Pendleton defensive lineman Brad Johnson is still slated to make his official visit to South Carolina the weekend of January 13, and it will be interesting to see how quickly Johnson decides to wrap up the process after that. He was originally looking to make his college choice no later than December, but it was pushed back in favor of making some official visits. He’s already seen Virginia Tech, and on deck is a scheduled trip to USC and then Tennessee the next weekend. As I’ve mentioned, it would be no surprise to see Johnson ultimately cancel the trip to Knoxville. All things being equal, Virginia Tech is a big factor but it would be difficult to see Johnson not staying close to home if everything checks out after his weekend official visit. He’ll be joined by his mother on that trip.
The Gamecocks still have plenty of work to do with four-star in-state 2018 athlete Derion Kendrick out of Rock Hill (South Carolina) South Pointe, but I’m told that he is very likely be on South Carolina’s campus within the next month to get another look at the program. Clemson, the frontrunner, hosted him for the South Carolina game in November, which was his only game visit this season. Kendrick has not been a prolific campus visitor anywhere during his process, but it’s key for USC to try to get him on campus more than he has been to date. Along with a planned trip (no dates set anywhere yet) to USC, I’m told Kendrick is also planning to make stops at Alabama, North Carolina, and Clemson.
It’s not a given that South Carolina is done at the defensive back position in the 2017 class. One name that we’ve mentioned in this space previously is former UNC DB Mike Hughes. There’s some interest in Hughes, who played as a true freshman in Chapel Hill prior to being dismissed for an assault charge stemming from a fight. I’ve heard some details on that situation (the charges, if Hughes completed community service and restitution had the potential to be dropped) and it had some unfortunate circumstances surrounding it. I’ve talked with folks familiar with Hughes from his time in high school, at North Carolina, and at his junior college that vouched for Hughes as a kid. One issue is this: you’ll all recall the SEC’s personal conduct transfer policy that was tied into the JC Jackson deal for South Carolina. The rule specifically mentions domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of physical violence. Obviously, that could create a roadblock for the Gamecocks if the staff moved on him.
Hughes has taken an official visit to TCU and another SEC program – Auburn – has also been involved. The North Carolina product has a big season for Garden City this season, helping them to a national title (over Keisean Nixon’s Arizona Western squad). Hughes had 47 tackles, two interceptions, and six pass breakups en route to NCJAA All-America honors. He was also named the conference defensive player of the year. On offense, he had four touchdowns as a part-time player on that side of the ball and also returned three punts (83, 60, and 56-yarders) for touchdowns.
Those same folks I mentioned earlier familiar with Hughes from his time in high school, UNC, and JUCO? All were of the consensus that Hughes is an NFL-level talent at cornerback. One junior college coach who has coached on the same team as over 40 guys that have gone onto the NFL told me that Hughes is one of the top three-four talents that he’s seen at that level. We’ll keep tracking this one, and see where it leads.
We’ve had some questions about premium seating/stadium space lately that I wanted to address a bit more here. Wes already touched on this in his interview with Harris Pastides, but enhancements to the East side in the form of new premium seating will give USC a multi-million dollar extra cash flow per season. The question there is just financing it up front, but it’s something that would make the money back quickly. It is expected to ultimately happen.
Once the new football operations building opens (projected for 2018), that means there will be an all-new weight room and office space for coaches (something that’s been much needed for a while). That means there would be vacancies in the Floyd building and in the Crews building, where the weight room is housed. There have been no decisions made for the Floyd building with ideas still being kicked around, but more premium seating there does seem to be a possibility. The former weight room would be freed up for South Carolina’s staff to have more space for game day recruiting operations.
The Gamecocks still have plenty of work to do with four-star in-state 2018 athlete Derion Kendrick out of Rock Hill (South Carolina) South Pointe, but I’m told that he is very likely be on South Carolina’s campus within the next month to get another look at the program. Clemson, the frontrunner, hosted him for the South Carolina game in November, which was his only game visit this season. Kendrick has not been a prolific campus visitor anywhere during his process, but it’s key for USC to try to get him on campus more than he has been to date. Along with a planned trip (no dates set anywhere yet) to USC, I’m told Kendrick is also planning to make stops at Alabama, North Carolina, and Clemson.
It’s not a given that South Carolina is done at the defensive back position in the 2017 class. One name that we’ve mentioned in this space previously is former UNC DB Mike Hughes. There’s some interest in Hughes, who played as a true freshman in Chapel Hill prior to being dismissed for an assault charge stemming from a fight. I’ve heard some details on that situation (the charges, if Hughes completed community service and restitution had the potential to be dropped) and it had some unfortunate circumstances surrounding it. I’ve talked with folks familiar with Hughes from his time in high school, at North Carolina, and at his junior college that vouched for Hughes as a kid. One issue is this: you’ll all recall the SEC’s personal conduct transfer policy that was tied into the JC Jackson deal for South Carolina. The rule specifically mentions domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of physical violence. Obviously, that could create a roadblock for the Gamecocks if the staff moved on him.
Hughes has taken an official visit to TCU and another SEC program – Auburn – has also been involved. The North Carolina product has a big season for Garden City this season, helping them to a national title (over Keisean Nixon’s Arizona Western squad). Hughes had 47 tackles, two interceptions, and six pass breakups en route to NCJAA All-America honors. He was also named the conference defensive player of the year. On offense, he had four touchdowns as a part-time player on that side of the ball and also returned three punts (83, 60, and 56-yarders) for touchdowns.
Those same folks I mentioned earlier familiar with Hughes from his time in high school, UNC, and JUCO? All were of the consensus that Hughes is an NFL-level talent at cornerback. One junior college coach who has coached on the same team as over 40 guys that have gone onto the NFL told me that Hughes is one of the top three-four talents that he’s seen at that level. We’ll keep tracking this one, and see where it leads.
We’ve had some questions about premium seating/stadium space lately that I wanted to address a bit more here. Wes already touched on this in his interview with Harris Pastides, but enhancements to the East side in the form of new premium seating will give USC a multi-million dollar extra cash flow per season. The question there is just financing it up front, but it’s something that would make the money back quickly. It is expected to ultimately happen.
Once the new football operations building opens (projected for 2018), that means there will be an all-new weight room and office space for coaches (something that’s been much needed for a while). That means there would be vacancies in the Floyd building and in the Crews building, where the weight room is housed. There have been no decisions made for the Floyd building with ideas still being kicked around, but more premium seating there does seem to be a possibility. The former weight room would be freed up for South Carolina’s staff to have more space for game day recruiting operations.
