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In this multi-part deep dive into the state of Gamecock football recruiting, we take a look at Will Muschamp's in-state recruiting efforts. Here, we'll lend more insight into Carolina's current status within the Palmetto State, rewind to the past, and look forward to the future.
By the way, if you missed our most recent Insider Report, we covered more of the latest recruiting trends across college football and how they have had an effect on South Carolina.
*** Much has been made - and some of the reasoning is quite sound, we'll add - of the low number of prospects offered and pursued by the South Carolina staff. We'll cover more of that fact's significance later in this space, but first let's look back at how many in-state prospects Will Muschamp has signed each of his cycles at South Carolina.
2016: LB TJ Brunson, WR Chavis Dawkins, DL Javon Kinlaw (JUCO placement), WR Bryan Edwards, DB Chris Smith (5)
2017: LB Davonne Bowen, OL Summie Carlay, DL Brad Johnson, DL Tyreek Johnson, TE Will Register, WR OrTre Smith, WR Shi Smith, LB Damani Staley, QB Jay Urich (9)
2018: OL Wyatt Campbell, QB Dakereon Joyner, DB RJ Roderick, OL Hank Manos, WR Darius Rush, DB Israel Mukuamu (played senior year in Louisiana) - (6)
2019: WR Xavier Legette, DL Zacch Pickens, DB Cam Smith, TE Keshawn Toney - (4)
2020: DL Jordan Burch, WR Ger’Cari Caldwell, QB Luke Doty, DB O’Donnell Fortune, DL Tonka Hemingway, DL Alex Huntley, OL Trai Jones, OL Tyshawn Wannamaker – (8)
*** Let's now dive into the hit rate on each of those in-state classes. Note that in the last two cycles - 2019 and 2020 - Muschamp and his staff have landed all their in-state priority targets after a 2018 class in which there were several notables that went elsewhere.
2016: South Carolina held a pledge for a while from Fort Dorchester's Diondre Champaigne, but opted not to sign him due to academics.
The misses in this class included several prospects already committed to other programs at the time of Muschamp's arrival: Clemson pledges RB Tavien Feaster and DL Nyles Pinckney. Hanahan WR Sam Denmark was a Virginia Tech commitment who stuck with his pledge, and targeted DB Troy Pride out of Greer was also a Virginia Tech commitment at one time, one who ultimately flipped to Notre Dame. Nation Ford TE Hank Tuipulotu in staying with BYU. Fort Dorchester's John Simpson was uncommitted when Muschamp arrived and signed with Clemson.
2017: In this group, Northwestern LB/DL Logan Rudolph signed with Clemson.
Among the other prospects to have carried an offer at one time or another from South Carolina (including a couple from the previous staff) were Dutch Fork WR Austin Connor, Bluffton ATH Cam Bent, North Augusta DL Tre Lawson, Lake Marion DB Tank Robinson, Bamberg-Ehrhardt ATH Savalas Cann, South Aiken ATH Tancey Richardson, and Westside DB Lummie Young. The latter was someone the Gamecock staff would have preferred to see in a camp setting first, and the others did not end up landing in the "push" category for the staff.
2018: This crop was notable for the volume of offers within the state, and also for some of the more visible misses.
Although Xavier Thomas played his senior year at IMG Academy, the Wilson product was the subject of a big recruiting battle before Clemson swooped in and landed him. The Tigers also nabbed South Pointe's Derion Kendrick and Lewisville DL Josh Belk. Conway's Raiqwon O'Neal opted for Rutgers, Gaffney WR Dennis Smith went with Duke, and Spring Valley linebacker Channing Tindall signed with Georgia. The Gamecocks also pursued SC native Dorian Gerald, who was then in junior college. Gerald verbally committed to Tennessee, then signed with Arkansas later in the cycle.
In the category of prospects not in the "committable offer" category, none stand out more than Dutch Fork wideout Bryce Thompson. The one-time Carolina commitment was one that the staff opted not to sign due to factors that had nothing to do with football, and he ended up at Tennessee.S aluda's Kelijiha Brown was a DL the staff would have taken at one point, but he committed to Wake Forest and the staff opted not to reengage. Byrnes WR Demarcus Gregory, Greenwood WR Sam Pinckney, South Pointe DL Eli Adams and ATH Steven Gilmore were also in this category.
2019: This cycle began the two-year run of landing every priority in the state.
While First Baptist RB Michel Dukes picked up a summer offer from the Gamecocks, he ended up being a guy the staff did not appear to push for, and Clemson offered and signed him late. Spartanburg's Zykaren Robinson (grades), Dorman WR Jacoby Pinckney, Hillcrest WR Quendarius Jefferson, and Berkeley OL Kamren McCray were other prospects that carried verbal offers at one time or another that were not priority prospects.Northwestern WR Jamario Holley was a USC commitment, but the staff parted ways with him due to academics and off-field concerns.
2020: Cheraw's Xavier McIver had an early offer from USC, but was not someone the staff stayed highly engaged with later in the process.
*** Looking at the 2021 class, there are six prospects that have been offered and legitimately pursued by the South Carolina staff. Those are Sumter DL Justus Boone, Wagener-Salley DL Elijah Davis, Gaffney DL Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Myrtle Beach WR J.J. Jones, Rock Hill TE Robbie Ouzts, and Marion DL TJ Sanders.
Boone unexpectedly committed to Florida, and the Gamecocks jumped in late on Jones, who recently committed to UNC. We're no longer heavily tracking Jones' recruitment, but we for the other five on this list.
Davis will be a placement for someone, possibly the Gamecocks.
*** With the prospect of a very small in-state class, what does this mean for the Gamecocks?
It's not necessarily a doomsday scenario to have, say, 3 or 4 prospects from within the Palmetto State sign in the 2021 class, based on past history. What it does mean is that, particularly without spring and summer visits plus summer camps, that the Gamecocks will have to do an excellent job outside of the state and a tremendous job with evaluations. Coming off a 4-8 season, plus the university's president's public relations missteps, and adding a lack of spring or summer in-person evaluation opportunities , it's created an uphill battle both in recruiting and evaluating for this staff.
Because of all those factors, it makes more sense to look at the entire picture rather than just the micro efforts in-state.
It will be paramount for South Carolina to stay in the game with both uncommitted and committed prospects until the season begins, then go win some games to erase last season and lure some prospects back to Columbia once things reopen.
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