From Chris Clark and Wes Mitchell, Inside the 2018 class is a multi-part look behind the scenes at each prospect that South Carolina signed in its 2018 class plus insight on several that the Gamecocks missed on. Enjoy the read then feel free to ask any questions below.
South Carolina's recruitment of junior college defensive end Dorian Gerald, a Florence native, has drawn considerable discussion here on the board as the one-time target eventually fell down the Gamecocks' board. Gerald was at one time considered an early lean to South Carolina with Tennessee in second place, but the Vols ultimately landed him after summer visits to both schools. One of Tennessee's pitches to Gerald involved the possibility of his brother, also a prospect, getting an offer from the Vols, something that Carolina was unwilling to do.
Despite the commitment to Tennessee, Gerald continued to talk with South Carolina and behind the scenes it seemed like there was still a strong chance he would end up in Columbia if the Gamecocks pushed for him. The firing of Butch Jones only served to strengthen the chances that Gerald would not end up with the Vols.
Gerald took an unofficial visit to Columbia for the Arkansas game with plans to soon after take an official visit for the Wofford game and it was on that visit that a couple of sources told us that Gerald wanted to go to South Carolina. Somewhere along the way, the Gamecocks' needs seemed to realign. The overall numbers were starting to become an issue. The young defensive linemen on the roster were showing they're going to be players. And defensive high school prospects like Jarrett Jackson and John Mincey began to emerge. A decision had to be made and at some point Carolina backed off of the junior college target, who ultimately signed with Arkansas.
Another junior college defensive tackle that South Carolina showed strong interest in, though very briefly, was Antwuan Jackson - the younger brother, of course, of Bryson Allen-Williams. Carolina jumped in with an offer for Jackson as soon as his recruitment re-opened, but Jackson already had his eyes set on the school that almost nabbed him out of high school - Ohio State - and still wanted to take his own path versus following the one of his brother. No doubt, Carolina liked him as a player, but the interest just never seemed to materialize from Jackson's end.
South Carolina was able to lure four-star defensive back Asante Samuel to Columbia for an official visit in October, a trip that took place in the midst of a tumultuous season and badly-kept secret of a forthcoming coaching transition for the program he was committed to in Florida State.
The Seminoles had long been considered the team to beat for Samuel, although he had mentioned South Carolina and others prior to committing to FSU early in the process. In August 2016, Samuel mentioned the Gamecocks in an interview with Rivals.com. In the spring of 2017, Samuel named a top five: Alabama, FSU (still the presumed favorite), LSU, Miami, and Ohio State. Around that time, we noted to our subscribers that while Samuel was not mentioning the Gamecocks, there were some conversations behind the scenes. There was a confidence on the part of USC that the staff could eventually get him on campus for a visit.
That happened, but not until that October. Samuel had a good relationship with Travaris Robinson and by all accounts, a strong visit to Columbia. The reality was that Florida State was going to be tough to unseat, particularly with a good coaching hire after Jimbo Fisher resigned. Willie Taggart was hired, an applauded hire in recruiting circles, and Samuel stuck as expected.
At one time, it looked like Georgia defensive back Trey Dean could end up in the Gamecocks’ class. He was leaning that way last spring before the events of that summer would change the complexion of his recruitment. He visited Georgia and Texas in the summer and USC’s position slipped. Georgia was the front runner in June, and then July came, in advance of Dean’s projected July 31 decision. Dean had a close family member in Texas, and at one time it looked like Austin would be the destination. A return trip to Texas was cancelled and Dean ultimately opened things up.
There were some communications with the Gamecocks, but Dean committed to Tennessee. Once Butch Jones was fired in Knoxville, he indicated he would likely decommit and hosted some coaches in his home for visits that December. Among them was South Carolina defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson, but a by that point the Gamecock staff was merely keeping the situation warm; other targets were the emphasis. Dean ultimately pledged to Florida.
When GamecockCentral.com traveled to North Carolina to cover Rick Sandidge’s announcement during the February signing day, a face that was tough to miss was in the crowd. Cross-town prospect Jordan Davis, all 6-foot-6, 300-pounds of him, was there was a Georgia hat atop his head. He made time to go speak with Sandidge after the announcement and the two were all smiles.
