Football Recruiting
First of all, in case you missed it, GamecockCentral traveled to Rock Hill on Friday to check out the South Pointe-Rock Hill contest and Roger spoke with Gerald Dixon. Check out those interviews, plus game highlights, in the link below.
Clowney, Dixon, and more
As I posted on the board earlier, Marlboro County LB Lateek Townsend made an unofficial visit to South Carolina and took in the Furman game. While there, he spoke with several members of the Gamecock coaching staff.
The four-star prospect is a different type of kid and a different type of player, and that makes it even tougher to read what exactly he's going to end up doing recruiting-wise. You all know the story of his commitment (and subsequent denial of the commitment) to Clemson a while back. I still think that there's a very good chance he ends up heading to Clemson, as there are lots of signs pointing in that direction.
Throughout the process, there's been a lot of inconsistencies in what Townsend has said regarding visit plans and other things relating to his recruitment, and it may remain that way. I will be curious to see where he ends up taking official visits. He's a tremendous athlete and good prospect at linebacker, but to say the least, an interesting person.
I told you last week that Gamecock assistant Jeep Hunter would be in Orlando checking out a pair of high school games on Friday. One of his stops was the Dr. Phillips/Olympia game, which Dr. Phillips took 49-0. Of course, linebacker Laquentin Smith is the prospect of interest at Dr. Phillips, and he and Hunter spoke over the phone the day after Hunter was at his game. Smith is essentially down to Arkansas, USF, and South Carolina, and is still telling the USC staff he will officially visit, possibly for the Alabama game. Like I've said before, if he's uncommitted at that time, he will probably make the trip. I would still give the edge to Arkansas here.
I spoke with a source close to the recruitment of Jersey City (NJ) St. Peters Prep DB Sheldon Royster who told me that he would "definitely" be making an official visit to South Carolina at some point during the process. It will likely be after the season before he takes any officials, as his team does not have any available bye weeks this season. Royster visited USC unofficially with his mother in July and they were both very impressed with what they saw. I'm told that it's still Rutgers and South Carolina at the top for him.
No doubt, the fact that Rutgers has teammate Savon Huggins helps Scarlet Knights here, but it's not the deciding factor. Royster and his family aren't going to make the decision based on that. I think there's a good chance Royster stays close to home, but I can also tell you his family is not set on him doing so.
Charlotte TE Drew Owens made it in for the USC/Furman game and enjoyed the contest. I'll be running an article later Sunday or sometime Monday with his thoughts and the latest on his recruiting. A couple of notes here, though. He hopes to decide before November 1 (interestingly, the weekend of his official to USC for the Tennessee game) and is not planning on enrolling early anymore at the school of his choice.
USC has a lead now for Atlanta (GA) Grady DB Marcus Caffey. USC has him on the board as a cornerback and recruiter Lorenzo Ward scouted him on Friday night. I'll be running an article on him in the next couple of days as well.
Weekend scouting reports…
I checked out 2012 Lexington ATH Shaq Roland in their loss to Irmo to Friday. The Wildcats utilized him on offense at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver. He also returns kicks and punts and saw a few snaps at cornerback.
Looking at Roland, he certainly passes the eyeball test. He's a legitimate 6-foot-2 and has prototypical size to play safety at the next level. I was sort of disappointed I didn't get to see him in that role. What jumps out at you is his athleticism. He has good speed and very good leaping ability. He's good with the ball in his hands, and showed that with four catches for a touchdown and 119 yards, but I believe he projects best as a safety in college. USC offered verbally when he was a sophomore, and he also has an offer from the Gamecocks in basketball.
Glenn Elrod was at the Dorman/T.L. Hanna matchup, and here are his notes from that game:
"2012 TE (and recent USC verbal offer recipient) Justin Meredith is every bit of the 6'5, 220 pounds he's listed at. He has a great frame for a tight end and is 2 inches taller than all of Hanna's offensive linemen. Hanna runs a spread offense so he isn't used in a traditional role. They line him up in the slot a good bit and he also comes in motion quite often and lines up beside the quarterback in shotgun (similar to USC's offense with Lattimore on one side of Garcia and Maddox/Dimarco on the other). He had a couple catches tonight but couldn't quite bring one down in the endzone on a ball thrown too high. Meredith takes pride in blocking which is not all that common for a high school player. He is very physical. On the recruiting front, Meredith enjoyed his visit to South Carolina last weekend for the Georgia game. He admittedly grew up a Clemson fan but is open to any and all schools that recruit him. I was told tonight that Clemson hasn't pursued Meredith all that hard as of yet. Alabama is a school that has shown the most consistent interest dating back to the Spring. They have been by Hanna twice and Coach Burton Burns is high on Meredith's potential. LSU and Notre Dame are two schools who have recently sent him mail as well.
Will Gay is a junior running back who has been carrying the ball for Hanna since his freshman year. He is a very tough runner and ranks in the top 10 in the state in total yards for a running back. Duke is showing Gay the most interest right now.
I was very impressed with Dorman OL Patrick Destefano. The junior offensive lineman was all over the field. He lined up at left and right tackle as well as fullback and defensive tackle. I think his strength at this point is run blocking. He creates monster holes for running back Raymond Smith to run through. He picked up offers this week from Maryland and North Carolina, giving him a total of seven verbal offers."
If you have any questions about this report, please visit today's "Ask Chris" thread.
