B
Brian Shoemaker
Guest
Gamecock Central recruiting analyst Chris Clark is out of town this week. In his absence, we're posting 'Recruiting Notes' each day instead of an 'Insider Report.' The following notes were compiled by Jameson Million and Austin Thompson. In addition, we'll have at least two recruiting articles on the home page.
-- We know many people are curious to know why South Carolina offered Boiling Springs (S.C.) quarterback Dylan Thompson, who committed on the spot Monday afternoon to head coach Steve Spurrier. We can tell you that the South Carolina staff saw him throw at camp and thoroughly reviewed his film before extending an offer to him. He is a good overall athlete and, obviously, is an outstanding young man for Spurrier to extend an offer even they only planned to take one QB in the 2010 class. You can click here to view his highlight reel.
-- Boiling Springs (S.C.) offensive lineman Logan Stewart told us that he was very excited to have his Gamecock offer on the table. He was on the USC campus yesterday and got to take a tour and see Columbia. He met Eric Wolford and Brad Lawing before paying a visit to Steve Spurrier. Stewart told us he was extremely impressed with the coaches and he loved hanging out with them. But he knows they are ready to 'get down to business' soon. Logan expects to visit Vanderbilt, NC State and Wake Forest before he makes his decision. He does not know when he will make his commitment, but he thinks it could be closer to August following his visits. As of right now, South Carolina is out in front and we expect it to stay that way from what he told us.
-- We spoke with Denmark (S.C.) defensive lineman Kendrick Frazier. He told us that his next two visits will be to Coastal Carolina and South Carolina. Right now, he doesn't have plans to attend any camps. Frazier really likes Shane Beamer and even compared him to a 'big brother' figure because he makes sure he is keeping his grades up. Academics are going to be very important to Frazier. He told us that the football team having a GPA near 3.0 (2.7) speaks volumes to him about the commitment to academics at South Carolina. Right now, his top five are South Carolina, Coastal Carolina, Clemson, NC State and Alabama, in no particular order. As of today, he plans to make his decision after his upcoming football season. Frazier is no longer calling South Carolina his 'leader.' However, we feel the Gamecocks are still the team to beat.
-- Jacksonville (Fla.) offensive lineman Brent Benedict committed to Georgia on Monday. It’s considered a solid verbal commitment. Many thought Florida was in the driver’s seat. But it appears he will be headed to Athens. We will try to catch up with him later this week to determine how solid his commitment is and whether he will still take a look at USC.
-- With regards to the front page article on Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes cornerback Nick Jones, we believe USC is still in front for his services. He is claiming he doesn’t have a leader. He recently picked up an offer from Michigan. He hopes to visit Columbia soon along with teammate Marcus Lattimore.
-- Jacksonville (Fla.) offensive lineman Tramell Williams told us Monday night that his top three schools are South Carolina, Illinois, and Southern Mississippi. He is set to visit South Carolina on June 23rd and then Illinois on June 24th for a two day visit. He wants to make his decision fairly quickly, so he should announce his choice sometime before his season starts in August. However, it’s possible he could commit to USC during his trip to Columbia.
-- Georgia Military College safety Jakar Hamilton told us he would like to make his decision by the end of June or early July. He visited Georgia this past weekend and enjoyed the visit. He suggested the Bulldogs were the team to beat. As of today, he plans to visit Alabama this weekend or the next. Hamilton said he would like to visit South Carolina as well. However, it’s questionable whether that will happen. Currently, his top two schools are Alabama and Georgia.
-- Douglas (Ga.) offensive guard Garrett Scott attended camp at Florida on Monday. He said the Gator coaches will be in touch with him if they are interested. He had not contacted Eric Wolford by late Monday night. So, Scott is expected call him back tomorrow to find out about his potential Gamecock offer. As always, we will keep you updated with the latest on this situation.
