Football Team Notes
We have broached the possibility of Kelvin Rainey moving to linebacker here before, and from all indications we have this is a move that looks like it's going to happen. It appears that Rainey is going to get a look at WILL linebacker, and from what we have been told it's one that he's excited about making. Rainey has a better opportunity to see the field earlier and more often on the defensive side of the ball than at tight end, and he recognizes that. It's not a foreign position to Rainey as he has some experience at the high school level and those close to him believe he has the size and athleticism to make the transition at the college level. He just has to obviously adjust to playing defense with the scheme and also will have to work on tackling and being more physical, i.e. just taking on a defensive player's mentality.
With the injury to Cedrick Cooper potentially lasting into preseason camp (or even into the early part of the season) depending on how quickly he heals from ACL surgery and inexperience at linebacker, more depth is needed and Rainey could help out there.
Another player that could potentially make the move to linebacker is Mason Harris. From our understanding, he is going to be discussing (if he has not already) making the move back to linebacker with the Gamecock defensive staff in the near future. Harris worked at defensive end most recently, but he has actually seen reps during his short USC career at linebacker and spur in the past. Not sure yet if this one is a move that will definitely happen, but it is a possibility.
Many have asked here about walk-on receiver Kane Whitehurst, formerly of Arkansas who is a Georgia native. We have checked in and from what we were told he had an injury that kept him out of practice for a substantial part of the season. However, he did turn some heads in practice at times. He's someone you could see more of during spring ball and next preseason, as he has some talent.
Football Recruiting Notes
Josh and I took another road trip to meet with some prospects and gather some recruiting information this past week, and this time the focus was on the Lowcountry area of South Carolina to check out some talented underclassmen.
The first stop was to Woodland, which is the home of 2015 lineman Michael Barnett. He plays a bit of offensive line for his high school team as well, but Barnett's home is at defensive end and that is what he will play in college. On the hoof, Barnett has legitimate 6-foot-4 size and although he's dropped about 15 pounds since the start of basketball season, he normally plays in the 240-245 pound range and he's got the frame to hold more.
Virginia Tech was the first program to step forward with an offer, although others are showing interest including South Carolina (he is located inside Everette Sands' territory). He visited Columbia for a bowl practice recently. During his sophomore year, Barnett tallied 63 tackles, 17 for a loss, forced five fumbles, and had nine sacks.
The next stop was to Summerville High. While there, we met with four prospects who either are Division I prospects or have the potential to be one.
Junior Davon Anderson is fast, really fast as he's the reigning state champion in the 200 meters in track. He plays running back for Summerville and his film certainly checks out in that department. In football, Clemson, USC, Miami, LSU, and UNC-Charlotte have shown some interest so far but Anderson's brightest future may be on the track at the next level. The same programs plus UCLA, Auburn, Oregon, UNC, and many others have inquired. Anderson has said he would like an opportunity to play both sports in college, and his dream school is actually UCLA. He is from California originally.
Mac McCurry was formerly a quarterback but moved to linebacker this year and it seemed to be a natural fit considering he racked up a whopping 205 total tackles on the season as a sophomore. It's still very early in the process for McCurry; Duke is really the only program to show heavy interest at this point but things could pick up for him in the future. Right now, McCurry is about 6-foot-1, 195-pounds but has growth potential.
2014 DB Darin Smalls holds offers from USC, Clemson, and Virginia Tech. Smalls isn't sure when he will make a decision, but at this point the Gamecocks have a huge lead. Smalls participated in the Army All-American combine earlier this month and measured in at 5-foot-11, 200 pounds. He ran a 4.6 40-yard dash, 4.3 shuttle, and had a 31-inch vertical.
The Gamecocks were the first to offer Bailey in mid-December and are currently sitting in second behind Oregon for him. Bailey is from Washington state and moved to Summerville in the summer of 2009. He still has family out there and Oregon will be a big factor if they were to offer. Bailey has the looks of a college offensive lineman right now and will be one of the top prospects in the state for his class. He will be a tackle on the next level. Here is our recent story with much more detail on Bailey.
USC running backs coach Everette Sands dropped by on Friday to check in on these prospects. Both Smalls and Bailey will visit South Carolina again next month as well.
