South Carolina landed another prospect with potential to contribute on the offensive side of the ball on Thursday with the pledge of Georgia's Derwin Burgess.
Although Burgess could fall into that "athlete" category that several players have in the 2021 class already, he's someone the staff is eyeing first as a receiver at this stage.
The Gamecock staff has been able to sell the development and success of Deebo Samuel - who turned into a 2nd-round NFL Draft pick after his stint in Columbia - on the trail this cycle and have pitched getting the ball into the hands of guys like Simeon Price, Sam Reynolds, and Derwin Burgess along those same lines.
South Carolina has led for some time for Burgess, who's been telling GamecockCentral.com for several weeks now that he was moving closer to a decision. The Gamecocks have held the edge over in-state Georgia Tech, namely.
As former receivers coach Bryan McClendon started the recruitment Burgess, his departure for Oregon created a big of a hiccup in the Gamecocks' pursuit of the three-star prospect. Yet Joe Cox quickly took over and built a strong relationship, helping to sell him on former UGA offensive coordinator Mike Bobo's offensive successes and next-level development.
Burgess is a versatile player who could play defensive back (he had some offers at safety) or receiver at the next level and has a running-back like skill set with the ball in his hands.
Although Burgess could fall into that "athlete" category that several players have in the 2021 class already, he's someone the staff is eyeing first as a receiver at this stage.
The Gamecock staff has been able to sell the development and success of Deebo Samuel - who turned into a 2nd-round NFL Draft pick after his stint in Columbia - on the trail this cycle and have pitched getting the ball into the hands of guys like Simeon Price, Sam Reynolds, and Derwin Burgess along those same lines.
South Carolina has led for some time for Burgess, who's been telling GamecockCentral.com for several weeks now that he was moving closer to a decision. The Gamecocks have held the edge over in-state Georgia Tech, namely.
As former receivers coach Bryan McClendon started the recruitment Burgess, his departure for Oregon created a big of a hiccup in the Gamecocks' pursuit of the three-star prospect. Yet Joe Cox quickly took over and built a strong relationship, helping to sell him on former UGA offensive coordinator Mike Bobo's offensive successes and next-level development.
Burgess is a versatile player who could play defensive back (he had some offers at safety) or receiver at the next level and has a running-back like skill set with the ball in his hands.
