Tonight, I wanted to bring a refresher on what is going on with the 2014 recruiting class. Spots are very limited, as you all know and there are only a handful of prospects remaining on South Carolina's board. Note: I won't cover every prospect remaining on the board in this particular edition.
Four-star WR you can read here. I think Berrios will talk again to us soon, but for now that lengthy interview gives you a glimpse at what is going on in his recruitment. Oregon has worked its way into his lead group which also consists of (alphabetical order) Clemson, Kentucky, Miami, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. His first official visit will be to Oregon this coming weekend and he will follow that up with a trip to Miami the following weekend (September 6). There are no other officials scheduled at this time.
Surprisingly, there was no mention by Berrios of Ohio State in that interview. After he traveled up to Ohio State and earned an offer at the Buckeyes' Friday Night Lights camp, a few sources I spoke with thought that jumped the Buckeyes to the top of his list. More than one source even insinuated it wouldn't be a surprise if he committed soon after. However, time passed and Berrios went quiet without committing anywhere. It seems to me from talking to multiple sources and reading the tea leaves that perhaps Berrios isn't someone being pushed for on the Ohio State end right now. That doesn't mean he would have already been committed there if OSU had been pushing; it's just my opinion of the situation from talking with others.
I've said in several previous updates with Berrios that it would not be surprising if he ended up at one of four schools: Kentucky, Miami, Ohio State, or South Carolina. I think the three not named Ohio State seem to be most in play right now. I will add that those close to Kentucky do not seem as confident about the Wildcats' potential chances as after his visit there this summer. Miami was a childhood favorite of Berrios' and although I think he has had concerns about the program, it's still a legitimate option for him. It will be interesting to see if he schedules any other official visits. I would lump Oregon into the "potential possibilities" category particularly if the official visit goes well this coming weekend. I'll keep you updated with any other developments on the Berrios front as information becomes available. I do think if Berrios schedules an official to USC that it would be a positive development; USC was a favorite for much of the process for the North Carolina product and the proximity to home, way USC wanted to use him on offense/special teams and rapport with Connor Mitch all help.
As we previously covered, USC was prepared to take four-star CB Chris Lammons and at one point a few days before his announcement led for his services. Florida overtook the Gamecocks late, and Lammons has said he still plans on visiting USC. I was told in the hours leading up to Lammons' eventual Florida announcement that it was likely that if he committed elsewhere that USC would move on and just concentrate on other targets. For example, with three cornerbacks already committed in the class defensive line is a much bigger priority. I think for USC to go out and target another defensive back that it would take losing out on a defensive lineman or two in the 2014 class. We are going to continue to keep an eye on Lammons as he continues to say he will visit some other schools including USC, but for several reasons that may not end up materializing.
I don't think people need to forget that secondary coach Grady Brown coveted commitment Al Harris Jr. over several others that USC was in the game with this summer and essentially shut off DB recruiting after the south Florida three-star committed. Harris Jr. was higher on the board than other guys with better star rankings (including at the time, Lammons) but evaluation is a big part of the game in college football and Brown has been really high on Harris Jr.
The Gamecocks continue to lead for four-star DE Bryson Allen-Williams has continued to work him behind the scenes.
I can tell you that with several defensive linemen remaining on the board, USC's top priority has appeared to be getting Sawyer in the boat as basically the lone uncommitted DE out there that USC is heavily in the game with at this time. USC needs an end more than a tackle in this class and Sawyer, if he can qualify, fits the bill as someone who could possibly play early.
We're continuing to track four-star DT Anthony Moten as someone who could visit USC this season. There has been some talk that he could opt to make an official visit to Columbia later in the season from what I'm told, and going forward this situation will depend on need and numbers at defensive tackle for the Gamecocks. Certainly, Moten is someone that has some interest but has not visited yet. Again, the biggest priority is defensive end for USC but Moten is a good prospect and someone that USC could look at bringing in later this season. I would watch the Florida game weekend as a potential date, if something happens.
We brought you all the news over the weekend that four-star OL Donell Stanley will be visiting USC this Thursday for the USC/UNC game; an interesting dynamic here given that those two schools have been the primary teams doing battle for him. I still believe it's more than likely that Stanley wraps up a decision sooner than later, although he appears to be focused on his senior season right now and not as much on recruiting. The Gamecocks still have a substantial edge for Stanley in my opinion; his longtime rapport with Shawn Elliott, familiarity with the school, and the fact that his mother has only visited South Carolina all are weighing heavily here. It's possible that he could travel to the Upstate to watch Clemson/Georgia on Saturday but I still believe the Tigers are behind USC and North Carolina. USC is in the best position right now. If Stanley were to opt to slow on the process and take some official visits during or after the season it would give me pause but the sooner he wraps up a decision the better for USC.
I still feel South Carolina is going to be tough to beat for four-star RB Derrell Scott out of Havelock; there is nothing new to report on his end from what we have already covered numerous times as to the reasons for USC being the perceived favorite but I did want to just cover him really quickly as one of the remaining high-profile targets out there. He will not be in Columbia on Thursday night due to him having a big game against New Bern on Friday, but I have no doubts he will be watching best friend and former teammate Pharoh Cooper in action on Thursday night on television. His official visit, the only one set up so far (and it could be the sole visit on his docket as we've covered) is to USC for the weekend of the Florida game.
