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With a poor 2019 season on the field and, most recently, untimely comments by South Carolina’s administration, navigating the 2020 recruiting class for the Gamecock football staff has been difficult at times.
Yet, the Gamecocks have not lost a commitment from the class in the midst of the season; all three of USC’s decommitments from the 2020 class happened before the season (a parting of ways with running back Mecose Todd, and eventual flips from OL Javion Cohen and Issiah Walker to in-state programs). 2021 pledge Lovasea Carroll backed off his commitment the day after the season opening loss to UNC. As things stand now, the Gamecocks could still be in position to close on some significant targets in the ’20 cycle.
As we have documented, some committed prospects and those close to them have had questions recently about Will Muschamp based on the aforementioned administration comments, and that’s led to some tenuous moments. It’s our opinion that the staff – which has been working overtime to control the fallout – could still escape unscathed from a recruiting standpoint.
Big-time running back pledge Marshawn Lloyd is a huge piece for this class, and multiple sources still believe he’s on board as long as Will Muschamp – and presumably, running backs coach Thomas Brown – remains in place. Lloyd recently announced that he’s planning on graduating early and enrolling in January, but did so without publicly reaffirming his commitment to the Gamecocks. We checked in with sources in the meantime and were told that he still seemed solid, and then Lloyd seemed to affirm his pledge on Sunday night with an Instagram social media post.
Onto some targets: four-star defensive lineman Reggie Grimes told Rivals.com’s Woody Wommack over the weekend that he still plans on announcing his college choice on Thanksgiving Day.
Grimes, an Alabama legacy, took an official visit to South Carolina over the summer and is someone that has built up trust with the staff - along with his family. He’s a prospect that has plenty of developing left to do, but his athleticism makes him an intriguing prospect and gives him plenty of upside.
South Carolina appears to remain in the best position here.
Georgia’s Jaheim Bell was having a huge senior season prior to tearing his ACL, but the Gamecock staff has continually stuck with the former Florida commitment and built an excellent relationship with Bell and those close to him.
He plans on announcing his choice on the first day of the early signing period, which is December 18. His three finalists are Florida State, which is the midst of a coaching search of its own, plus Oklahoma and the Gamecocks. From what we hear from multiple sources on all sides, we still like South Carolina’s position.
There was a time in which it looked like the Gamecocks would continue to have traction with four-star Alabama commitment Jahquez Robinson at the defensive back position, but over the last several weeks it has not looked favorable for South Carolina to get him back on campus.
The season has seemed to have an effect on that, plus Nick Saban’s program has continually made a big push to keep Robinson in the fold. Robinson took an official visit over the weekend to Tuscaloosa that seemed to only serve to reaffirm his pledge.
Finally, let’s touch on in-state target Jordan Burch. We have frequently said that covering this five-star’s recruitment has – at times – been downright bizarre. Burch’s inner circle is one of the quietest in recent memory, yet there has almost been a surplus of opinions and projections on his ultimate intentions.
One thing that is true is that Burch has expressed behind the scenes: he's the preference is to play for a winner, as he has during his formative years. Perhaps that – coupled with the poor on-field results for South Carolina this season – has caused some to eliminate the notion of this big-time five star inking with the Gamecocks. But is that actually accurate? In a situation like this one, the logic and rules that can sometimes be applied in recruiting should be thrown away.
LSU is a program that has captured Burch’s attention as of late. Anyone seen the video that went viral with the LSU players running over to the Alabama recruit section and imploring them to sign with the Tigers? Burch was right in that mix. LSU’s history and profile this season is intriguing to Burch, as it would be to many. At the end of the day, would he really go that far away from home? As many reasons as there are to believe he would like to sign up for a program with pedigree, there could be even more to point to the fact that staying closer to the Palmetto State seems likely.
It remains to be seen whether or not Burch will be back on South Carolina’s campus for a formal visit between now and December 19 (the day after the signing period begins). The communication between Burch, his circle, and the Gamecock staff has continued. He’s not visited Clemson for a football game all season, and the Tigers’ regular season finale is in Columbia on Saturday.
Beyond that, it’s still hard to say much of anything with a reasonable level of confidence. There are many factors in play here, and it's still difficult to project which ones will carry the most weight when it comes time to make the final call.
We have heard enough to believe this, which we have continued to hear over the past couple of weeks: the Gamecocks are in this race.
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