CornerstoneColumbia.com
- One of South Carolina’s bulls-eye targets in the 2020 class is without a doubt four-star running back Tank Bigsby, who’s made already made two overnight visits to Columbia this calendar year.
We’ve spoken with multiple sources intimately familiar with the recruitment who believe those trips could not have gone much better in terms of shaping South Carolina’s chances heading into the spring and summer. Bigsby is expected to render a decision no later than July, and that means South Carolina’s competition is likely to heat up even further as that time approaches.
Bobby Bentley did an excellent job laying the groundwork in Bigsby’s recruitment with both prospect and family, and the handoff to running backs coach Thomas Brown went quite well also, Bigsby having been impressed by Brown’s resume and the time they spent together on campus during his last visit.
No program lands prospects of Bigsby’s caliber uncontested; as we have noted before, the Gamecocks will be in a fight in this one until it’s done. Yet a lot of programs would love to be where South Carolina is with Bigsby right now.
- It was a bit of surprise when four-star running back Don Chaney Jr. committed to Miami early this month, given that South Carolina had appeared to at least put a sizable dent in his recruitment after a strong campus visit.
We speculated in the immediate aftermath that perhaps this one would not be over, given Chaney’s relationship with Thomas Brown that dated back to the latter’s tenure at Miami, plus the strong visit that Chaney had to Columbia and his father’s having played at USC. In the time since, it appears that Chaney’s pledge to the Canes is more likely to stick than not based on both public and private actions. Chaney told the Miami Herald recently that he was “done” taking visits, and we’ve also been told behind the scenes that as long as Manny Diaz is in place at Miami that it will likely be tough to pull Chaney away from Coral Gables.
- South Carolina continues to await a visit from Georgia’s Kobe Pryor, and there is a chance that could take place this weekend. Pryor has had trips scheduled to different places on various weekend, and for a variety of reasons a few have not come to fruition.
Pryor could indeed hit the road this weekend for a trip, with Duke or South Carolina a potential stop.
- Reminder that Georgia defensive back Brian Branch is slated to visit Columbia this weekend. He’s one of the targets at the position that seems to have held the staff’s attention thus far, and as such is a prospect we have been monitoring closely.
- Auburn has now taken the lead with three-star Georgia linebacker Desmond Tisdol following a campus visit, one that Tisdol told GamecockCentral.com that he “loved.”
Tisdol, a prospect USC jumped in on early and nearly landed a commitment from early this year, has been eyeing making a choice sometime in the near future. He’s considering making trips to Florida and Purdue before wrapping up the process, and it’s our supposition that the Gamecock staff will make another play to get him back on campus as well.
- Florida 2021 athlete Charles Montgomery was part of a 7-on-7 team that participated at the tournament in Myrtle Beach over the weekend. A campus visit to USC was planned for the group, but the tournament ended too late to facilitate that happening.
Montgomery, an all-purpose player, heavily favors South Carolina. The Gamecock staff hopes to get a closer look at him this summer at one of Will Muschamp’s camp sessions, but USC seems to hold the cards early in this one.
- Senior BUCK/DE DJ Wonnum did apply for a fifth year from the NCAA due to the injury he sustained last season, but at last check there was no word handed down on whether or not it would be granted. It's worth noting that Wonnum did play in five games last season, usually outside the spectrum of what is granted for a medical redshirt.
- At last check, there was also no final word on linebacker Eldridge Thompson’s sixth year, but internally, there’s a very high confidence level that it will be granted. If your question is what the holdup is, my answer is that I have no idea.
- Wes Mitchell broke down how the Gamecocks’ offensive depth chart could look during spring ball in this piece on Tuesday, including more on the offensive line.
Just to add a bit: USC is, of course, replacing left tackle Dennis Daley as well as left guard Zack Bailey for this season. Look for offensive line coach Eric Wolford to try some different combinations during the spring in the search for the best five, and to see who would be the “next best” in the event of an injury at certain positions. There’s a strong possibility Hank Manos could take over at center this season if all goes as planned, with Donell Stanley sliding out to guard. Look for Sadarius Hutcherson and Dylan Wonnum to both see some time at left and right tackle as well. Jordan Rhodes, if Hutcherson is indeed at one of the tackle spots, would have an excellent shot at stepping in at guard.
ALSO SEE:
- Discussing the South Carolina football depth chart: Offense
- Frank Martin's message to his team about the NCAA tournament
- GNT: Five football newcomers set to make first impressions | Clean sweep for baseball
- Frank Martin press conference recap: NCAA Tournament talk, Alabama preview
- South Carolina signee of the day: Shilo Sanders
- Gamecocks putting up serious power numbers so far this year
- Big Alabama tackle has Gamecocks on his mind
- Five Takeaways: Gamecocks' new offensive approach, unlikely pitching ace
- Morgan providing calming influence on Gamecock rotation
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