South Carolina did have some involvement with Davis, a product of Mallard Creek in Charlotte. He hung around Columbia during one of the Gamecocks’ summer camp sessions and returned for a “Spurs Up Day” event the next month. Some college coaches believed that Davis could ultimately fit in as an offensive lineman at the next level. The Gamecocks never really full moved in on the four-star prospect.
When a prospect mentions a program as a “dream school”, it’s sometimes jokingly referred to among those that cover or closely follow recruiting as the “kiss of death.” Perhaps that’s an exaggeration, but it is a term that is nonetheless thrown around a good bit and there are certainly prospects that attach that label to a particular program only to head elsewhere.
Such was the case with Robert Cooper, a massive defensive tackle prospect who committed to FSU early and stuck with his pledge. Cooper grew up following the Gamecocks and indeed told GamecockCentral.com more than once that USC was his dream school. He somewhat abruptly committed to Florida State in June of 2016. There were some signs, with him telling Rivals.com a week before he pledged to the Noles that FSU was leading.
Cooper continued to say South Carolina – and others – would be in the mix for some time after his early verbal was given. After a while, contact with the Gamecocks fell off as both parties seemed to move in the other direction.
USC’s previous staff was the first to offer Lewisville’s Josh Belk in the summer of 2015. After the staff turned over and Will Muschamp was hired in Columbia, he touched base in January of 2016 to ensure that the offer to Belk was still on the table. The process continued for a year, with the Gamecocks holding the lead for some time to Belk’s positivity towards the USC staff. Clemson began to quietly make a move during the summer.
By the following January, things had changed. Belk had been on USC’s campus numerous times for various events, whether football games, social events, or Gamecock basketball games. He made his final trip to USC on January 21 and ended up committing to Clemson 8 days later after a trip to the Upstate. It was a somewhat surprising move in terms of timing, but was prompted by Belk wanting to secure a spot in a Clemson class that was projected to be small in number.
We can tell you that not long after rendering that choice, Belk did express some reservations in terms of possibly having jumped in too early. There were some communications with the USC staff, and for a time the situation was at least kept warm. By last summer, the Gamecock staff had ultimately passed on rekindling things, (not that Belk would have flipped, that’s impossible to know), keeping with that same course after keeping an eye on Belk’s senior season at Lewisville.
Another in-state defensive lineman, albeit one that ended up at IMG Academy for his senior season,was Anderson product Stephon Wynn. He first hit the radar in late February of 2016 when Will Muschamp’s staff extended an offer. That opened the door for a host of others to follow suit.
Early on, Wynn was pegged as a Clemson lock by observers. It made sense, given Wynn’s location in the Upstate and the fact that his father played for Clemson and mother also attended the school. Clemson would ultimately slow – and stop- its pursuit later in the process, but the fact that Wynn didn’t make an early commitment to a program changed the course of his recruitment.
USC worked hard to get in the mix and got Wynn on campus multiple times. In the course of those trips, the opinion of Wynn and his family of South Carolina completely changed. Wynn had been to one of USC’s summer camps before Muschamp’s arrival and had a very poor experience, which was followed the next year by a great experience at a Muschamp summer camp. As time went on, Wynn’s parents became more comfortable with South Carolina, a thought that had initially been jarring to them.
In June of 2016, Wes Mitchell told GamecockCentral.com subscribers that Wynn not a lock for the Tigers. USC kept working on it and by the following summer, things looked like more of a Georgia/South Carolina battle, with Alabama lurking if the Tide made a push. Some connected to the recruitment even felt at the time that the Gamecocks had nabbed the edge.
By the accounts we heard from those behind the scenes of the recruitment, Wynn struggled with his final decision up until a couple days before his announcement, which took place at a recreation center back home in Anderson. I can tell you that in the couple weeks prior to that choice, Wynn told non-biased parties in his circle on more than one occasion that he thought the choice was going to be South Carolina.
As the clock wound down and his decision approached, he went back and forth. It was such that we still did not have a definitive word walking into the announcement ceremony that day, although we had told our subscribers beforehand that our information made us lean towards Alabama. Our final word did not come down until arriving at the ceremony, when a family friend spilled the beans to us in advance of the announcement.
