There have been many questions on The Insiders Forum lately regarding the recruitment of four-star defensive tackle Rick Sandidge.
He’ll be in the Sunshine State this weekend to visit Florida, FSU, and Miami, with the trip culminating in Tallahassee on Monday. This summer, the four-star defender is looking at traveling to get a closer look at Georgia, LSU, and Ohio State.
Another noteworthy trip for Sandidge will take place later this month, when he hits Columbia for the first time in a while. April 29 will represent one of the Gamecocks’ annual “Spurs Up Day” events on campus, and the tentative plan is for Sandidge and his family to make the trip. We documented last month that after a period in which the Gamecocks were top dog for Sandidge, that things had opened up in the process. As you can tell from Sandidge’s visit slate, he’s still very much looking at different options. South Carolina remains a serious contender here, and perhaps things heat up further as the summer approaches.
Offensive guard commitment Lamarius Benson recently made the trip to Gainesville to see Florida along with cross-town friend Darnell Jefferies, who’s also carried a Gamecock offer during the process. The pair traveled with several other players within their common training group, and Benson notified the Rivals.com network that there was nothing to the trip in terms of his commitment to the Gamecocks.
Assistant coaches Lance Thompson and Eric Wolford are checking on junior college targets and on Monday, traveled to California to College of the Canyons. That’s the home of Palmetto State native Dorian Gerald, who of course received a Gamecock offer earlier in the month. The staff was able to check on Gerald’s transcripts while in town. It’s expected that the former West Florence product will make his way back to South Carolina for a visit at some point this summer.
At running back, South Carolina prioritized Tennessee’s Master Teague and made him a top target early in the process, something that’s helped the Gamecocks maintain a top slot with him behind the scenes. In the last several weeks as Teague and his family took more visits, the Gamecocks’ competition increased. It would not be fair to say USC has slipped; rather the job has just become more difficult with Auburn, Georgia, and Tennessee all making pushes. It’s been Auburn that’s long been viewed as a team that could present the greatest challenge to the Gamecocks with its relative proximity and strong running game. Tennessee recently hosted Teague for a visit, but the Vols are thought to be running fourth right now.
Teague is eyeing a visit by July, if not before, and it’s not clear yet whether he’ll take some other visits prior to rendering that decision. With his high school team starting spring ball, his plan is to take a step back and assess the programs he’s considering. South Carolina will surely try to lure him back to campus for another trip prior to his decision being finalized.
Another prospect that South Carolina could be poised to battle Auburn for is four-star athlete Matthew Hill out of Georgia. The way I’ve heard Hill described is “just a football player” who could project favorably to either the offensive or defensive side of the ball at the next level. He had a good trip to Columbia for the Gamecocks’ spring game and was in Auburn for the Tigers’ spring game most recently. Florida is also in the mix, and Clemson has begun to show further interest as well.
Master Teague is not the only back that South Carolina has continued communication with; three prospects from Florida are also on the board as USC could take a pair of true backs in the class. Jashuan Corbin, Deshaun Fenwick, and Lavonte Valentine all visited USC in recent weeks and the Gamecocks are in the mix for all of them. The chances are best with Fenwick and Valentine out of that trio. With Valentine’s speed, he could really be classified as an “athlete” at the college level, someone who could be used on offense and in the return game. Georgia’s Lyn-J Dixon could also make a trip to Columbia at some point this summer.
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He’ll be in the Sunshine State this weekend to visit Florida, FSU, and Miami, with the trip culminating in Tallahassee on Monday. This summer, the four-star defender is looking at traveling to get a closer look at Georgia, LSU, and Ohio State.
Another noteworthy trip for Sandidge will take place later this month, when he hits Columbia for the first time in a while. April 29 will represent one of the Gamecocks’ annual “Spurs Up Day” events on campus, and the tentative plan is for Sandidge and his family to make the trip. We documented last month that after a period in which the Gamecocks were top dog for Sandidge, that things had opened up in the process. As you can tell from Sandidge’s visit slate, he’s still very much looking at different options. South Carolina remains a serious contender here, and perhaps things heat up further as the summer approaches.
Offensive guard commitment Lamarius Benson recently made the trip to Gainesville to see Florida along with cross-town friend Darnell Jefferies, who’s also carried a Gamecock offer during the process. The pair traveled with several other players within their common training group, and Benson notified the Rivals.com network that there was nothing to the trip in terms of his commitment to the Gamecocks.
Assistant coaches Lance Thompson and Eric Wolford are checking on junior college targets and on Monday, traveled to California to College of the Canyons. That’s the home of Palmetto State native Dorian Gerald, who of course received a Gamecock offer earlier in the month. The staff was able to check on Gerald’s transcripts while in town. It’s expected that the former West Florence product will make his way back to South Carolina for a visit at some point this summer.
At running back, South Carolina prioritized Tennessee’s Master Teague and made him a top target early in the process, something that’s helped the Gamecocks maintain a top slot with him behind the scenes. In the last several weeks as Teague and his family took more visits, the Gamecocks’ competition increased. It would not be fair to say USC has slipped; rather the job has just become more difficult with Auburn, Georgia, and Tennessee all making pushes. It’s been Auburn that’s long been viewed as a team that could present the greatest challenge to the Gamecocks with its relative proximity and strong running game. Tennessee recently hosted Teague for a visit, but the Vols are thought to be running fourth right now.
Teague is eyeing a visit by July, if not before, and it’s not clear yet whether he’ll take some other visits prior to rendering that decision. With his high school team starting spring ball, his plan is to take a step back and assess the programs he’s considering. South Carolina will surely try to lure him back to campus for another trip prior to his decision being finalized.
Another prospect that South Carolina could be poised to battle Auburn for is four-star athlete Matthew Hill out of Georgia. The way I’ve heard Hill described is “just a football player” who could project favorably to either the offensive or defensive side of the ball at the next level. He had a good trip to Columbia for the Gamecocks’ spring game and was in Auburn for the Tigers’ spring game most recently. Florida is also in the mix, and Clemson has begun to show further interest as well.
Master Teague is not the only back that South Carolina has continued communication with; three prospects from Florida are also on the board as USC could take a pair of true backs in the class. Jashuan Corbin, Deshaun Fenwick, and Lavonte Valentine all visited USC in recent weeks and the Gamecocks are in the mix for all of them. The chances are best with Fenwick and Valentine out of that trio. With Valentine’s speed, he could really be classified as an “athlete” at the college level, someone who could be used on offense and in the return game. Georgia’s Lyn-J Dixon could also make a trip to Columbia at some point this summer.
*** Buying/selling/renting a home in the Greater Columbia area? Call my friend Jeff Riley - a real estate expert with proven results that I can speak to personally...
http://www.jeffrileyteam.com/
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