Four-star wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey attended the Chapel Hill NIKE Camp over the weekend and was very impressive. He was named the top receiver in attendance. I really don’t see him going far from home when all is said and done, and I think there’s a high probability he’ll ultimately end up in Columbia. His teammate, David Sims also had a good day at the NIKE, and I think Carolina is a big factor with him as well. They’ve discussed giving him the chance to play some offense, but his future is on defense, and any NFL aspirations would need to be on that side of the ball. That works in USC’s favor.
I know a lot of you are wondering about quarterback and who Carolina might pursue at that position. As of today, there is still a chance they won’t sign one at all this year. They are confident Stephen Garcia will be here long-term and once Reid McCollum and Aramis Hillary arrive this summer, they’ll have five QB’s on scholarship and a new recruit next year would make six. That’s a full boat and it’s hard to effectively coach much more than that. Now it’s still possible they’ll decide to take one, especially if they find a great one in camp that they can land, but don’t be surprised if they don’t.
Four-star receiver Nu’Keese Richardson was quoted recently as saying he could decide in the next month or so, and that’s good news for Carolina. If he visits Georgia before making a decision, they could become a bigger factor, but the Gamecocks are the clear team to beat. Florida would be a team to worry about if they were pursuing him qith vigor, but it’s my understanding that they are not doing so.
Some have asked about four-star receiver Jamal Patterson and USC’s chances with him. The hard part about gauging just how likely he is to end up in Columbia is that he tells different people different things. He has communicated to some in the USC camp that he has a very strong interest in them, but Clemson and Auburn also feel good about their chances. So, who knows where he may end up.
I’ll have a story on the site tomorrow on linebacker Qua Huzzie. It’s primarily a Kentucky-USC battle, and I think the Wildcats lead as of today. However, he’s spent more time in Lexington, so things could change if the Gamecocks can get him on campus for an extensive visit in the near future, some thing that is likely to occur.
Recruiting coordinator David Reaves visited four-star tight end Orson Charles’ school this morning. He has some interest in USC, but they’re not a big factor with him at this point. He does plan to make a decision late in the process and wants to see how each team he’s considering utilizes the tight end. If the Gamecocks throw to Jared Cook and Weslye Saunders as much as I expect, that could improve their chances of landing a guy like Charles.
Four-star defensive end Sam Montgomery had a great visit to USC for the spring game and they definitely helped themselves with him. He has even told some close to him since then that he likes USC better than Clemson. I’m not completely convinced, though, and if he picked tomorrow, my gut says he would choose Clemson.
Four-star linebacker Hawatha Bell is still a strong lean despite North Carolina’s best efforts to turn him away from the Gamecocks. The next time they get him on campus in Columbia, a commitment is very possible.
Valdosta (Ga.) four-star linebacker Michael Gilliard is a player Carolina’s staff is extremely high on, and he is interested in them, too. However, they really need to get him on campus soon because Georgia is the team to beat, and they are pushing him to make an early decision because of their tight scholarship numbers.
Finally, despite him grabbing offers from elite programs around the country, I still hear Carolina is in a very good position with four-star defensive end Chris Bonds. I think they would have to have a poor season to not land him.
This post was edited on 5/5 5:48 PM by Tony Morrell
I know a lot of you are wondering about quarterback and who Carolina might pursue at that position. As of today, there is still a chance they won’t sign one at all this year. They are confident Stephen Garcia will be here long-term and once Reid McCollum and Aramis Hillary arrive this summer, they’ll have five QB’s on scholarship and a new recruit next year would make six. That’s a full boat and it’s hard to effectively coach much more than that. Now it’s still possible they’ll decide to take one, especially if they find a great one in camp that they can land, but don’t be surprised if they don’t.
Four-star receiver Nu’Keese Richardson was quoted recently as saying he could decide in the next month or so, and that’s good news for Carolina. If he visits Georgia before making a decision, they could become a bigger factor, but the Gamecocks are the clear team to beat. Florida would be a team to worry about if they were pursuing him qith vigor, but it’s my understanding that they are not doing so.
Some have asked about four-star receiver Jamal Patterson and USC’s chances with him. The hard part about gauging just how likely he is to end up in Columbia is that he tells different people different things. He has communicated to some in the USC camp that he has a very strong interest in them, but Clemson and Auburn also feel good about their chances. So, who knows where he may end up.
I’ll have a story on the site tomorrow on linebacker Qua Huzzie. It’s primarily a Kentucky-USC battle, and I think the Wildcats lead as of today. However, he’s spent more time in Lexington, so things could change if the Gamecocks can get him on campus for an extensive visit in the near future, some thing that is likely to occur.
Recruiting coordinator David Reaves visited four-star tight end Orson Charles’ school this morning. He has some interest in USC, but they’re not a big factor with him at this point. He does plan to make a decision late in the process and wants to see how each team he’s considering utilizes the tight end. If the Gamecocks throw to Jared Cook and Weslye Saunders as much as I expect, that could improve their chances of landing a guy like Charles.
Four-star defensive end Sam Montgomery had a great visit to USC for the spring game and they definitely helped themselves with him. He has even told some close to him since then that he likes USC better than Clemson. I’m not completely convinced, though, and if he picked tomorrow, my gut says he would choose Clemson.
Four-star linebacker Hawatha Bell is still a strong lean despite North Carolina’s best efforts to turn him away from the Gamecocks. The next time they get him on campus in Columbia, a commitment is very possible.
Valdosta (Ga.) four-star linebacker Michael Gilliard is a player Carolina’s staff is extremely high on, and he is interested in them, too. However, they really need to get him on campus soon because Georgia is the team to beat, and they are pushing him to make an early decision because of their tight scholarship numbers.
Finally, despite him grabbing offers from elite programs around the country, I still hear Carolina is in a very good position with four-star defensive end Chris Bonds. I think they would have to have a poor season to not land him.
This post was edited on 5/5 5:48 PM by Tony Morrell
