W
Wes Mitchell
Guest
While Anderson (S.C.) T.L. Hanna five-star defensive end Zacch Pickens has played his recruitment closer to the vest than any major target I've covered in recent memory, he told me after the fact that he's known it was going to be South Carolina for a long time, and emphasized long. I don't know exactly when Pickens informed the staff he was coming but South Carolina has been very confident for some time. That confidence was evident following Pickens unofficial visit during the Gamecocks' big official visit weekend for its 2018 targets and it only grew after his trip for the cookout this spring.
While there have been other schools throughout the process that have shared the Top 2 spot with South Carolina, the Gamecocks have seemingly always been the consistent factor with the 6-foot-5, 271-pounder.
Early on, it was Florida State that appeared to be a big threat, though they faded away with the coaching change there. There were some rumblings along the way to watch out for Alabama, that the Tide could swoop in the way they did for his former teammate Stephon Wynn, and I always kept that in the back of my mind when reporting on him. Georgia was deemed a real threat to Carolina's chances by many and he took an unofficial visit there last weekend. Clemson tried its best to get into the mix -- they were actually at his school today -- and while you could never count them out and we consistently mentioned them, now that it's over, I'm not sure they were ever a huge factor in his recruitment, especially in the last six months or so.
South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp and his personal recruiting of Pickens was instrumental in Carolina landing the pledge from the state's top prospect. Muschamp made both Pickens and his mother comfortable and that long-standing relationship, plus Muschamp's approach to his recruitment was a major part of this decision.
What type of player are the Gamecocks getting? Pickens has always had potential, but when I look at his junior highlights, he looks like a prospect who took his game to a new level and he was rewarded with five-star status because of that. Pickens is a true SEC defensive lineman with great size, athleticism, strength and quickness. He'll fit in perfectly at Carolina's true defensive end spot that requires players to be able to hold the point of attack in the run game, but also be able to rush the passer, and is someone who can slide inside on passing downs.
Pickens will take his official visit to South Carolina the first weekend of June and says he now plans to turn his attention to helping recruit others to join him.
Pickens, who told me that he was relieved to have this decision out of the way, is actually hoping to enroll early and is going to take steps towards doing that, which would clearly give him a nice jump when he gets to school.
This is a huge pickup for South Carolina not just on the field as Carolina has a real chance to continue to change the DNA on its defensive line, but also in public perception as Muschamp went into Clemson's backyard and landed the state of South Carolina's top prospect.
While there have been other schools throughout the process that have shared the Top 2 spot with South Carolina, the Gamecocks have seemingly always been the consistent factor with the 6-foot-5, 271-pounder.
Early on, it was Florida State that appeared to be a big threat, though they faded away with the coaching change there. There were some rumblings along the way to watch out for Alabama, that the Tide could swoop in the way they did for his former teammate Stephon Wynn, and I always kept that in the back of my mind when reporting on him. Georgia was deemed a real threat to Carolina's chances by many and he took an unofficial visit there last weekend. Clemson tried its best to get into the mix -- they were actually at his school today -- and while you could never count them out and we consistently mentioned them, now that it's over, I'm not sure they were ever a huge factor in his recruitment, especially in the last six months or so.
South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp and his personal recruiting of Pickens was instrumental in Carolina landing the pledge from the state's top prospect. Muschamp made both Pickens and his mother comfortable and that long-standing relationship, plus Muschamp's approach to his recruitment was a major part of this decision.
What type of player are the Gamecocks getting? Pickens has always had potential, but when I look at his junior highlights, he looks like a prospect who took his game to a new level and he was rewarded with five-star status because of that. Pickens is a true SEC defensive lineman with great size, athleticism, strength and quickness. He'll fit in perfectly at Carolina's true defensive end spot that requires players to be able to hold the point of attack in the run game, but also be able to rush the passer, and is someone who can slide inside on passing downs.
Pickens will take his official visit to South Carolina the first weekend of June and says he now plans to turn his attention to helping recruit others to join him.
Pickens, who told me that he was relieved to have this decision out of the way, is actually hoping to enroll early and is going to take steps towards doing that, which would clearly give him a nice jump when he gets to school.
This is a huge pickup for South Carolina not just on the field as Carolina has a real chance to continue to change the DNA on its defensive line, but also in public perception as Muschamp went into Clemson's backyard and landed the state of South Carolina's top prospect.
