Team notes from Wes Mitchell...
-- The word prior to this season was that redshirt junior offensive lineman Brandon Shell was leaning heavily towards forgoing his senior season and entering the NFL Draft -- we've been told by a couple of different sources that that's no longer necessarily the case. Obviously, this is the type of thing that can change quickly and Shell will weigh all of his options, but we've been told that at this point Shell has let it be known that he's leaning towards coming back for his senior season.
-- Walk-on Jacob August, who came in this past January as a preferred walk-on tight end after spending a semester at Fork Union, has actually been working on the scout team at offensive tackle while redshirting, we have learned, though his future position has not yet been determined.
August was a 6-foot-4, 200-pound wide receiver in high school, but hit a late growth spurt and gained 50 pounds and added two inches of height while at Fork Union. August has continued to get bigger while at South Carolina which has led to him playing offensive tackle. The sense is that he can either drop a few pounds and play tight end or continue to add weight and play offensive tackle. One positive to him working at offensive tackle, if he ends up back at tight end, is that his blocking has improved tremendously.
The Gamecocks will obviously have to replace Rory Anderson and Cody Gibson at tight end next year, so with his added size and blocking ability, August could potentially be the Gamecocks' big blocking tight end that Gibson has been this season. If you think about it, that's really been an excellent move by the staff and Gibson probably hasn't received the praise he deserves.
-- True freshman Bryson Allen-Williams was scheduled to return to practice Monday after missing Saturday's game with Furman. Allen-Williams actually physically probably could have played Saturday and was already feeling better, but there are certain concussion protocols in place now for player safety and players have to be without symptoms for a number of days before they're allowed back in action which kept him out.
Recruiting notes from Wes Mitchell...
-- I continue to hear good things about everything that quarterback commitment Lorenzo Nunez is doing in order to put himself in position to possibly play early for the Gamecocks. On top of playing for his high school football team, Nunez is also putting in side work with his quarterback coach and watching as much South Carolina football as possible.
Nunez and his family understand the difficulties of playing as a true freshman, but Nunez will also be the Gamecocks' most athletic quarterback the second he steps foot on campus. The idea of finding a way to get him on the field early, by possibly getting him a package, or a segment of the playbook to run has also been broached by the coaching staff with Nunez and his family.
The plan from the beginning has been for Nunez to enroll at South Carolina during the summer, but I've been told the door is at least cracked for an early enrollment (though it's still not likely). Even if Nunez can't enroll early, then he plans to spend as much time visiting Columbia as possible this spring in order to learn as much as he possibly can.
-- Another in-state class of 2016 prospect to keep an eye on is Richland Northeast linebacker T.J. Brunson, who is beginning to receive interest from programs like Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Clemson and Florida among others. South Carolina is also aware of him. The 6-foot, 224-pounder doesn't appear to have much help, but he had 23 tackles in a game earlier this year. Florida defensive line coach Brad Lawing was by RNE to check up on Brunson on Monday. You can check out his highlights here:
Recruiting notes from Chris Clark...
A couple of talented underclassmen from the state of Georgia visited South Carolina and took in the Gamecocks' win over Furman on Saturday.
One was a return visitor with a family connection to the Paladins. 2017 Vidalia linebacker Nate McBride has already picked up offers from Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and South Carolina and his brother Nick McBride plays linebacker for Furman. The younger McBride is a prospect that we recently profiled that has already been on campus at USC for a game this season, and he enjoyed this latest trip as well. Early on, Georgia and South Carolina are the two programs to watch with the Peach State product.
Atlanta's Tobias Little is on USC's board as a linebacker/rush end, and apparently drew plenty of attention upon his arrival in Columbia on Saturday. The 6-foot, 233-pounder told me that the coaching staff "wanted him to commit" as soon as he stepped foot on campus. Little mentioned that he liked the atmosphere at the stadium and took notice that the coaches treat the players like family. Little also considers current USC freshman Bryson Allen-Williams as "like a cousin". Early on, his list of favorites is Clemson, South Carolina, NC State, and Kentucky in no particular order
Louisiana product John Broussard participated in South Carolina's one day camp this summer, and he announced this week that he plans on releasing a list of three favorites soon and that it's possible that he will announce a decision in December. The four-star prospect told me over the weekend that South Carolina has a "good chance" of making that cut. Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, Georgia, and FSU are five other programs to keep a close eye on with respect to Broussard.
