CornerstoneColumbia.com
*** We have mentioned to our subscribers in the past to expect the Gamecock staff to perhaps spot recruit the state of Alabama more heavily in the past in the 2021 cycle.
Whether or not South Carolina gains more traction with some prospects out of that state (one of two current pledges, Sam Reynolds, hails from Alabama) remains to be seen, but we have heard of another that the staff is working for a potential visit.
Fairfield (Alabama) athlete Malachi Bennett has been in communication with the staff recently, and the two sides are working on a possible date for a visit. Tennessee has had some early traction with Bennett and likely is the team to beat as of now, but more visits are on the docket and South Carolina could have a shot to make a play this spring or summer.
*** One of South Carolina’s priority targets this cycle has been Georgia’s Dylan Fairchild, a state championship-winning wrestler who had never played offensive line prior to Eric Wolford plucking him from the defensive line group last summer in camp and working him out at the position. Fairchild summarily picked up an offer, which was his first from an SEC program.
He’s now blown up with offers from Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, and numbers others. He saw both Auburn and Georgia recently, and is headed to Tennessee this weekend for the second time.
Fairchild visited earlier this year with his mother for a trip that went extremely well. It was known that, despite South Carolina’s early start here, that the competition was almost sure to increase significantly. It’s safe to say we’re officially at that point. If possible, Fairchild would like to render a decision late in the summer or early fall.
*** It was expected that a group from Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia would make it in for South Carolina’s practice on Thursday, including 2021 defensive tackle Taleeq Robbins and a couple talented underclassmen, but GamecockCentral.com is told that the group was unable to make the trip.
*** It’s still unclear which direction South Carolina’s quarterback take will go for the 2021 class, as it is planned for offensive coordinator Mike Bobo to scout several in person during the spring evaluation period that begins in April.
As we have already noted, one quarterback who’s been on the board as an offer, Texas product Kaidon Salter, will visit Columbia on March 11.
That brings us to the most recent visitor from that class who’s long been linked to the Gamecocks, Georgia’s Colten Gauthier. Things really heated up here between the two parties after Gauthier camped in Columbia last summer and put on an impressive performance. Based on feedback from multiple sides, it looked like things could have been on track for an early pledge. Gauthier continued picking up offers and Carolina had a staff changeover on offense, so things were put on hold.
We had a chance to catch a glimpse of Gauthier milling around the practice field on Thursday during his visit, and he looked bigger to us. That was indeed the case – he measured in at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds.
Gauthier spent the morning and afternoon in Columbia prior to departing, and he will be one in the group that Bobo scouts this spring. We’re still closely monitoring his recruitment.
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