Fort Dorchester has produced a pair of NFL defensive linemen recently in Carlos Dunlap and Robert Quinn, and it looks like head coach Steve LaPrad has several other talented ones to work with in his rising junior class. They are Eugene March, a 6-foot-2, 240-pounder, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Myles White, and big DT Eurndraus Bryant who checks in at 6-foot-1, 350 pounds. White really looks the part and we were told that Bryant is very athletic for his size and has a chance to be very good if he can drop more weight and get down into the 320-325 range. All three were invited to a South Carolina bowl practice and attended recently, so the Gamecock staff is already in on the trio.
2014 linebackers David Govan and Kevyn Flores also have Division I potential and are receiving correspondence from several schools.
We were also able to stop by Goose Creek to visit with head coach Chuck Reedy and to see 2014 tight end Caleb Kinlaw. There has been some talk about which position best fits Ritchie, tight end or defensive end. Talking with people at Goose Creek, they strongly believe it is tight end, definitely in South Carolina's offense. The staff considered moving him to defensive end for this coming season but decided against it. He fits what South Carolina wants its tight ends to do. He is a strong blocker and can help in the passing game. They are not sure he would fit a Clemson offense at tight end or h-back, which is why defensive end has been mentioned. Ritchie doesn't really have a preference for where he will plan on the next level.
On the recruiting front, Ritchie pretty much came out and told us that he knows where he is going and he is just waiting for the right time. We strongly believe it is South Carolina. That is the school that was the first to offer a while back and he has been at South Carolina a lot more than anywhere else. He also said that he has known where he was going for a while and that favors South Carolina as well.
Kinlaw is pretty open right now with his recruitment. He still talks with South Carolina receiver coach Steve Spurrier Jr. a lot and said he will be visiting South Carolina again soon. He only visited North Carolina and Tennessee during the season for games. Tennessee has been the leader but Kinlaw said things are even now. Even though South Carolina is in very good position with 2014 running back Derrell Scott (Havelock, N.C.), the Gamecocks cannot be ruled out right now.
We also made a stop to Bishop England High, a program that does not typically produce a lot of football talent but there is one to watch at the school in 2015 OL Hudson Little. The 6-foot-4, 275-pounder looks the part physically and head coach John Cantey says he already performs better than any senior lineman he has coached. Little has not drawn a lot of Division I interest yet, but it's early and he hasn't hit the camp circuit hard like he probably will this summer. Very early on, he favors the SEC especially Georgia and South Carolina. Interestingly, he played several games this season with a torn meniscus and just had surgery a couple of weeks ago. Little played in big games and the playoffs, including a state title game win.
On the way back to Columbia, we decided to drop by Orangeburg to see 2015 defensive lineman Albert Huggins. Sands also made a stop by Orangeburg-Wilkinson on Friday to check up on him.
While most have pegged Bluffton's Shameik Blackshear as the top prospect in the state, here is where GamecockCentral.com is going to step out on a limb. We believe that at this stage, Huggins is the prospect we would have as number one in the state, followed by Blackshear. That is no knock on Blackshear, who has great size, athletic ability, and upside. Huggins is potentially elite in his own right and right now is the better player. He weighed in at 265 pounds at the end of last week and there's not a bit of fat to be found on him. He will get big enough to play inside on the next level and his film (that he showed us personally during our visit with him) has him making plays all over the field whether on the defensive line or offensive line, which he also plays for O-W. He's a potentially special prospect who also has a great personality and is a hard worker to boot.
Huggins is still sitting on offers from USC and Clemson. While Huggins currently lists a top four of Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Clemson in that order, Clemson should be considered the team to beat right now. The reason for that is because of the location, his relationship with former teammate and current Clemson Tiger Jadar Johnson, and Clemson's engineering program. The engineering program is the biggest factor right now for Huggins. There is still a long ways to go in his recruitment but Clemson is the team to beat and we would put South Carolina in second right now.
2014 Quarterback Drew Barker (Burlington, Ky./Conner) visited Kentucky this weekend and he told Josh the visit went well. He also said that South Carolina is still number one for him. The Joker Phillips Kentucky staff really did not give Barker the time of day, but the new staff is recruiting him. Barker said that he isn't sure when USC quarterback coach G.A. Mangus will be by his school but he should be by sometime this month. Barker plans on making a decision during the spring.
