CornerstoneColumbia.com
In yesterday’s edition, we covered some 2019 cycle possibilities at DL, LB, and TE. Let’s hit the secondary this time around…
One name that has long been on the Gamecocks’ board is Georgia’s Jammie Robinson, who at different times during the process has appeared close to committing to USC before pumping the brakes earlier this year.
Georgia has come back around to get involved and has sent word to Robinson that the staff actually had an offer out to him, but that it had not been communicated for months. If that does not sound believable to you, well, you’re likely on to something.
Georgia is the home state program and an offer that Robinson coveted early in the process. The Dawgs will have some in-state help here and Robinson was in Athens over the weekend for the G-Day contest. At one time, the Gamecocks’ primary competition looked like it would be Alabama if the Crimson Tide pushed, but it’s most certainly Georgia at this point.
I’ve been cautioned not to write off USC’s chances with Robinson; there are still some that believes there is a good chance he ends up in Columbia. It just will not be an easy pull.
South Carolina jumped in early on Alabama’s Jaydon Hill, whose offer list ballooned to about 40 schools this spring. He visited Tennessee last weekend, a program over which USC still holds an advantage, I believe. One ace in the hole that USC has here is that Hill has gotten in some training work with former Auburn defensive back Jerraud Powers, who played under Will Muschamp during his stint at the school.
There have definitely been some positive indications for USC’s chances with Georgia four-star Jaylen McCollough, who could factor in as a running back or as a safety at the next level. Alabama is the primary competition, and McCollough had a very good visit there for the Tide’s spring game last weekend. McCollough does not appear close to making a decision, as he hopes to take some official visits this fall.
USC also likes North Carolina's JR Walker as a safety, and he appears to have been high on the board for some time. NC State looks like the primary competition as of now.
We are also continuing to track Shyheim Battle, Eljiah Blades, Johnny Dixon, Anthony Harris, Adonis Otey, Jalen Perry, Jashawn Sheffield, Jaylin Simpson, Chris Steele (we wrote about his status recently), Woodi Washington, Wesley Walker, and others in the secondary.
South Carolina has already tapped into the graduate transfer market once this cycle in pulling Rice defensive back JT Ibe…
Along those same lines, another player that South Carolina has had involvement with is Texas A&M grad transfer Nick Harvey. The former Rivals100 selection out of Texas has made official visits to South Carolina, Auburn, Arizona, and Tennessee and will head to either Oklahoma State or Florida this coming weekend.
One thing our staff has learned the past couple cycles is that tracking graduate transfer intentions can be similar to tracking high school prospects: sometimes what they say is not what they do. There were some positive indications during Harvey’s official visit weekend in Columbia, but plenty of time has passed since then. Harvey, no doubt, will base a large part of his decision on finding the place he believes he can see the most playing time in his final season. Perhaps we will know more after he wraps up his round of visits.
Let’s circle back to a team note on a player that’s always held much intrigue for USC fans…
For whatever reasons, Shameik Blackshear has been one of the most asked-about USC players on The Insiders Forum in the nine years I’ve worked full time with GamecockCentral.com. Perhaps it’s the fact that he was an in-state prospect with an unfair amount of hype coming out of high school, unrealized potential, or a variety of other factors.
We’ve written, while still exercising some caution, that there were numerous signs Blackshear had turned the corner this calendar year. We’ve since gotten some additional verification that Blackshear did a very nice job in the offseason program and in the spring. My understanding is that after sitting down with the coaching staff that Blackshear really made some changes that have helped his production. On and off the field, he’s surrounding himself with the right people and he’s understands his role. He is working harder, is now stronger, can hold the point of attack better, and is playing more physically.
It still should not be expected that Blackshear will be a superstar on this Gamecock defense, or even that he’ll be a full-time starter. He is someone that can give the team quality snaps, more so than at any point during his career. He deserves credit for making choices that have positively affected his life as well as his on-field play, but this is another example of Will Muschamp and his staff developing and squeezing production out of sometimes unexpected places.
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