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Wes Mitchell
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** Rock Hill (S.C.) class of 2021 tight end Robbie Ouzts is set to visit South Carolina for junior day on Saturday (as we've previously posted) and it's a big visit for the Gamecocks as it will be Ouzts first visit since the Alabama game during the season and a big opportunity for the staff to truly lay out their plans for Ouzts.
While the 6-foot-3.5, 246-pounder is not yet ranked by Rivals, I've seen enough of him on film and playing basketball and heard enough from coaches at various levels to say that he's at least a 5.7 three-star and really in my eyes probably a 5.8 four-star on the Rivals scale. Ouzts is what I would call a low-risk prospect in that he's got the size, hands and athleticism you're looking for at that position, but more importantly has the grit and toughness as a blocker and a combination of intellect and work ethic off the field that you're looking for. He's a goal-oriented, academic-focused kid who will almost surely make whatever team he lands with a better team.
For all those reasons, Ouzts has emerged as a priority target for the Gamecocks and there's a reason they had four coaches watching his game on Saturday. There are no "leaders" here per se but Virginia Tech has done an excellent job getting in the mix early and now Carolina will get the chance to counter this weekend. Despite VT's early position, there's a lot that I believe will work in Carolina's favor with Ouzts once they get a chance to lay it all out there this weekend.
** Tennessee was scheduled to stop by Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern to see three-star wide receiver Ger-Cari Caldwell today (Thursday) and Vols coach Chris Weinke, who has the RH area, has been making a strong effort to get Caldwell to take an official visit to Knoxville this weekend. At last check, it was up in the air whether that official visit was going to happen. It's something worth keeping an eye on - and Tennessee's tenacity speaks to Caldwell's ability as a player - but I still feel good about my prediction for the Gamecocks. Caldwell will officially visit South Carolina on Jan. 31 and it's going to take a lot for me to change my prediction.
** Oceanside Collegiate Academy class of 2020 offensive tackle Dylan Sebuck landed a preferred offer from South Carolina during a visit over the weekend and quickly committed to the Gamecocks on Tuesday.
Offensive line coach Eric Wolford was by Sebuck's school last week and liked what he saw on film enough to invite Sebuck in for a visit this past weekend before extending the offer.
The 6-foot-5, 295-pounder completely reshaped his body in the last year and took home All-Low Country honors as a senior.
** Another class of 2021 prospect to keep an eye on that will be visiting this weekend is Dothan (Ala.) RB Jaylin White. White is among the handful of guys that South Carolina is prioritizing at running back in the class so far and this will serve as their first opportunity to make a move for him. White has early offers from South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi State and Memphis and visited Tennessee this past weekend. Check the highlights below.
** I had the opportunity to watch South Carolina commits Jordan Burch and Alex Huntley play basketball earlier this week as Carolina assistants John Scott Jr. and Mike Peterson were both on hand to watch while spending time with Burch's mom and Huntley's mom.
Some may not know that Burch's original first love in sports was basketball and not only was his athleticism on full display but so was his skill as a basketball player. Burch, who currently checks in at 6-foot-5, 275 pounds, actually plays guard for Hammond and while his size is obviously a huge asset at this level, I was most impressed with his ability to move his feet and guard players much smaller then him.
Burch is also a floor general who seems to have a great feel for the game and not only where he's supposed to be but also where his teammates are. Some of that has to translate over to football. Obviously, football is where Burch's future is but if he wasn't the best defensive end in the country, he probably could have played basketball in college at some level.
From what I understand, lacrosse is actually Huntley's "other" best sport, but he starts for Hammond and is impressive on the hardwood as well. He runs the court well for a big man, has nice touch around the rim, and was (as you would expect) able to out-physical anyone that got in his way down low.
Will Muschamp has talked a lot about using the basketball court as an evaluation tool for football, so it was fun to watch those guys compete in that sport.
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