Steve Spurrier will be hitting the road to check in with some prospects next week, and one of his notable stops will be to Sandy Creek High in Tyrone, Georgia. While there, he will speak with OL commitment Ronnie Blackmon. We will keep everyone of any other visits Spurrier will make this coming week whenever we pick up new information.
Spurrier will visit with spur commitment Mohamed Camara at his school on Monday. As we reported recently, Camara is not going to be officially visiting Wake Forest despite an offer from the Demon Deacons and subsequent report that he would be visiting there.
Moving back to Wiggins for a moment, here is our story recapping his visit in case you missed it Sunday afternoon. Talking to some sources familiar with his recruitment over the weekend, it is still tough to get a read on where things stand. Some believe that USC is definitely the strongest contender to Georgia at this time and have the best chance of flipping him, a chance they say is good. Others believe as much as Wiggins likes South Carolina he may end up sticking with Georgia in the end. What is known right now is that Wiggins may make a return visit to USC, and he plans on visiting Florida, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M over the next three final weekends heading into signing day. The Gamecock staff definitely helped its chances over the weekend and did a very good job with Wiggins' parents from what we were told.
USC tight ends/special teams coach Joe Robinson is going to be checking in this coming week on a new name, Monroe (Ga.) athlete Stanton Truitt. The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder played quarterback this season for Monroe and led them to the state semifinals. He will be a receiver or a defensive back and special teams guy in college, but he had a productive season at quarterback especially on the ground. He racked up nearly 1,500 yards rushing (averaging 10.5 yards per carry) and scored 19 times. He put up these stats despite missing the final four regular season games with a high ankle sprain. He was the Region 8-AAAA athlete of the year as well. USC is one of the programs showing the heaviest interest and it would not be surprising if the trigger was pulled on an offer in the near future.
In addition to the other ones we already mentioned in the Lowcountry, Everette Sands made some other notable recruiting stops on Friday. He was by Bluffton which is home to aforementioned 2015 defensive end Shameik Blackshear. South Carolina was the first to offer Blackshear and Clemson and North Carolina have since followed suit. He lists USC and Clemson tied on top but the Gamecocks should be considered the team to beat. It is well known that he idolizes Jadeveon Clowne. He will be visiting South Carolina again next month.
Another stop for Sands was by Hilton Head to check on 2014 defensive tackle Poona Ford. Ford told Josh Low during the weekend that he would call the Gamecocks his leader right now. He will also be visiting South Carolina next month.
South Carolina offensive line coach Shawn Elliott also made two big stops on Friday. He was by Latta on Friday to check on 2014 offensive lineman Donell Stanley. Stanley is the top prospect in the state for his class and we still believe the Gamecocks are in a strong position with him. Publicly, Stanley lists a top four of South Carolina, Clemson, North Carolina, and Alabama in no certain order.
The reasons why we believe it is the Gamecocks on top are because of his relationship with Elliott, he has visited USC more than anywhere else, and he has relationships with players that will be at South Carolina. We don't expect his recruitment to last a long time and wouldn't be surprised if it was over by the end of the spring. Look for Stanley to visit South Carolina again soon.
Elliott also made the short trip from Latta to Dillon to check on Gamecock commit Avery McCall. Nothing has changed with our stance on Blue. The Gamecocks are the leader and have been for a while. He will be on campus soon as well.
McCall is still sitting on offers from South Carolina and East Carolina. After watching him play in person and then watching his freshman film, Josh believes that McCall could challenge for the top prospect in the state right now (regardless of class). He is that good right now and we believe he will get that much better. McCall is only about 6-foot right now but most of his family is on the taller side. He should get to around 6-foot-2 or 6-foot-3 when he is a senior. McCall can make plays with his feet but he is a passer first. He has a cannon for an arm and his feet are always moving in the pocket; he has great pocket presence.
On the recruiting side of the things, McCall isn't naming leaders or top schools because of how early it is in the process. With that said, the Gamecocks are in a very favorable position right now. He grew up a Gamecock fan, his mother went to South Carolina, and his cousin is current Gamecock receiver Kwinton Smith. There are a lot of things working in South Carolina's favor.