-- USC commitment Connor Shaw of Flowery Branch (Ga.) will be traveling to Columbia on Tuesday. We will be following up with him later today to get details of his visit.
This post was edited on 6/16 2:43 PM by Brian Shoemaker
-- We know many people are curious to know why South Carolina offered Boiling Springs (S.C.) quarterback Dylan Thompson, who committed on the spot Monday afternoon to head coach Steve Spurrier. We can tell you that the South Carolina staff saw him throw at camp and thoroughly reviewed his film before extending an offer to him. He is a good overall athlete and, obviously, is an outstanding young man for Spurrier to extend an offer even they only planned to take one QB in the 2010 class. You can click here to view his highlight reel.
-- Boiling Springs (S.C.) offensive lineman Logan Stewart told us that he was very excited to have his Gamecock offer on the table. He was on the USC campus yesterday and got to take a tour and see Columbia. He met Eric Wolford and Brad Lawing before paying a visit to Steve Spurrier. Stewart told us he was extremely impressed with the coaches and he loved hanging out with them. But he knows they are ready to 'get down to business' soon. Logan expects to visit Vanderbilt, NC State and Wake Forest before he makes his decision. He does not know when he will make his commitment, but he thinks it could be closer to August following his visits. As of right now, South Carolina is out in front and we expect it to stay that way from what he told us.
-- We spoke with Denmark (S.C.) defensive lineman Kendrick Frazier. He told us that his next two visits will be to Coastal Carolina and South Carolina. Right now, he doesn't have plans to attend any camps. Frazier really likes Shane Beamer and even compared him to a 'big brother' figure because he makes sure he is keeping his grades up. Academics are going to be very important to Frazier. He told us that the football team having a GPA near 3.0 (2.7) speaks volumes to him about the commitment to academics at South Carolina. Right now, his top five are South Carolina, Coastal Carolina, Clemson, NC State and Alabama, in no particular order. As of today, he plans to make his decision after his upcoming football season. Frazier is no longer calling South Carolina his 'leader.' However, we feel the Gamecocks are still the team to beat.
-- Jacksonville (Fla.) offensive lineman Brent Benedict committed to Georgia on Monday. It’s considered a solid verbal commitment. Many thought Florida was in the driver’s seat. But it appears he will be headed to Athens. We will try to catch up with him later this week to determine how solid his commitment is and whether he will still take a look at USC.
-- With regards to the front page article on Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes cornerback Nick Jones, we believe USC is still in front for his services. He is claiming he doesn’t have a leader. He recently picked up an offer from Michigan. He hopes to visit Columbia soon along with teammate Marcus Lattimore.
-- Jacksonville (Fla.) offensive lineman Tramell Williams told us Monday night that his top three schools are South Carolina, Illinois, and Southern Mississippi. He is set to visit South Carolina on June 23rd and then Illinois on June 24th for a two day visit. He wants to make his decision fairly quickly, so he should announce his choice sometime before his season starts in August. However, it’s possible he could commit to USC during his trip to Columbia.
-- Georgia Military College safety Jakar Hamilton told us he would like to make his decision by the end of June or early July. He visited Georgia this past weekend and enjoyed the visit. He suggested the Bulldogs were the team to beat. As of today, he plans to visit Alabama this weekend or the next. Hamilton said he would like to visit South Carolina as well. However, it’s questionable whether that will happen. Currently, his top two schools are Alabama and Georgia.
-- Douglas (Ga.) offensive guard Garrett Scott attended camp at Florida on Monday. He said the Gator coaches will be in touch with him if they are interested. He had not contacted Eric Wolford by late Monday night. So, Scott is expected call him back tomorrow to find out about his potential Gamecock offer. As always, we will keep you updated with the latest on this situation.
-- USC commitment Connor Shaw of Flowery Branch (Ga.) will be traveling to Columbia on Tuesday. We will be following up with him later today to get details of his visit.
This post was edited on 6/16 2:43 PM by Brian Shoemaker