Speaking of December decisions for underclassmen, four-star tight end Isaac Nauta has made it known that he will be announcing his decision on December 15. The Georgia product, slated to move to Jacksonville after his senior season, has a final four of FSU, Georgia, Ole Miss, and South Carolina. The Gamecocks have long been a major factor for Nauta along with Florida State (where he visited this past weekend). Ole Miss hasn't received a game visit yet this year, but should at some point and Nauta is also expected to return to USC for another game (he was at the UGA game in Columbia). Georgia is a bigger factor than it was earlier in the process, but it's tough to tell which program is out in front right at this moment. There is still time to go in the process, and Nauta likes different things about all the programs on his list. G.A. Mangus has done a strong job with Nauta and his family, selling him on playing in the Gamecock offense (which has utilized the tight end a ton this season) and also being his coach in Columbia. I still feel that USC is very much in the thick of this one.
One in-state underclassman that has carried a Gamecock offer and generated some discussion is Goose Creek's Javon Kinlaw. The first time I saw Kinlaw in person was at a camp in June of last year, and he immediately stood out with his size and frame. He was raw as could be in the camp, but had the size that could make him a projected Division I guy. Kinlaw has grown some and now that he's seen the field, has improved his actual on-field skill but still has some work to do in that regard. While South Carolina has an early edge for Kinlaw, one storyline to watch here is his position. Kinlaw projects best as an offensive lineman at the college level, but he plays defensive end for Goose Creek and has made no secret that he wants to play that position going forward. He's had some nice performances there, but everyone I've talked with thinks he is an o-lineman at the next level.
A couple more notes on a pair of underclassmen that USC is now aware of and will be tracking going forward:
Broome High's Check out his film that Jeff Tyner cut right here to see for yourself. Jackson hasn't heard from many yet, but that will likely change in the near future. He's very new to recruiting, but told me he did want to hear from the "local schools."
We're also introducing another in-state big-timer in this report, and he's a guy that has the potential to become one of the best to roll through the Palmetto State in some time. McCormick's Davon Durant.
The younger Durant scored four touchdowns on the ground, had 243 rushing yards overall on 14 carries and also a 69-yard reception for a touchdown earlier this season in one game. Last Friday, Durant went over 200 yards again and scored six times on the ground. His coach, Sean Thorn, raves about him and thinks he's going to be very special (in truth, he already is). He said that Durant is as humble as can be, and could project as an outside linebacker or running back at the next level although he thinks he could be an excellent big back. He believes Durant could continue to grow and get close to 6-foot-2 and over 230 pounds, possibly.
More on Jackson and Durant later this week on GamecockCentral.com, but no doubt you will hear more about them in the future.
-- The word prior to this season was that redshirt junior offensive lineman Brandon Shell was leaning heavily towards forgoing his senior season and entering the NFL Draft -- we've been told by a couple of different sources that that's no longer necessarily the case. Obviously, this is the type of thing that can change quickly and Shell will weigh all of his options, but we've been told that at this point Shell has let it be known that he's leaning towards coming back for his senior season.
-- Walk-on Jacob August, who came in this past January as a preferred walk-on tight end after spending a semester at Fork Union, has actually been working on the scout team at offensive tackle while redshirting, we have learned, though his future position has not yet been determined.
August was a 6-foot-4, 200-pound wide receiver in high school, but hit a late growth spurt and gained 50 pounds and added two inches of height while at Fork Union. August has continued to get bigger while at South Carolina which has led to him playing offensive tackle. The sense is that he can either drop a few pounds and play tight end or continue to add weight and play offensive tackle. One positive to him working at offensive tackle, if he ends up back at tight end, is that his blocking has improved tremendously.
The Gamecocks will obviously have to replace Rory Anderson and Cody Gibson at tight end next year, so with his added size and blocking ability, August could potentially be the Gamecocks' big blocking tight end that Gibson has been this season. If you think about it, that's really been an excellent move by the staff and Gibson probably hasn't received the praise he deserves.
-- True freshman Bryson Allen-Williams was scheduled to return to practice Monday after missing Saturday's game with Furman. Allen-Williams actually physically probably could have played Saturday and was already feeling better, but there are certain concussion protocols in place now for player safety and players have to be without symptoms for a number of days before they're allowed back in action which kept him out.
Recruiting notes from Wes Mitchell...
-- I continue to hear good things about everything that quarterback commitment Lorenzo Nunez is doing in order to put himself in position to possibly play early for the Gamecocks. On top of playing for his high school football team, Nunez is also putting in side work with his quarterback coach and watching as much South Carolina football as possible.
Nunez and his family understand the difficulties of playing as a true freshman, but Nunez will also be the Gamecocks' most athletic quarterback the second he steps foot on campus. The idea of finding a way to get him on the field early, by possibly getting him a package, or a segment of the playbook to run has also been broached by the coaching staff with Nunez and his family.