One of South Carolina's 2014 targets that we have mentioned several times is Washington (D.C.) Friendship Academy DB video analysis from Rivals.com from the Army Underclassman Combine on Tabor. Even without a visit, the Gamecocks have been in the lead group (top five-seven) consistently for Tabor.
The top schools at the moment for 2014 defensive back Wesley Green, a very talented secondary prospect, are (in alphabetical order) Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, and South Carolina. He has not yet been on campus at South Carolina, but this summer is a possibility for a trip to Columbia. Green plans on making an early decision next summer and is the type of prospect that defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward likes at corner with his size and playmaking ability.
The Gamecocks remain a big leader for 2014 linebacker prospect Bryson Allen-Williams, who we expect in Columbia soon for the Gamecocks' junior day event.
South Carolina's football staff obviously has a huge visitor docket coming up this weekend, and of course we will go into much further detail throughout the week to preview it for our subscribers. One junior unofficial visitor will be Charlotte (N.C.) Providence OL Bentley Spain, who has the Gamecocks as his huge leader.
However, here is an early look at the uncommitted names we expect in this weekend. Ronnie Martin will also begin classes this week and were finishing up official visits this weekend. Speaking of Park, he weighed in at 6-foot-4 and 336 pounds on his official visit. Aside from those, the rest of the Gamecock pledges are expected in town this coming weekend to make official visits.
USC targets
Delray Beach (Fla.) Atlantic DT Keith Bryant
Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) University LB Skai Moore
Washington (D.C.) Friendship Academy LB Yannick Ngakoue
Pomfret (Md.) McDonough OL Na'Ty Rodgers
Immokalee (Fla.) DT Deadrin Senat
Daphne (Ala.) Bayside LB Jonathan Walton
Bryant had been mulling taking an official visit to Miami instead of South Carolina the weekend of January 18, but told me on Sunday afternoon that it would be Columbia he would be visiting this weekend. So, as of this writing that is the information we have and what we are going by at this time.
USC assistant G.A. Mangus will be down mid-week to Immokalee to meet with Senat and also to gauge the possibility of USC getting in four-star cornerback Mackensie Alexander in on an official visit.
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We have broached the possibility of Kelvin Rainey moving to linebacker here before, and from all indications we have this is a move that looks like it's going to happen. It appears that Rainey is going to get a look at WILL linebacker, and from what we have been told it's one that he's excited about making. Rainey has a better opportunity to see the field earlier and more often on the defensive side of the ball than at tight end, and he recognizes that. It's not a foreign position to Rainey as he has some experience at the high school level and those close to him believe he has the size and athleticism to make the transition at the college level. He just has to obviously adjust to playing defense with the scheme and also will have to work on tackling and being more physical, i.e. just taking on a defensive player's mentality.
With the injury to Cedrick Cooper potentially lasting into preseason camp (or even into the early part of the season) depending on how quickly he heals from ACL surgery and inexperience at linebacker, more depth is needed and Rainey could help out there.
Another player that could potentially make the move to linebacker is Mason Harris. From our understanding, he is going to be discussing (if he has not already) making the move back to linebacker with the Gamecock defensive staff in the near future. Harris worked at defensive end most recently, but he has actually seen reps during his short USC career at linebacker and spur in the past. Not sure yet if this one is a move that will definitely happen, but it is a possibility.
Many have asked here about walk-on receiver Kane Whitehurst, formerly of Arkansas who is a Georgia native. We have checked in and from what we were told he had an injury that kept him out of practice for a substantial part of the season. However, he did turn some heads in practice at times. He's someone you could see more of during spring ball and next preseason, as he has some talent.
Football Recruiting Notes
Josh and I took another road trip to meet with some prospects and gather some recruiting information this past week, and this time the focus was on the Lowcountry area of South Carolina to check out some talented underclassmen.
The first stop was to Woodland, which is the home of 2015 lineman Michael Barnett. He plays a bit of offensive line for his high school team as well, but Barnett's home is at defensive end and that is what he will play in college. On the hoof, Barnett has legitimate 6-foot-4 size and although he's dropped about 15 pounds since the start of basketball season, he normally plays in the 240-245 pound range and he's got the frame to hold more.
