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Wes Mitchell
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** Alexandria (Va.) Episcopal class of 2021 three-star linebacker Bryce Steele is closing in on a commitment announcement on Saturday with South Carolina, North Carolina and Texas considered the three finalists here and my Futurecast pointing towards the Gamecocks. Steele will announce his decision via Rivals.com at 1 p.m.
Steele had long been considered a North Carolina lean as that staff has felt really good about its position with him for some time. But Steele visited South Carolina this spring before recruiting was shut down and South Carolina has quietly felt it was in a solid spot since that time. Texas jumped in with an offer in late March and was considered a dream offer with Coleman Hutzler of course being familiar with Steele from his time at South Carolina, but it doesn't appear that he'll be going that far from home. Steele has moved around his decision date some, but it looks like Saturday is the definitive date.
Steele was considered a prospect who could play safety or linebacker at one time, but now it looks like the consensus is that he'll be an outside linebacker at the college level and that's where schools are recruiting him.
He's 6-foot-1 and while he's listed at 195 pounds, he's reportedly up to 205-210 pounds or so. Steele missed his entire junior season due to a preseason medical issue but the Gamecocks and Tar Heels stuck with him through that, which went a long way with him. This is a kid who was starting to garner plenty of attention due to his camp performances leading into his junior season and could have been a four-star type but saw that heavily affected by schools not being able to see him as a junior. As it is, he's ranked a high-three-star on that upside alone.
** South Carolina landed a commitment from Goldsboro (N.C.) Eastern Wayne class of 2021 three-star defensive tackle Nick Barrett last week which wasn't really a surprise (except for the fact that it came down at 10:00 p.m.) as the Gamecocks have been in good shape for months.
The 6-foot-3, 320-pounder gives South Carolina a true nose guard type defensive lineman who can hold up inside as a 0 or 1 technique in the middle of the scheme. Carolina has recruited well on the defensive front over the last few years but Barrett should provide a different skillset than the other guys they've landed and are in position to land at this point.
The interesting thing about Barrett is that even with his size and ability to hold up and command double teams inside, he's still incredibly productive last season with 15 sacks and 70 tackles. Barrett gives both Kyle Krantz (area recruiter) and Tracy Rocker (position coach) a win in North Carolina and is the first domino of what should be another impressive DL haul this year.
** With South Carolina looking to land Steele out of Virginia (although technically, he's originally from Raleigh), another name we're tracking from that state is Virginia Beach (Va.) Green Run three-star defensive end George Wilson. The 6-foot-5, 210-pounder edge rusher is one of a few prospects the Gamecocks are prioritizing in that state (along with speedster WR Malcolm Johnson who we've talked about a bit). Wilson is set to announce a top group in May.
** As Chris mentioned in The Insider Report, the Gamecocks extended an offer yesterday to another intriguing prospect out of Florida in Davis Mallinger.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder is listed by Rivals.com as a safety but is also drawing interest as a wide receiver. I'm told that South Carolina is recruiting him as a defensive back. He’s committed to UCF just four days ago, but plans on giving South Carolina a look.
“Definitely,” he told GamecockCentral.com. “I’m committed to UCF but after I got this offer from South Carolina it makes an interesting option. I’ve always wanted to play in the SEC.”
I'm told by someone close with Davis that the Gamecocks will definitely be in consideration and that he's a speedster who has been timed at 10.7 in the 100 meter.
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