W
Wes Mitchell
Guest
For a four-star national-level defensive tackle with offers from all over the country, Jaquaze Sorrells' commitment announcement was as straightforward as it could be - an emotional Sorrells pulled a South Carolina visor from his bag, secured it on his head, took in the moment, and then quickly inked his name on the national letter of intent.
In a recruiting landscape where hat switches, misdirection and dramatics are commonplace, Sorrells has a certain determined demeanor about him that I believe will help him at South Carolina and that I believe played into him ultimately choosing the Gamecocks.
After talking to Sorrells, multiple family members, and his coach, it's clear that the way Will Muschamp and Travaris Robinson handled his recruitment was a key determining factor in his decision. Sorrells didn't want a sale pitch, he didn't want to be pressured, and he didn't want to be BSed - he just wanted to know the deal - good and bad - and it seems Carolina gave him that, right down to the upfront approach to the fact that there's a chance he'll have to take an academic redshirt his first year in Columbia.
Sorrells' mother is a huge part of his life and his recruiting process, but little known fact, she's actually never been to South Carolina's campus, a hurdle that is somewhat amazing to me that Carolina was able to overcome after seeing firsthand how tight they are. She was supposed to get her first look during the official visit, but wasn't able to go. She did take visits to both Penn State and Alabama. But Sorrells' uncle, mom's brother, did make a trip to the school with the directive of reporting back to mom.
The reports were positive and the family commented multiple times on how Sorrells just felt comfortable at South Carolina. One family member told me that the staff in Columbia seemed to want to genuinely get to know him as a person and treated him as such, putting together a plan for him to succeed both on and off the field, rather than treating him as "just a football player."
How close was it? We can tell you that South Carolina has been confident for some time and I was told after the fact that locally it seemed like a foregone conclusion that he would end up in Columbia, but things did get somewhat blurry in the last month or so. Lance Thompson moving on did seem to create another small hurdle, but Muschamp and Robinson had been personally recruiting Sorrells for the entire process, so that helped minimize most of whatever potential damage that could have caused.
I was told that during his official visit that Sorrells was acting like someone who was already committed to the school, openly talking with other prospects about playing with them. In the days leading up to his decision, South Carolina was certainly confident but was also cautious because you never know what can happen with big-time prospects and Alabama was always looming.
Despite Carolina leading for so long, we didn't want to make assumptions either and there was a bit of hesitation on our part in the final few days of his recruitment as we learned just how few people around him in Winter Park actually knew where he was going and there was a brief period was Sorrells apparently wasn't talking to staffs. But we got a final confirmation from both the Penn State and Alabama sides the morning of signing day that it was not going to be them. Sorrells told Muschamp the news initially on Sunday and then reaffirmed on Tuesday before telling Robinson the news Wednesday morning.
While Alabama always loomed, it was actually Penn State that finished second and in talking to Sorrells that staff also did an excellent job recruiting him. Many times there are a bunch of schools jockeying for position behind the scenes in the final hours of a recruitment, but this one was pretty cut and dry. Sorrells had already cut off every school not in his final three, and after he informed Penn State that it wasn't going to be them, the Nittany Lions respected his wishes and bowed out in the final hours.
What type of player are the Gamecocks getting? In talking with Winter Park head coach Tim Shifflet, Shifflet emphasized that this is a true SEC interior lineman. At 6-foot-3, 298-pounds Sorrells already has SEC defensive tackle size and Shifflet praised his quick feet for someone of his size. Sorrells also has an excellent motor, something you don't always see with defensive tackles, and an ability and want to chase plays from sideline to sideline.
The more I learned about Sorrells on and off the field, I believe he'll prove to be one of Carolina's best gets in the class. While he never expounded on details, and I didn't ask, Sorrells said multiple times that he and his mom have been through a lot to get to yesterday and it was clearly an emotional day for him.
That background and emotion appears to be the driving force behind a determined kid who I have little doubt will be successful at South Carolina.
In a recruiting landscape where hat switches, misdirection and dramatics are commonplace, Sorrells has a certain determined demeanor about him that I believe will help him at South Carolina and that I believe played into him ultimately choosing the Gamecocks.
After talking to Sorrells, multiple family members, and his coach, it's clear that the way Will Muschamp and Travaris Robinson handled his recruitment was a key determining factor in his decision. Sorrells didn't want a sale pitch, he didn't want to be pressured, and he didn't want to be BSed - he just wanted to know the deal - good and bad - and it seems Carolina gave him that, right down to the upfront approach to the fact that there's a chance he'll have to take an academic redshirt his first year in Columbia.
Sorrells' mother is a huge part of his life and his recruiting process, but little known fact, she's actually never been to South Carolina's campus, a hurdle that is somewhat amazing to me that Carolina was able to overcome after seeing firsthand how tight they are. She was supposed to get her first look during the official visit, but wasn't able to go. She did take visits to both Penn State and Alabama. But Sorrells' uncle, mom's brother, did make a trip to the school with the directive of reporting back to mom.
The reports were positive and the family commented multiple times on how Sorrells just felt comfortable at South Carolina. One family member told me that the staff in Columbia seemed to want to genuinely get to know him as a person and treated him as such, putting together a plan for him to succeed both on and off the field, rather than treating him as "just a football player."
How close was it? We can tell you that South Carolina has been confident for some time and I was told after the fact that locally it seemed like a foregone conclusion that he would end up in Columbia, but things did get somewhat blurry in the last month or so. Lance Thompson moving on did seem to create another small hurdle, but Muschamp and Robinson had been personally recruiting Sorrells for the entire process, so that helped minimize most of whatever potential damage that could have caused.
I was told that during his official visit that Sorrells was acting like someone who was already committed to the school, openly talking with other prospects about playing with them. In the days leading up to his decision, South Carolina was certainly confident but was also cautious because you never know what can happen with big-time prospects and Alabama was always looming.
Despite Carolina leading for so long, we didn't want to make assumptions either and there was a bit of hesitation on our part in the final few days of his recruitment as we learned just how few people around him in Winter Park actually knew where he was going and there was a brief period was Sorrells apparently wasn't talking to staffs. But we got a final confirmation from both the Penn State and Alabama sides the morning of signing day that it was not going to be them. Sorrells told Muschamp the news initially on Sunday and then reaffirmed on Tuesday before telling Robinson the news Wednesday morning.
While Alabama always loomed, it was actually Penn State that finished second and in talking to Sorrells that staff also did an excellent job recruiting him. Many times there are a bunch of schools jockeying for position behind the scenes in the final hours of a recruitment, but this one was pretty cut and dry. Sorrells had already cut off every school not in his final three, and after he informed Penn State that it wasn't going to be them, the Nittany Lions respected his wishes and bowed out in the final hours.
What type of player are the Gamecocks getting? In talking with Winter Park head coach Tim Shifflet, Shifflet emphasized that this is a true SEC interior lineman. At 6-foot-3, 298-pounds Sorrells already has SEC defensive tackle size and Shifflet praised his quick feet for someone of his size. Sorrells also has an excellent motor, something you don't always see with defensive tackles, and an ability and want to chase plays from sideline to sideline.
The more I learned about Sorrells on and off the field, I believe he'll prove to be one of Carolina's best gets in the class. While he never expounded on details, and I didn't ask, Sorrells said multiple times that he and his mom have been through a lot to get to yesterday and it was clearly an emotional day for him.
That background and emotion appears to be the driving force behind a determined kid who I have little doubt will be successful at South Carolina.
