CornerstoneColumbia.com
South Carolina presumably finished up recruiting at the tight end position for the 2019 class by landing four-star Traveon Kenion on Sunday…
The North Carolina product was in Columbia over the weekend for an unofficial visit, a trip that ultimately culminated in his pulling the trigger on a commitment by Sunday night.
The Gamecock staff was already happy to have in-state tight end Keshawn Toney in the boat, a prospect the coaches in Columbia like a lot more than industry standard or offer list would dictate based on their own evaluations and testing. Toney is similar to current USC player KC Crosby as far as skill set and how he could be used and could ultimately easily get up into the 260 pound range.
The staff wanted to find an athletic, flex type tight end to pair with Toney and have found one that fits that bill in Kenion. He’s someone that tight ends coach Pat Washington has liked for some time, and Bobby Bentley, Washington, and head coach Will Mushamp all put in time and effort into luring him to Columbia. Kenion missed a lot of football last season due to injury, and that arguably held him back for picking up even more big-time interest from programs. His athleticism and film is very good; he has ball skills and physicality as evidenced by the fact that he also plays defense at the high school level.
USC commitment Jaylen Nichols was on hand to make his official visit over the weekend…
A few other programs have continued making efforts to draw a second look from the Charlotte product after he made an early commitment to the Gamecocks. So far, no good.
This weekend’s trip only seemed to firm up what we heard recently, that outreach from Auburn, North Carolina, and Tennessee was doing nothing to dissuade Nichols from his committed position. It’s a relatively common practice to pitch linemen that play both ways in high school on the defensive side of the ball, something that other SEC programs have done with Nichols. Yet he’s sold on being an offensive lineman under Eric Wolford and has big upside there. The Gamecocks did well to get in early here and secure a pledge.
Another offensive lineman, this one an uncommitted target, also visited this weekend…
Jakai Moore made his official visit to Columbia from Friday until Sunday. Wolford jumped in early here, prior to Moore’s offer list explosion earlier this year. Moore and his mother were in town for the trip, and we have not yet caught up with him for his detailed thoughts on the trip.
Moore has been on campus previously, so the Gamecock program and Columbia has familiarity for him. The biggest competition to date has been Penn State, and some around the Nittany Lion program felt heading into the USC trip that PSU had a sizable advantage. Our information is that Moore wanted to take the previously booked trip to USC and see how things shook out from there. The Gamecocks surely gave him something to think about, but time will tell.
No other prospect in the 2019 class has moved the needle as much as five-star Quavaris Crouch…
We have written many times about how Crouch’s every word and movement is hung on, with many eager to rush to judgment about his ultimate intentions based on those words or actions. We have also noted that Crouch is nowhere close to rendering a choice, with a lot of factors in his recruitment remaining to be sorted through. You could say that even early in a race with all the participants moving fast, there are still miles to go. That’s certainly the case here.
Crouch was on campus this weekend and spent ample time with Bobby Bentley and Marcus Lattimore, among others. As noted before, Crouch is trying to sort through whether or not he wants to play running back or linebacker at the next level and has gone back and forth on the decision a good bit to date. Bentley laid an excellent groundwork from the get-go with Crouch and the USC staff has been consistent in its approach from the start. We will say again that if Crouch chooses to keep the ball in his hands at the college level that it helps the Gamecocks’ cause. Even in recent weeks, Crouch has told people that he wants to play running back but that things have gotten cloudy with the potential longevity of linebacker and the amount of people advising him that it may be a good move.
There have been many ups and downs in Crouch's recruitment lately, but USC's staff has done really well in making sure it stays in the thick of the race. That is exactly where the Gamecocks are right now.
********
Today's Insider Report is brought to you by Cornerstone Financial Management and former Gamecock student athlete Jay Brown. A former pitcher and team captain on the 2010 national championship baseball team, Jay is now a Financial Advisor for Cornerstone Financial Management and would be happy to serve the families of GamecockCentral.com.
Cornerstone provides comprehensive and ethically sound financial advice in the areas of investment management, retirement, college planning, estate planning, insurance, and much more. Whatever your financial situation and goals, Jay would welcome the opportunity to side down and discuss how he can assist you and your family.
Contact Jay today and tell him you heard about Cornerstone on GamecockCentral.com.
Email: jay.brown@lpl.com
Phone: 803-462-4396
Website: CornerstoneColumbia.com
