florida. There are some Gamecock ties with Leonard, as his coach at his old school (Interlachen) was Willie Offord and his current coach is former Gamecock (and Columbia native) Heath Nivens. I'll keep you posted if any visit plans for Leonard pop up.
A quick team note here: I know many of you guys in the fanbase are concerned about a letdown against Kentucky, and they are certainly a team that USC will have to play well against to beat. What I can tell you is that from talking to those around the program, I've gathered no sense whatsoever that the team is resting on their laurels from beating Alabama. The attitudes have been very good, they realize it's a tough game, and I've been told that Tuesday's practice was also a very good one. There's still the rest of the week to go, but I would be surprised if USC came out flat and uninspired against Kentucky based on what I've heard so far.
Townsend was on campus, along with fellow Marlboro County LB Sam Merriman, for the Alabama game and the returns were positive there. He was also in town for the Furman game and I can tell you that South Carolina's staff felt like that visit also went well, as I posted after he was on campus. USC has done a good job with him in that regard. Townsend is an interesting and different type of person, but there's no doubt he's got a lot of athletic ability and upside as a linebacker. I've been told that Ellis Johnson (who coaches linebackers for USC as well) wants him as a part of the class. Additionally, Johnson does an excellent job on the recruiting trail with all of his experience and connections and will be able to sort through any of the misinformation, etc. that comes out of Townsend’s recruiting.
While you cannot put a great deal of stock into what Townsend says publicly, he also told me in the past few weeks that there "was a good chance he would be a Gamecock", for whatever that is worth. A couple of other folks around his recruitment I have spoken with believe the door is open for South Carolina. It's helped that USC has gotten off to a good start this year and Clemson has struggled some. I still think there are some ties to Clemson there that could make it tough on USC, but Townsend has proven he's a wildcard and he will likely go where he wants to go, in my opinion. It will be interesting to follow, but it's also a tough situation to project because even those close to him can't read him. Personally, I think USC is in the mix here just based on what I've gathered, and others close to the program also believe USC is in the thick of it. Certainly, they are more than they were a while back but that doesn't mean I'm telling you he's going to South Carolina. I’ll keep you posted.
Just to reiterate, I spoke with junior college defensive tackle Maurice Couch after he had actually completed his visit to South Carolina and got the feeling that the Gamecocks made a big move with him. On Saturday, he saw GameDay and the football game and then on Sunday he got to get a look at the academic side of things and the real nuts and bolts of the program. After that, he had a lot of positive things to say.
I spoke with another source familiar with his recruitment who felt like the Gamecocks may be out in front at this time. While Couch is still planning on visiting Southern California, there is a thought that they may not end up being as big of a factor as some of the other programs on his list. That remains to be seen of course, but there's a good chance it's going to be Kansas/South Carolina/Tennessee. The Vols will also get a visit, and Couch likes line coach Chuck Smith a lot from the school. USC has some help with Couch, and I've been told the visit there went as well as it possibly could. His father was also there on the visit, which helped things. It's going to come down to the other visits, but the Gamecocks are definitely in the thick of it coming off of their official with him.
I mentioned before the Alabama game that LB Rory Anderson may be making it in, but I understand they did not because of transportation issues. I hear they are planning on being on campus for the Tennessee game.
Jacksonville (FL) University Christian TE Andrew Buie who is also from Jacksonville, but the feedback given to USC's staff at that time was that he was solid to Florida. There are some Gamecock ties with Leonard, as his coach at his old school (Interlachen) was Willie Offord and his current coach is former Gamecock (and Columbia native) Heath Nivens. I'll keep you posted if any visit plans for Leonard pop up.
A quick team note here: I know many of you guys in the fanbase are concerned about a letdown against Kentucky, and they are certainly a team that USC will have to play well against to beat. What I can tell you is that from talking to those around the program, I've gathered no sense whatsoever that the team is resting on their laurels from beating Alabama. The attitudes have been very good, they realize it's a tough game, and I've been told that Tuesday's practice was also a very good one. There's still the rest of the week to go, but I would be surprised if USC came out flat and uninspired against Kentucky based on what I've heard so far.