Virginia Tech was the first program to step forward with an offer, although others are showing interest including South Carolina (he is located inside Everette Sands' territory). He visited Columbia for a bowl practice recently. During his sophomore year, Barnett tallied 63 tackles, 17 for a loss, forced five fumbles, and had nine sacks.
The next stop was to Summerville High. While there, we met with four prospects who either are Division I prospects or have the potential to be one.
Junior Davon Anderson is fast, really fast as he's the reigning state champion in the 200 meters in track. He plays running back for Summerville and his film certainly checks out in that department. In football, Clemson, USC, Miami, LSU, and UNC-Charlotte have shown some interest so far but Anderson's brightest future may be on the track at the next level. The same programs plus UCLA, Auburn, Oregon, UNC, and many others have inquired. Anderson has said he would like an opportunity to play both sports in college, and his dream school is actually UCLA. He is from California originally.
Mac McCurry was formerly a quarterback but moved to linebacker this year and it seemed to be a natural fit considering he racked up a whopping 205 total tackles on the season as a sophomore. It's still very early in the process for McCurry; Duke is really the only program to show heavy interest at this point but things could pick up for him in the future. Right now, McCurry is about 6-foot-1, 195-pounds but has growth potential.
2014 DB Darin Smalls holds offers from USC, Clemson, and Virginia Tech. Smalls isn't sure when he will make a decision, but at this point the Gamecocks have a huge lead. Smalls participated in the Army All-American combine earlier this month and measured in at 5-foot-11, 200 pounds. He ran a 4.6 40-yard dash, 4.3 shuttle, and had a 31-inch vertical.
The Gamecocks were the first to offer Bailey in mid-December and are currently sitting in second behind Oregon for him. Bailey is from Washington state and moved to Summerville in the summer of 2009. He still has family out there and Oregon will be a big factor if they were to offer. Bailey has the looks of a college offensive lineman right now and will be one of the top prospects in the state for his class. He will be a tackle on the next level. Here is our recent story with much more detail on Bailey.
USC running backs coach Everette Sands dropped by on Friday to check in on these prospects. Both Smalls and Bailey will visit South Carolina again next month as well.
Fort Dorchester has produced a pair of NFL defensive linemen recently in Carlos Dunlap and Robert Quinn, and it looks like head coach Steve LaPrad has several other talented ones to work with in his rising junior class. They are Eugene March, a 6-foot-2, 240-pounder, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Myles White, and big DT Eurndraus Bryant who checks in at 6-foot-1, 350 pounds. White really looks the part and we were told that Bryant is very athletic for his size and has a chance to be very good if he can drop more weight and get down into the 320-325 range. All three were invited to a South Carolina bowl practice and attended recently, so the Gamecock staff is already in on the trio.
2014 linebackers David Govan and Kevyn Flores also have Division I potential and are receiving correspondence from several schools.
We were also able to stop by Goose Creek to visit with head coach Chuck Reedy and to see 2014 tight end Caleb Kinlaw. There has been some talk about which position best fits Ritchie, tight end or defensive end. Talking with people at Goose Creek, they strongly believe it is tight end, definitely in South Carolina's offense. The staff considered moving him to defensive end for this coming season but decided against it. He fits what South Carolina wants its tight ends to do. He is a strong blocker and can help in the passing game. They are not sure he would fit a Clemson offense at tight end or h-back, which is why defensive end has been mentioned. Ritchie doesn't really have a preference for where he will plan on the next level.
On the recruiting front, Ritchie pretty much came out and told us that he knows where he is going and he is just waiting for the right time. We strongly believe it is South Carolina. That is the school that was the first to offer a while back and he has been at South Carolina a lot more than anywhere else. He also said that he has known where he was going for a while and that favors South Carolina as well.
Kinlaw is pretty open right now with his recruitment. He still talks with South Carolina receiver coach Steve Spurrier Jr. a lot and said he will be visiting South Carolina again soon. He only visited North Carolina and Tennessee during the season for games. Tennessee has been the leader but Kinlaw said things are even now. Even though South Carolina is in very good position with 2014 running back Derrell Scott (Havelock, N.C.), the Gamecocks cannot be ruled out right now.