Just a reminder, don't expect the visitor list to be big for USC's opening tilt against UNC. We'll be updating you throughout the week on which prospects to expect in for the game, but several prospects have practice that night for big games the next day or aren't able to make the trip during the week for other reasons.
Four-star WR you can read here. I think Berrios will talk again to us soon, but for now that lengthy interview gives you a glimpse at what is going on in his recruitment. Oregon has worked its way into his lead group which also consists of (alphabetical order) Clemson, Kentucky, Miami, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. His first official visit will be to Oregon this coming weekend and he will follow that up with a trip to Miami the following weekend (September 6). There are no other officials scheduled at this time.
Surprisingly, there was no mention by Berrios of Ohio State in that interview. After he traveled up to Ohio State and earned an offer at the Buckeyes' Friday Night Lights camp, a few sources I spoke with thought that jumped the Buckeyes to the top of his list. More than one source even insinuated it wouldn't be a surprise if he committed soon after. However, time passed and Berrios went quiet without committing anywhere. It seems to me from talking to multiple sources and reading the tea leaves that perhaps Berrios isn't someone being pushed for on the Ohio State end right now. That doesn't mean he would have already been committed there if OSU had been pushing; it's just my opinion of the situation from talking with others.
I've said in several previous updates with Berrios that it would not be surprising if he ended up at one of four schools: Kentucky, Miami, Ohio State, or South Carolina. I think the three not named Ohio State seem to be most in play right now. I will add that those close to Kentucky do not seem as confident about the Wildcats' potential chances as after his visit there this summer. Miami was a childhood favorite of Berrios' and although I think he has had concerns about the program, it's still a legitimate option for him. It will be interesting to see if he schedules any other official visits. I would lump Oregon into the "potential possibilities" category particularly if the official visit goes well this coming weekend. I'll keep you updated with any other developments on the Berrios front as information becomes available. I do think if Berrios schedules an official to USC that it would be a positive development; USC was a favorite for much of the process for the North Carolina product and the proximity to home, way USC wanted to use him on offense/special teams and rapport with Connor Mitch all help.
As we previously covered, USC was prepared to take four-star CB Chris Lammons and at one point a few days before his announcement led for his services. Florida overtook the Gamecocks late, and Lammons has said he still plans on visiting USC. I was told in the hours leading up to Lammons' eventual Florida announcement that it was likely that if he committed elsewhere that USC would move on and just concentrate on other targets. For example, with three cornerbacks already committed in the class defensive line is a much bigger priority. I think for USC to go out and target another defensive back that it would take losing out on a defensive lineman or two in the 2014 class. We are going to continue to keep an eye on Lammons as he continues to say he will visit some other schools including USC, but for several reasons that may not end up materializing.
I don't think people need to forget that secondary coach Grady Brown coveted commitment Al Harris Jr. over several others that USC was in the game with this summer and essentially shut off DB recruiting after the south Florida three-star committed. Harris Jr. was higher on the board than other guys with better star rankings (including at the time, Lammons) but evaluation is a big part of the game in college football and Brown has been really high on Harris Jr.
The Gamecocks continue to lead for four-star DE Bryson Allen-Williams has continued to work him behind the scenes.
I can tell you that with several defensive linemen remaining on the board, USC's top priority has appeared to be getting Sawyer in the boat as basically the lone uncommitted DE out there that USC is heavily in the game with at this time. USC needs an end more than a tackle in this class and Sawyer, if he can qualify, fits the bill as someone who could possibly play early.
We're continuing to track four-star DT Anthony Moten as someone who could visit USC this season. There has been some talk that he could opt to make an official visit to Columbia later in the season from what I'm told, and going forward this situation will depend on need and numbers at defensive tackle for the Gamecocks. Certainly, Moten is someone that has some interest but has not visited yet. Again, the biggest priority is defensive end for USC but Moten is a good prospect and someone that USC could look at bringing in later this season. I would watch the Florida game weekend as a potential date, if something happens.
We brought you all the news over the weekend that four-star OL Donell Stanley will be visiting USC this Thursday for the USC/UNC game; an interesting dynamic here given that those two schools have been the primary teams doing battle for him. I still believe it's more than likely that Stanley wraps up a decision sooner than later, although he appears to be focused on his senior season right now and not as much on recruiting. The Gamecocks still have a substantial edge for Stanley in my opinion; his longtime rapport with Shawn Elliott, familiarity with the school, and the fact that his mother has only visited South Carolina all are weighing heavily here. It's possible that he could travel to the Upstate to watch Clemson/Georgia on Saturday but I still believe the Tigers are behind USC and North Carolina. USC is in the best position right now. If Stanley were to opt to slow on the process and take some official visits during or after the season it would give me pause but the sooner he wraps up a decision the better for USC.
I still feel South Carolina is going to be tough to beat for four-star RB Derrell Scott out of Havelock; there is nothing new to report on his end from what we have already covered numerous times as to the reasons for USC being the perceived favorite but I did want to just cover him really quickly as one of the remaining high-profile targets out there. He will not be in Columbia on Thursday night due to him having a big game against New Bern on Friday, but I have no doubts he will be watching best friend and former teammate Pharoh Cooper in action on Thursday night on television. His official visit, the only one set up so far (and it could be the sole visit on his docket as we've covered) is to USC for the weekend of the Florida game.
Just a reminder, don't expect the visitor list to be big for USC's opening tilt against UNC. We'll be updating you throughout the week on which prospects to expect in for the game, but several prospects have practice that night for big games the next day or aren't able to make the trip during the week for other reasons.
