Well, that was fun yesterday, wasn't it? As I predicted on Friday, we saw 4 #welcomehomes (though I don't think we are done with commitments from this weekend, some just have a couple more visits before making their final decision). Hopefully, that begins to put to rest some concerns from people who were worried that the number of commitments was "falling behind" others.
For the record, there are currently 2 Welcome Homes that haven't been announced, one from January and one from Sunday.
We are going to dig deeper on all 3 public commitments (and the likely to be public this week 4th) throughout this week, but my one-line summary on each is:
Connor Cox: He's not going to get confused for Jaheim Bell anytime soon as far as athleticism, but I would say his upside is somewhere slightly north of new transfer TE Trey Adkins. That is to say that I expect Cox to fill out his frame once he's on a college nutrition and S&C program, and then be a solid in-line blocker with the ability to catch passes as needed. There aren't going to be entire plays designated to getting the ball in his hands, but he has solid hands and a good work ethic that will make him a valuable piece of the TE puzzle as the team attempts to reload that room in the next year or two.
Kelton Henderson: The lazy comparison that everyone keeps throwing out is Deebo Samuel, and I get why, but I'd say he's more like Pharoh Cooper. That is to say, he's an elite athlete with excellent vision, and short-area quickness but probably doesn't have the game breaking speed that Deebo had. That said, he's got a little more of Deebo's propensity for seeking contact. I'm expecting Rivals to wake up and recognize that Henderson is a 4-star talent, and I think that the only thing that's taken so long is that he's been used as a utility player so much that he hasn't had time to develop fully anywhere yet. Make no mistake, the fact that he's played running back, and that he's shown a knack for laying the wood on defense is a feature to his ability as a WR, not a detriment. Expect to see Henderson making defenders miss on slip-screens on a TV near you in the next few years.
Cameron Upshaw Jr: I think @Perry McCarty did a good job in the free article about his commitment breaking down some things to like about Upshaw. He's actually my favorite DB recruit that the Gamecocks were targeting in this class, and I think he has the most upside. (Not that I don't like Sandy, Kilgore, etc.) The offer list, and the defensive minds behind some of them, tell me all I need to know about how good Upshaw can be at the next level: Arkansas, Florida State, Nebraska, Iowa, Louisville, Michigan State, Penn State among others.
The Week Ahead:
Stay tuned here for follow-up on all the commitments, coverage of the bonus OV from WR Tyler Williams coming up on Tuesday, coverage of Jalon Kilgore's announcement Wednesday, catching up with Dylan Lonergan in advance of his Stanford visit, and July 7th commitment announcement, a podcast breakdown on Thursday, and a Recruiting Rundown on Friday that will be jam-packed with information as we begin to look ahead at who is next on the commitment watch list. Maybe I'll even throw in a few more futurecasts so I can keep building upon my 100% success rate. And then somewhere in there I might actually sleep.
For the record, there are currently 2 Welcome Homes that haven't been announced, one from January and one from Sunday.
We are going to dig deeper on all 3 public commitments (and the likely to be public this week 4th) throughout this week, but my one-line summary on each is:
Connor Cox: He's not going to get confused for Jaheim Bell anytime soon as far as athleticism, but I would say his upside is somewhere slightly north of new transfer TE Trey Adkins. That is to say that I expect Cox to fill out his frame once he's on a college nutrition and S&C program, and then be a solid in-line blocker with the ability to catch passes as needed. There aren't going to be entire plays designated to getting the ball in his hands, but he has solid hands and a good work ethic that will make him a valuable piece of the TE puzzle as the team attempts to reload that room in the next year or two.
Kelton Henderson: The lazy comparison that everyone keeps throwing out is Deebo Samuel, and I get why, but I'd say he's more like Pharoh Cooper. That is to say, he's an elite athlete with excellent vision, and short-area quickness but probably doesn't have the game breaking speed that Deebo had. That said, he's got a little more of Deebo's propensity for seeking contact. I'm expecting Rivals to wake up and recognize that Henderson is a 4-star talent, and I think that the only thing that's taken so long is that he's been used as a utility player so much that he hasn't had time to develop fully anywhere yet. Make no mistake, the fact that he's played running back, and that he's shown a knack for laying the wood on defense is a feature to his ability as a WR, not a detriment. Expect to see Henderson making defenders miss on slip-screens on a TV near you in the next few years.
Cameron Upshaw Jr: I think @Perry McCarty did a good job in the free article about his commitment breaking down some things to like about Upshaw. He's actually my favorite DB recruit that the Gamecocks were targeting in this class, and I think he has the most upside. (Not that I don't like Sandy, Kilgore, etc.) The offer list, and the defensive minds behind some of them, tell me all I need to know about how good Upshaw can be at the next level: Arkansas, Florida State, Nebraska, Iowa, Louisville, Michigan State, Penn State among others.
The Week Ahead:
Stay tuned here for follow-up on all the commitments, coverage of the bonus OV from WR Tyler Williams coming up on Tuesday, coverage of Jalon Kilgore's announcement Wednesday, catching up with Dylan Lonergan in advance of his Stanford visit, and July 7th commitment announcement, a podcast breakdown on Thursday, and a Recruiting Rundown on Friday that will be jam-packed with information as we begin to look ahead at who is next on the commitment watch list. Maybe I'll even throw in a few more futurecasts so I can keep building upon my 100% success rate. And then somewhere in there I might actually sleep.
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