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TEAM NOTES
*** One of the position battles that will have many eyes on it once South Carolina is able to resume team activities again as at center, where multiple candidates are vying for the starting nod. Hank Manos – who started the opener last season, plus redshirt freshman Vinnie Murphy and veteran Eric Douglas are all in the mix at the position.
It’s seemed that some have written off Douglas as having a shot to be the guy, but we’re told he will be firmly in the mix once things open back up with a legitimate shot. Douglas was one of two players on the OL to get a start on the offensive line for last year’s season opener prior to being replaced in the starting lineup. He does not have a ton of starting experience, but has played in over 20 games during his career and was having a nice spring prior to the shutdown. It’s difficult to peg which direction center could go in with – presumably – multiple weeks of preparation left before the Gamecocks ultimately kick things off this season.
*** We have been told that wide receiver OrTre Smith has been working hard during this shutdown period running routes and catching balls and that he looks good from a health standpoint. That’s a position in which the Gamecocks need multiple guys to step forward this season, and Smith is one that could help if he could return to his 2017 form.
RECRUITING NOTES
A bit more on Thursday’s surprising development on the trail, that being Hartsville product Tiyon Evans unexpectedly committing to Tennessee:
Multiple sources felt good in recent weeks about South Carolina’s standing, and that was based on feedback to the Gamecock staff as well as others. While the Gamecocks’ offer was “formalized” last month – one that Evans made it known he wanted - Carolina has been involved with him since his high school days at Hartsville. Yet Evans told VolQuest.com after committing to Tennessee that he had wanted to go to Knoxville “for a while.”
Here’s another bit from Evans according to VolQuest.com:
“My family is super excited," Evans said. "My mom wanted me out of there and that's why I went away from South Carolina for JUCO. I had never traveled before that. We had some tough times and I want to do big things for her. That's my main goal."
You can read more from Evans, who has not yet visited Tennessee, on his decision here: https://tennessee.rivals.com/news/competition-brings-the-dog-out-in-new-commit-tiyon-evans
The safe money is on South Carolina continuing its communication here, and we’ll continue tracking the situation to monitor any potential changes.
*** One of South Carolina’s offers at the receiver position is out to Louisiana’s Keon Coleman, who is close to four-star status as a 5.7 three-star according to Rivals.com.
Bryan McClendon had taken the lead on Coleman’s recruitment as an out-of-state receiver, but Joe Cox quickly got in to begin building his own relationship once the coaching changeover took place.
Here’s what Coleman told us recently about Cox:
“Coach Cox, he’s a good person, he’s cool and straight up. I like him. They’ve put some good receivers in the league so they develop them well. I talk to him a good bit. He’s cool and funny too.”
*** We have noted in this space previously that it’s essential for South Carolina’s efforts in the 2021 class to have certain prospects wait out the process into the season. There’s significant competition for many of the Gamecocks’ key targets, and it’s important for this program to get onto the field, try to win some games, and to erase a subpar 2019/instability that could be lingering in some folks’ minds.
There are many, but North Carolina’s Jahvaree Ritzie is one that this certainly applies to in the ’21 class.
One prospect we spoke with recently went into further detail on how the staff is approaching this in conversations. Here’s more from our recent story with Virginia’s Damond Harmon:
"The message is don’t rush anything, don’t let the virus that’s going on change my time table," Harmon said of the staff's talks with him. "Keep everything still in front of me and don't let coaches get in my head about time running out, stuff like that."
*** Finally, how about Kyle Krantz?
Carolina’s special teams coordinator/assistant secondary coach is now responsible for half of the Gamecocks’ 2021 class, having landed three straight on the trail. Krantz was the area recruiter for LB Bryce Steele, DT Nick Barrett, and LB Trenilyas Tatum.
One aspect of Krantz’s efforts that we have mentioned is that he did a fantastic job last summer in getting prospects from his recruiting area onto campus for camp experiences or visits. With recruiting such a multi-year investment now, those type things do not always immediately pay dividends. Yet many folks in the building have felt that Krantz would make a quality recruiter once his time came, and perhaps we are seeing the proof in the pudding now.
Will Muschamp himself typically does a lot of the heavy lifting in helping to onboard prospects that end up in South Carolina’s recruiting classes, and position coaches are more often that not quite involved as well. Certainly, Muschamp also played a key role in helping land the three most recent pledges. It’s worth noting, however, that Krantz laid the groundwork in building longstanding relationships with all of them, and guided the processes through coaching changes at linebacker and defensive line. That’s the mark of a job well done.
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