South Carolina added to its defensive haul in the 2019 class on Saturday by picking up a commitment from North Carolina's Derek Boykins.
As noted previously here, I was by Boykins' school last week in advance of the official visit and we had inkling this could be coming. To reiterate what I posted in our last Insider Report, Boykins was very up front with the fact that although he had several other visits scheduled this summer, that if he fell in love with a place he would go ahead and pull the trigger.
Plenty of signs pointed to South Carolina having the best opportunity to be that place. Boykins grew up in Beaufort as a Gamecock fan, and during my talk with him several days ago he cited his relationship with Will Muschamp as a big factor for his interest in the Gamecocks.
USC is high on Boykins' potential as a MIKE or WILL type linebacker in Muschamp's scheme. He's a guy that brings physicality to the field, and he plays with the competitive edge that Muschamp really likes.
Boykins was scheduled to visit Clemson, possibly twice, within the next few weeks as well as trips on the books to Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee. USC was able to likely go ahead and end the process with this commitment in hand.
In my opinion and from what I've picked up, USC has held the edge here for quite some time. Boykins and his family were mulling taking other trips to be sure and just to continue to go through the process, but Boykins' heart has been in Columbia for a while. There was a feeling that the staff would be able to seal the deal with a strong visit this weekend. As it turned out, nobody even had to wait until Sunday.
As noted previously here, I was by Boykins' school last week in advance of the official visit and we had inkling this could be coming. To reiterate what I posted in our last Insider Report, Boykins was very up front with the fact that although he had several other visits scheduled this summer, that if he fell in love with a place he would go ahead and pull the trigger.
Plenty of signs pointed to South Carolina having the best opportunity to be that place. Boykins grew up in Beaufort as a Gamecock fan, and during my talk with him several days ago he cited his relationship with Will Muschamp as a big factor for his interest in the Gamecocks.
USC is high on Boykins' potential as a MIKE or WILL type linebacker in Muschamp's scheme. He's a guy that brings physicality to the field, and he plays with the competitive edge that Muschamp really likes.
Boykins was scheduled to visit Clemson, possibly twice, within the next few weeks as well as trips on the books to Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee. USC was able to likely go ahead and end the process with this commitment in hand.
In my opinion and from what I've picked up, USC has held the edge here for quite some time. Boykins and his family were mulling taking other trips to be sure and just to continue to go through the process, but Boykins' heart has been in Columbia for a while. There was a feeling that the staff would be able to seal the deal with a strong visit this weekend. As it turned out, nobody even had to wait until Sunday.