The plan from the beginning has been for Nunez to enroll at South Carolina during the summer, but I've been told the door is at least cracked for an early enrollment (though it's still not likely). Even if Nunez can't enroll early, then he plans to spend as much time visiting Columbia as possible this spring in order to learn as much as he possibly can.
-- Another in-state class of 2016 prospect to keep an eye on is Richland Northeast linebacker T.J. Brunson, who is beginning to receive interest from programs like Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Clemson and Florida among others. South Carolina is also aware of him. The 6-foot, 224-pounder doesn't appear to have much help, but he had 23 tackles in a game earlier this year. Florida defensive line coach Brad Lawing was by RNE to check up on Brunson on Monday. You can check out his highlights here:
Recruiting notes from Chris Clark...
A couple of talented underclassmen from the state of Georgia visited South Carolina and took in the Gamecocks' win over Furman on Saturday.
One was a return visitor with a family connection to the Paladins. 2017 Vidalia linebacker Nate McBride has already picked up offers from Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and South Carolina and his brother Nick McBride plays linebacker for Furman. The younger McBride is a prospect that we recently profiled that has already been on campus at USC for a game this season, and he enjoyed this latest trip as well. Early on, Georgia and South Carolina are the two programs to watch with the Peach State product.
Atlanta's Tobias Little is on USC's board as a linebacker/rush end, and apparently drew plenty of attention upon his arrival in Columbia on Saturday. The 6-foot, 233-pounder told me that the coaching staff "wanted him to commit" as soon as he stepped foot on campus. Little mentioned that he liked the atmosphere at the stadium and took notice that the coaches treat the players like family. Little also considers current USC freshman Bryson Allen-Williams as "like a cousin". Early on, his list of favorites is Clemson, South Carolina, NC State, and Kentucky in no particular order
Louisiana product John Broussard participated in South Carolina's one day camp this summer, and he announced this week that he plans on releasing a list of three favorites soon and that it's possible that he will announce a decision in December. The four-star prospect told me over the weekend that South Carolina has a "good chance" of making that cut. Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, Georgia, and FSU are five other programs to keep a close eye on with respect to Broussard.
Speaking of December decisions for underclassmen, four-star tight end Isaac Nauta has made it known that he will be announcing his decision on December 15. The Georgia product, slated to move to Jacksonville after his senior season, has a final four of FSU, Georgia, Ole Miss, and South Carolina. The Gamecocks have long been a major factor for Nauta along with Florida State (where he visited this past weekend). Ole Miss hasn't received a game visit yet this year, but should at some point and Nauta is also expected to return to USC for another game (he was at the UGA game in Columbia). Georgia is a bigger factor than it was earlier in the process, but it's tough to tell which program is out in front right at this moment. There is still time to go in the process, and Nauta likes different things about all the programs on his list. G.A. Mangus has done a strong job with Nauta and his family, selling him on playing in the Gamecock offense (which has utilized the tight end a ton this season) and also being his coach in Columbia. I still feel that USC is very much in the thick of this one.
One in-state underclassman that has carried a Gamecock offer and generated some discussion is Goose Creek's Javon Kinlaw. The first time I saw Kinlaw in person was at a camp in June of last year, and he immediately stood out with his size and frame. He was raw as could be in the camp, but had the size that could make him a projected Division I guy. Kinlaw has grown some and now that he's seen the field, has improved his actual on-field skill but still has some work to do in that regard. While South Carolina has an early edge for Kinlaw, one storyline to watch here is his position. Kinlaw projects best as an offensive lineman at the college level, but he plays defensive end for Goose Creek and has made no secret that he wants to play that position going forward. He's had some nice performances there, but everyone I've talked with thinks he is an o-lineman at the next level.
A couple more notes on a pair of underclassmen that USC is now aware of and will be tracking going forward:
Broome High's Check out his film that Jeff Tyner cut right here to see for yourself. Jackson hasn't heard from many yet, but that will likely change in the near future. He's very new to recruiting, but told me he did want to hear from the "local schools."
We're also introducing another in-state big-timer in this report, and he's a guy that has the potential to become one of the best to roll through the Palmetto State in some time. McCormick's Davon Durant.
The younger Durant scored four touchdowns on the ground, had 243 rushing yards overall on 14 carries and also a 69-yard reception for a touchdown earlier this season in one game. Last Friday, Durant went over 200 yards again and scored six times on the ground. His coach, Sean Thorn, raves about him and thinks he's going to be very special (in truth, he already is). He said that Durant is as humble as can be, and could project as an outside linebacker or running back at the next level although he thinks he could be an excellent big back. He believes Durant could continue to grow and get close to 6-foot-2 and over 230 pounds, possibly.
More on Jackson and Durant later this week on GamecockCentral.com, but no doubt you will hear more about them in the future.
