W
Wes Mitchell
Guest
** South Carolina's first three official visitors of the Shane Beamer era all left Columbia on Wednesday and all three left impressed with what they saw from the new head coach's program.
Let's be honest, official visits rarely come with negative reviews in the aftermath, but it does happen and it's worth pointing out how flawless the week apparently went considering that this was the first trio of official visits for the new staff together. There's a lot to plan and a lot that goes into these visits and having three early week OVs to prepare for what will be an insane weekend (currently looking at 11 official visitors to be in) was likely a nice warmup for the staff to get ready.
This week's official visits featured a stop at The Grand on Main for food, bowling and other games and an evening at Hall's Chophouse, arguably the best steakhouse in Columbia. Visitors were welcome to Columbia with a massive "WELCOME HOME" display in the hotel lobby, a common saying since Beamer arrived.
I'll try to avoid just recapping what the prospects have already said, so here are a few additional tidbits and some context on where things stand with each.
** South Carolina has worked hard to get Midlothian (Va.) Manchester four-star RB Ramon Brown on campus and it appears the official visit gives them a puncher's chance in his recruitment.
Brown has been perceived as a Penn State lean for a large portion of the process, but Montario Hardesty and company have worked hard to move Carolina into the mix since Hardesty landing in Columbia. Getting him in on an OV was considered a major win for the Gamecocks and the visit going well was the next step in that for Brown, who could make a decision at the end of the summer.
One takeaway is just how impressive Brown is physically from what we've been told - he's a muscular kid who's maybe even a bit bigger than you expect when you watch just how explosive he is on film.
A couple of key takeaways from Brown were him saying that the staff told him he was their top RB target and the fact that he liked the staff's no-nonsense approach with him.
Brown has already visited WVU and of course South Carolina and has OVs left for Penn State, Maryland and Virginia Tech to finish out the month.
** Among the trio of visitors, I'd probably give the Gamecocks the best percentage chance with Jackson (Ga.) class of 2022 three-star DT Felix Hixon who seemed thoroughly impressed with the trip and seems to have a strong comfort level with Jimmy Lindsey. Hixon was on his visit with his mother and we're also told that she is very comfortable with Lindsey, which should be an important factor in his recruitment.
Hixon is going to do a full slate of official visits - Wisconsin, South Carolina, Illinois, Georgia Tech and Virginia - and then make a decision in July.
Among those schools, South Carolina and Georgia Tech appear to be the two biggest contenders. That was the case prior to the visit to Columbia and my impression is that the Gamecocks set the bar for GT to try and match and clear on his OV there.
** Some of the more interesting feedback we heard on Philadelphia (Pa.) La Salle four-star linebacker Abdul Carter's official visit actually came from his father, who told us that the Gamecocks had set an extremely high bar that would be difficult for other schools to clear. Carter's dad was especially impressed with the number of former NFL guys that Beamer has both on his on-field staff and on the strength staff. That's important and caught his attention.
It remains to be seen exactly how Carter's recruitment is going to shape up. He doesn't seem too interested in deciding any time soon and doesn't have other official visits set. He did take a camp visit to Penn State and word is that the Nittany Lions will likely make a push there. He's also set to see Ohio State and Ole Miss soon. Stay tuned here.
** Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange four-star WR Jayden Gibson saw his ranking jump this week from a low three-star to a mid four-star as he is now the No. 16 wide receiver in the 2022 class according to Rivals.
That's a much more appropriate representation of Gibson's ability in my eyes as he has 30-plus offers to his name and is a priority for a number of top schools, including South Carolina and Justin Stepp. The Gamecocks have been sort of quietly working their way into the mix with Gibson for some time and his multi-day unofficial visit earlier this week served as an opportunity for the Gamecocks to make a move with him.
Gibson has official visits set for Miami, Baylor and Tennessee at this time and the assumption has been that the fourth will go to Florida, leaving the fifth for another school to grab. The Gamecocks are, of course, working to try to be that school for the massive receiver prospect.
Florida has been the perceived favorite here for some time, and the Gators will be tough to beat in the end, but the feedback from that unofficial is that it went as well as it possibly could have and the Gamecocks are firmly in the mix here now.
** The feedback from the Rivals national crew on former South Carolina four-star DB commit Anthony Rose matches what we've heard as well: the Gamecocks are back firmly in the mix for his services after his surprise unofficial visit last week.
Rose was very impressive on the field as well, showing off size and athleticism that I didn't realize he possessed. He's also got the competitive edge that you're looking for in a high-level defensive back prospect. Rose has been at three different high schools which is worth noting but I liked what I saw from him on the field as far as size, coverage ability and hip mobility.
** I mentioned when they got offered that I liked the Gamecocks' chances with both of the new rising senior in-state offers in wide receiver Kylic Horton and defensive tackle Davin Jackson but wanted to reiterate that here. I have entered a Futurecast for the Gamecocks with each prospect.
From what we hear, Horton also had a strong showing and received positive feedback from the staff at Clemson's camp and actually landed an offer from Virginia Tech on Thursday as well.
** Shane Beamer mentioned on the JB and Goldwater show that someone had told him this very same thing, but a high school coach I've known for years reached out to me this week and said that its the most hospitality he's been shown in all his years coming to South Carolina with prospects after an unofficial visit with Beamer and staff this week. Said coach has been coming on visits to USC for at least three coaching regimes, so it's an interesting little nugget.
** Spartanburg (S.C.) class of 2023 quarterback Raheim Jeter had a South Carolina offer from the previous staff and he tells me he's going to be in Columbia on June 18 with his team for the 7-on-7.
** There have been so many prospects to roll through and to report on that I don't know if we've reported this yet or not: Mt. Pleasant (S.C.) Oceanside class of 2023 four-star OL Monroe Freeling will be in Columbia for the OL/DL camp that's scheduled for June 17. His high school team is also competing in the 7-on-7 that day.
** One of the more intriguing prospects in the state, Chapin class of 2024 QB Jayden Bradford is set to camp with the Gamecocks on Friday. Some of you may remember me mentioning his name before after watching Bradford throw it at a Perry Orth camp and a 7-on-7 practice. The Gamecocks are well aware of Bradford and will have their eyes on him during the camp. He's an athletic kid with a natural arm and great pedigree. I'm excited to get a look at him again and to continue to watch him progress - based on what I've seen and heard I think it's only a matter of time before he grabs his first Power 5 offer.
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