W
Wes Mitchell
Guest
South Carolina landed a pledge from Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County three-star running back Caleb McDowell Tuesday as he went public with the commitment that he actually made to the staff a couple of weeks ago.
I actually first started to get the feel that a quick commit could be coming when, right after South Carolina offered three weeks ago, McDowell, who was committed to N.C. State at the time, said he wanted to hold off on doing an interview about the offer - a sign that some news may be coming.
Last week, McDowell went public with his decommitment from N.C. State but had already given the news to the Gamecock staff that he was planning on joining the commit list. We placed a few hints along the way that the Gamecocks were gaining ground with McDowell but couldn't say much at the time.
McDowell has a long-standing relationship with Carolina assistant Mike Bobo, who recruits that area for the Gamecocks, and has developed a quick relationship with Des Kitchings who offered him in mid-May. Even though McDowell was committed to Kitchings former employer, there was actually no prior connection there as N.C. State started recruiting McDowell after Kitchings left.
I mentioned it when the Gamecocks first offered, but we've been told former N.C. State running back and current NFLer Nyheim Hines, who played for Kitchings at State, is an apt comparison here.
McDowell checks in at 5-foot-10, 175-pounds but is a monster in the weight room with a bench of around 350 pounds and a squat of 600 pounds. McDowell, who runs a 40 in the 4.4s according to his head coach, played both ways this past season with an emphasis on defense and special teams because that's where his team needed him the most, but will take over as the primary ball carrier during his senior season.
As we've said for some time, Carolina wants to add more big-play ability to its offense and McDowell fits the mold of the speedy scat back who can move around and make plays from both the backfield and slot. As we've said for some time, we expect Carolina to sign two backs in this class and they feel good about where they're at in making that happen.
I actually first started to get the feel that a quick commit could be coming when, right after South Carolina offered three weeks ago, McDowell, who was committed to N.C. State at the time, said he wanted to hold off on doing an interview about the offer - a sign that some news may be coming.
Last week, McDowell went public with his decommitment from N.C. State but had already given the news to the Gamecock staff that he was planning on joining the commit list. We placed a few hints along the way that the Gamecocks were gaining ground with McDowell but couldn't say much at the time.
McDowell has a long-standing relationship with Carolina assistant Mike Bobo, who recruits that area for the Gamecocks, and has developed a quick relationship with Des Kitchings who offered him in mid-May. Even though McDowell was committed to Kitchings former employer, there was actually no prior connection there as N.C. State started recruiting McDowell after Kitchings left.
I mentioned it when the Gamecocks first offered, but we've been told former N.C. State running back and current NFLer Nyheim Hines, who played for Kitchings at State, is an apt comparison here.
McDowell checks in at 5-foot-10, 175-pounds but is a monster in the weight room with a bench of around 350 pounds and a squat of 600 pounds. McDowell, who runs a 40 in the 4.4s according to his head coach, played both ways this past season with an emphasis on defense and special teams because that's where his team needed him the most, but will take over as the primary ball carrier during his senior season.
As we've said for some time, Carolina wants to add more big-play ability to its offense and McDowell fits the mold of the speedy scat back who can move around and make plays from both the backfield and slot. As we've said for some time, we expect Carolina to sign two backs in this class and they feel good about where they're at in making that happen.