We also made a stop to Bishop England High, a program that does not typically produce a lot of football talent but there is one to watch at the school in 2015 OL Hudson Little. The 6-foot-4, 275-pounder looks the part physically and head coach John Cantey says he already performs better than any senior lineman he has coached. Little has not drawn a lot of Division I interest yet, but it's early and he hasn't hit the camp circuit hard like he probably will this summer. Very early on, he favors the SEC especially Georgia and South Carolina. Interestingly, he played several games this season with a torn meniscus and just had surgery a couple of weeks ago. Little played in big games and the playoffs, including a state title game win.
On the way back to Columbia, we decided to drop by Orangeburg to see 2015 defensive lineman Albert Huggins. Sands also made a stop by Orangeburg-Wilkinson on Friday to check up on him.
While most have pegged Bluffton's Shameik Blackshear as the top prospect in the state, here is where GamecockCentral.com is going to step out on a limb. We believe that at this stage, Huggins is the prospect we would have as number one in the state, followed by Blackshear. That is no knock on Blackshear, who has great size, athletic ability, and upside. Huggins is potentially elite in his own right and right now is the better player. He weighed in at 265 pounds at the end of last week and there's not a bit of fat to be found on him. He will get big enough to play inside on the next level and his film (that he showed us personally during our visit with him) has him making plays all over the field whether on the defensive line or offensive line, which he also plays for O-W. He's a potentially special prospect who also has a great personality and is a hard worker to boot.
Huggins is still sitting on offers from USC and Clemson. While Huggins currently lists a top four of Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Clemson in that order, Clemson should be considered the team to beat right now. The reason for that is because of the location, his relationship with former teammate and current Clemson Tiger Jadar Johnson, and Clemson's engineering program. The engineering program is the biggest factor right now for Huggins. There is still a long ways to go in his recruitment but Clemson is the team to beat and we would put South Carolina in second right now.
2014 Quarterback Drew Barker (Burlington, Ky./Conner) visited Kentucky this weekend and he told Josh the visit went well. He also said that South Carolina is still number one for him. The Joker Phillips Kentucky staff really did not give Barker the time of day, but the new staff is recruiting him. Barker said that he isn't sure when USC quarterback coach G.A. Mangus will be by his school but he should be by sometime this month. Barker plans on making a decision during the spring.
Steve Spurrier will be hitting the road to check in with some prospects next week, and one of his notable stops will be to Sandy Creek High in Tyrone, Georgia. While there, he will speak with OL commitment Ronnie Blackmon. We will keep everyone of any other visits Spurrier will make this coming week whenever we pick up new information.
Spurrier will visit with spur commitment Mohamed Camara at his school on Monday. As we reported recently, Camara is not going to be officially visiting Wake Forest despite an offer from the Demon Deacons and subsequent report that he would be visiting there.
Moving back to Wiggins for a moment, here is our story recapping his visit in case you missed it Sunday afternoon. Talking to some sources familiar with his recruitment over the weekend, it is still tough to get a read on where things stand. Some believe that USC is definitely the strongest contender to Georgia at this time and have the best chance of flipping him, a chance they say is good. Others believe as much as Wiggins likes South Carolina he may end up sticking with Georgia in the end. What is known right now is that Wiggins may make a return visit to USC, and he plans on visiting Florida, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M over the next three final weekends heading into signing day. The Gamecock staff definitely helped its chances over the weekend and did a very good job with Wiggins' parents from what we were told.
USC tight ends/special teams coach Joe Robinson is going to be checking in this coming week on a new name, Monroe (Ga.) athlete Stanton Truitt. The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder played quarterback this season for Monroe and led them to the state semifinals. He will be a receiver or a defensive back and special teams guy in college, but he had a productive season at quarterback especially on the ground. He racked up nearly 1,500 yards rushing (averaging 10.5 yards per carry) and scored 19 times. He put up these stats despite missing the final four regular season games with a high ankle sprain. He was the Region 8-AAAA athlete of the year as well. USC is one of the programs showing the heaviest interest and it would not be surprising if the trigger was pulled on an offer in the near future.
In addition to the other ones we already mentioned in the Lowcountry, Everette Sands made some other notable recruiting stops on Friday. He was by Bluffton which is home to aforementioned 2015 defensive end Shameik Blackshear. South Carolina was the first to offer Blackshear and Clemson and North Carolina have since followed suit. He lists USC and Clemson tied on top but the Gamecocks should be considered the team to beat. It is well known that he idolizes Jadeveon Clowne. He will be visiting South Carolina again next month.