First of all, in case you missed it, GamecockCentral traveled to Rock Hill on Friday to check out the South Pointe-Rock Hill contest and Roger spoke with Gerald Dixon. Check out those interviews, plus game highlights, in the link below.
Clowney, Dixon, and more
As I posted on the board earlier, Marlboro County LB Lateek Townsend made an unofficial visit to South Carolina and took in the Furman game. While there, he spoke with several members of the Gamecock coaching staff.
The four-star prospect is a different type of kid and a different type of player, and that makes it even tougher to read what exactly he's going to end up doing recruiting-wise. You all know the story of his commitment (and subsequent denial of the commitment) to Clemson a while back. I still think that there's a very good chance he ends up heading to Clemson, as there are lots of signs pointing in that direction.
Throughout the process, there's been a lot of inconsistencies in what Townsend has said regarding visit plans and other things relating to his recruitment, and it may remain that way. I will be curious to see where he ends up taking official visits. He's a tremendous athlete and good prospect at linebacker, but to say the least, an interesting person.
I told you last week that Gamecock assistant Jeep Hunter would be in Orlando checking out a pair of high school games on Friday. One of his stops was the Dr. Phillips/Olympia game, which Dr. Phillips took 49-0. Of course, linebacker Laquentin Smith is the prospect of interest at Dr. Phillips, and he and Hunter spoke over the phone the day after Hunter was at his game. Smith is essentially down to Arkansas, USF, and South Carolina, and is still telling the USC staff he will officially visit, possibly for the Alabama game. Like I've said before, if he's uncommitted at that time, he will probably make the trip. I would still give the edge to Arkansas here.
I spoke with a source close to the recruitment of Jersey City (NJ) St. Peters Prep DB Sheldon Royster who told me that he would "definitely" be making an official visit to South Carolina at some point during the process. It will likely be after the season before he takes any officials, as his team does not have any available bye weeks this season. Royster visited USC unofficially with his mother in July and they were both very impressed with what they saw. I'm told that it's still Rutgers and South Carolina at the top for him.
No doubt, the fact that Rutgers has teammate Savon Huggins helps Scarlet Knights here, but it's not the deciding factor. Royster and his family aren't going to make the decision based on that. I think there's a good chance Royster stays close to home, but I can also tell you his family is not set on him doing so.
Charlotte TE Drew Owens made it in for the USC/Furman game and enjoyed the contest. I'll be running an article later Sunday or sometime Monday with his thoughts and the latest on his recruiting. A couple of notes here, though. He hopes to decide before November 1 (interestingly, the weekend of his official to USC for the Tennessee game) and is not planning on enrolling early anymore at the school of his choice.
USC has a lead now for Atlanta (GA) Grady DB Marcus Caffey. USC has him on the board as a cornerback and recruiter Lorenzo Ward scouted him on Friday night. I'll be running an article on him in the next couple of days as well.
Weekend scouting reports…
I checked out 2012 Lexington ATH Shaq Roland in their loss to Irmo to Friday. The Wildcats utilized him on offense at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver. He also returns kicks and punts and saw a few snaps at cornerback.
Looking at Roland, he certainly passes the eyeball test. He's a legitimate 6-foot-2 and has prototypical size to play safety at the next level. I was sort of disappointed I didn't get to see him in that role. What jumps out at you is his athleticism. He has good speed and very good leaping ability. He's good with the ball in his hands, and showed that with four catches for a touchdown and 119 yards, but I believe he projects best as a safety in college. USC offered verbally when he was a sophomore, and he also has an offer from the Gamecocks in basketball.
Glenn Elrod was at the Dorman/T.L. Hanna matchup, and here are his notes from that game:
"2012 TE (and recent USC verbal offer recipient) Justin Meredith is every bit of the 6'5, 220 pounds he's listed at. He has a great frame for a tight end and is 2 inches taller than all of Hanna's offensive linemen. Hanna runs a spread offense so he isn't used in a traditional role. They line him up in the slot a good bit and he also comes in motion quite often and lines up beside the quarterback in shotgun (similar to USC's offense with Lattimore on one side of Garcia and Maddox/Dimarco on the other). He had a couple catches tonight but couldn't quite bring one down in the endzone on a ball thrown too high. Meredith takes pride in blocking which is not all that common for a high school player. He is very physical. On the recruiting front, Meredith enjoyed his visit to South Carolina last weekend for the Georgia game. He admittedly grew up a Clemson fan but is open to any and all schools that recruit him. I was told tonight that Clemson hasn't pursued Meredith all that hard as of yet. Alabama is a school that has shown the most consistent interest dating back to the Spring. They have been by Hanna twice and Coach Burton Burns is high on Meredith's potential. LSU and Notre Dame are two schools who have recently sent him mail as well.
Will Gay is a junior running back who has been carrying the ball for Hanna since his freshman year. He is a very tough runner and ranks in the top 10 in the state in total yards for a running back. Duke is showing Gay the most interest right now.
I was very impressed with Dorman OL Patrick Destefano. The junior offensive lineman was all over the field. He lined up at left and right tackle as well as fullback and defensive tackle. I think his strength at this point is run blocking. He creates monster holes for running back Raymond Smith to run through. He picked up offers this week from Maryland and North Carolina, giving him a total of seven verbal offers."
If you have any questions about this report, please visit today's "Ask Chris" thread.