ALSO SEE: Inside the 2018 class: Part I | Inside the 2018 class: Part II | Inside the 2018 class: Part III | Inside the 2018 class: Part IV | Inside the class: Part V
South Carolina's recruitment of junior college defensive end Dorian Gerald, a Florence native, has drawn considerable discussion here on the board as the one-time target eventually fell down the Gamecocks' board. Gerald was at one time considered an early lean to South Carolina with Tennessee in second place, but the Vols ultimately landed him after summer visits to both schools. One of Tennessee's pitches to Gerald involved the possibility of his brother, also a prospect, getting an offer from the Vols, something that Carolina was unwilling to do.
Despite the commitment to Tennessee, Gerald continued to talk with South Carolina and behind the scenes it seemed like there was still a strong chance he would end up in Columbia if the Gamecocks pushed for him. The firing of Butch Jones only served to strengthen the chances that Gerald would not end up with the Vols.
Gerald took an unofficial visit to Columbia for the Arkansas game with plans to soon after take an official visit for the Wofford game and it was on that visit that a couple of sources told us that Gerald wanted to go to South Carolina. Somewhere along the way, the Gamecocks' needs seemed to realign. The overall numbers were starting to become an issue. The young defensive linemen on the roster were showing they're going to be players. And defensive high school prospects like Jarrett Jackson and John Mincey began to emerge. A decision had to be made and at some point Carolina backed off of the junior college target, who ultimately signed with Arkansas.
Another junior college defensive tackle that South Carolina showed strong interest in, though very briefly, was Antwuan Jackson - the younger brother, of course, of Bryson Allen-Williams. Carolina jumped in with an offer for Jackson as soon as his recruitment re-opened, but Jackson already had his eyes set on the school that almost nabbed him out of high school - Ohio State - and still wanted to take his own path versus following the one of his brother. No doubt, Carolina liked him as a player, but the interest just never seemed to materialize from Jackson's end.
South Carolina was able to lure four-star defensive back Asante Samuel to Columbia for an official visit in October, a trip that took place in the midst of a tumultuous season and badly-kept secret of a forthcoming coaching transition for the program he was committed to in Florida State.
The Seminoles had long been considered the team to beat for Samuel, although he had mentioned South Carolina and others prior to committing to FSU early in the process. In August 2016, Samuel mentioned the Gamecocks in an interview with Rivals.com. In the spring of 2017, Samuel named a top five: Alabama, FSU (still the presumed favorite), LSU, Miami, and Ohio State. Around that time, we noted to our subscribers that while Samuel was not mentioning the Gamecocks, there were some conversations behind the scenes. There was a confidence on the part of USC that the staff could eventually get him on campus for a visit.
That happened, but not until that October. Samuel had a good relationship with Travaris Robinson and by all accounts, a strong visit to Columbia. The reality was that Florida State was going to be tough to unseat, particularly with a good coaching hire after Jimbo Fisher resigned. Willie Taggart was hired, an applauded hire in recruiting circles, and Samuel stuck as expected.
At one time, it looked like Georgia defensive back Trey Dean could end up in the Gamecocks’ class. He was leaning that way last spring before the events of that summer would change the complexion of his recruitment. He visited Georgia and Texas in the summer and USC’s position slipped. Georgia was the front runner in June, and then July came, in advance of Dean’s projected July 31 decision. Dean had a close family member in Texas, and at one time it looked like Austin would be the destination. A return trip to Texas was cancelled and Dean ultimately opened things up.
There were some communications with the Gamecocks, but Dean committed to Tennessee. Once Butch Jones was fired in Knoxville, he indicated he would likely decommit and hosted some coaches in his home for visits that December. Among them was South Carolina defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson, but a by that point the Gamecock staff was merely keeping the situation warm; other targets were the emphasis. Dean ultimately pledged to Florida.
When GamecockCentral.com traveled to North Carolina to cover Rick Sandidge’s announcement during the February signing day, a face that was tough to miss was in the crowd. Cross-town prospect Jordan Davis, all 6-foot-6, 300-pounds of him, was there was a Georgia hat atop his head. He made time to go speak with Sandidge after the announcement and the two were all smiles.