Another stop for Sands was by Hilton Head to check on 2014 defensive tackle Poona Ford. Ford told Josh Low during the weekend that he would call the Gamecocks his leader right now. He will also be visiting South Carolina next month.
South Carolina offensive line coach Shawn Elliott also made two big stops on Friday. He was by Latta on Friday to check on 2014 offensive lineman Donell Stanley. Stanley is the top prospect in the state for his class and we still believe the Gamecocks are in a strong position with him. Publicly, Stanley lists a top four of South Carolina, Clemson, North Carolina, and Alabama in no certain order.
The reasons why we believe it is the Gamecocks on top are because of his relationship with Elliott, he has visited USC more than anywhere else, and he has relationships with players that will be at South Carolina. We don't expect his recruitment to last a long time and wouldn't be surprised if it was over by the end of the spring. Look for Stanley to visit South Carolina again soon.
Elliott also made the short trip from Latta to Dillon to check on Gamecock commit Avery McCall. Nothing has changed with our stance on Blue. The Gamecocks are the leader and have been for a while. He will be on campus soon as well.
McCall is still sitting on offers from South Carolina and East Carolina. After watching him play in person and then watching his freshman film, Josh believes that McCall could challenge for the top prospect in the state right now (regardless of class). He is that good right now and we believe he will get that much better. McCall is only about 6-foot right now but most of his family is on the taller side. He should get to around 6-foot-2 or 6-foot-3 when he is a senior. McCall can make plays with his feet but he is a passer first. He has a cannon for an arm and his feet are always moving in the pocket; he has great pocket presence.
On the recruiting side of the things, McCall isn't naming leaders or top schools because of how early it is in the process. With that said, the Gamecocks are in a very favorable position right now. He grew up a Gamecock fan, his mother went to South Carolina, and his cousin is current Gamecock receiver Kwinton Smith. There are a lot of things working in South Carolina's favor.
One of South Carolina's 2014 targets that we have mentioned several times is Washington (D.C.) Friendship Academy DB video analysis from Rivals.com from the Army Underclassman Combine on Tabor. Even without a visit, the Gamecocks have been in the lead group (top five-seven) consistently for Tabor.
The top schools at the moment for 2014 defensive back Wesley Green, a very talented secondary prospect, are (in alphabetical order) Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, and South Carolina. He has not yet been on campus at South Carolina, but this summer is a possibility for a trip to Columbia. Green plans on making an early decision next summer and is the type of prospect that defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward likes at corner with his size and playmaking ability.
The Gamecocks remain a big leader for 2014 linebacker prospect Bryson Allen-Williams, who we expect in Columbia soon for the Gamecocks' junior day event.
South Carolina's football staff obviously has a huge visitor docket coming up this weekend, and of course we will go into much further detail throughout the week to preview it for our subscribers. One junior unofficial visitor will be Charlotte (N.C.) Providence OL Bentley Spain, who has the Gamecocks as his huge leader.
However, here is an early look at the uncommitted names we expect in this weekend. Ronnie Martin will also begin classes this week and were finishing up official visits this weekend. Speaking of Park, he weighed in at 6-foot-4 and 336 pounds on his official visit. Aside from those, the rest of the Gamecock pledges are expected in town this coming weekend to make official visits.
USC targets
Delray Beach (Fla.) Atlantic DT Keith Bryant
Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) University LB Skai Moore
Washington (D.C.) Friendship Academy LB Yannick Ngakoue
Pomfret (Md.) McDonough OL Na'Ty Rodgers
Immokalee (Fla.) DT Deadrin Senat
Daphne (Ala.) Bayside LB Jonathan Walton
Bryant had been mulling taking an official visit to Miami instead of South Carolina the weekend of January 18, but told me on Sunday afternoon that it would be Columbia he would be visiting this weekend. So, as of this writing that is the information we have and what we are going by at this time.
USC assistant G.A. Mangus will be down mid-week to Immokalee to meet with Senat and also to gauge the possibility of USC getting in four-star cornerback Mackensie Alexander in on an official visit.
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