South Carolina did have some involvement with Davis, a product of Mallard Creek in Charlotte. He hung around Columbia during one of the Gamecocks’ summer camp sessions and returned for a “Spurs Up Day” event the next month. Some college coaches believed that Davis could ultimately fit in as an offensive lineman at the next level. The Gamecocks never really full moved in on the four-star prospect.
When a prospect mentions a program as a “dream school”, it’s sometimes jokingly referred to among those that cover or closely follow recruiting as the “kiss of death.” Perhaps that’s an exaggeration, but it is a term that is nonetheless thrown around a good bit and there are certainly prospects that attach that label to a particular program only to head elsewhere.
Such was the case with Robert Cooper, a massive defensive tackle prospect who committed to FSU early and stuck with his pledge. Cooper grew up following the Gamecocks and indeed told GamecockCentral.com more than once that USC was his dream school. He somewhat abruptly committed to Florida State in June of 2016. There were some signs, with him telling Rivals.com a week before he pledged to the Noles that FSU was leading.
Cooper continued to say South Carolina – and others – would be in the mix for some time after his early verbal was given. After a while, contact with the Gamecocks fell off as both parties seemed to move in the other direction.
USC’s previous staff was the first to offer Lewisville’s Josh Belk in the summer of 2015. After the staff turned over and Will Muschamp was hired in Columbia, he touched base in January of 2016 to ensure that the offer to Belk was still on the table. The process continued for a year, with the Gamecocks holding the lead for some time to Belk’s positivity towards the USC staff. Clemson began to quietly make a move during the summer.
By the following January, things had changed. Belk had been on USC’s campus numerous times for various events, whether football games, social events, or Gamecock basketball games. He made his final trip to USC on January 21 and ended up committing to Clemson 8 days later after a trip to the Upstate. It was a somewhat surprising move in terms of timing, but was prompted by Belk wanting to secure a spot in a Clemson class that was projected to be small in number.
We can tell you that not long after rendering that choice, Belk did express some reservations in terms of possibly having jumped in too early. There were some communications with the USC staff, and for a time the situation was at least kept warm. By last summer, the Gamecock staff had ultimately passed on rekindling things, (not that Belk would have flipped, that’s impossible to know), keeping with that same course after keeping an eye on Belk’s senior season at Lewisville.
Another in-state defensive lineman, albeit one that ended up at IMG Academy for his senior season,was Anderson product Stephon Wynn. He first hit the radar in late February of 2016 when Will Muschamp’s staff extended an offer. That opened the door for a host of others to follow suit.
Early on, Wynn was pegged as a Clemson lock by observers. It made sense, given Wynn’s location in the Upstate and the fact that his father played for Clemson and mother also attended the school. Clemson would ultimately slow – and stop- its pursuit later in the process, but the fact that Wynn didn’t make an early commitment to a program changed the course of his recruitment.
USC worked hard to get in the mix and got Wynn on campus multiple times. In the course of those trips, the opinion of Wynn and his family of South Carolina completely changed. Wynn had been to one of USC’s summer camps before Muschamp’s arrival and had a very poor experience, which was followed the next year by a great experience at a Muschamp summer camp. As time went on, Wynn’s parents became more comfortable with South Carolina, a thought that had initially been jarring to them.
In June of 2016, Wes Mitchell told GamecockCentral.com subscribers that Wynn not a lock for the Tigers. USC kept working on it and by the following summer, things looked like more of a Georgia/South Carolina battle, with Alabama lurking if the Tide made a push. Some connected to the recruitment even felt at the time that the Gamecocks had nabbed the edge.
By the accounts we heard from those behind the scenes of the recruitment, Wynn struggled with his final decision up until a couple days before his announcement, which took place at a recreation center back home in Anderson. I can tell you that in the couple weeks prior to that choice, Wynn told non-biased parties in his circle on more than one occasion that he thought the choice was going to be South Carolina.
As the clock wound down and his decision approached, he went back and forth. It was such that we still did not have a definitive word walking into the announcement ceremony that day, although we had told our subscribers beforehand that our information made us lean towards Alabama. Our final word did not come down until arriving at the ceremony, when a family friend spilled the beans to us in advance of the announcement.
ALSO SEE: Inside the 2018 class: Part I | Inside the 2018 class: Part II | Inside the 2018 class: Part III | Inside the 2018 class: Part IV | Inside the class: Part V
