W
Wes Mitchell
Guest
Day 4 of the Shane Beamer Camp experience is now complete as the South Carolina staff now pivots to hosting its 10 official visitors for the weekend and rolls right into a camp day on Sunday as well.
Gamecock Central was once again on hand another camp day of talented prospects and Chris and I have split up this report below...
** The buzz of the camp day early on came in the form of Irmo (S.C.) class of 2022 safety/linebacker Nick Emmanwori who threw down an impressive 40-yard-dash, vertical and broad jump to start the day and then finished it with an offer from the Gamecocks.
Here's Chris on the local prospect:
We were anxious to get a look at Irmo defender Nick Emmanwori earlier in the month, as he was originally scheduled to camp in Columbia on June 5. He wasn't able to make that date, but did make the short trip down the road to take part on Friday.
He left having made quite the impression. Emmanwori measured in at 6-foot-3 and put up excellent testing numbers. He ran in the 4.4-4.5 range in the 40-yard dash, had a quality vertical jump, and broad jumped well over 10 feet.
Emmanwori worked out some at linebacker and at defensive back and drew plenty of attention throughout the day from multiple Gamecock staffers. A leaping interception down the field in one-on-ones seemed to seal the staff's opinion. conclusion. Clayton White, Shane Beamer, defensive assistant Joe Bowen, and multiple current Gamecock players ran over to Emmanwori to congratulate him.
Further congratulations are now in order, as Emmanwori picked up an offer from the staff at the day's conclusion.
Back to Wes now...
A few additional notes on Emmanwori. One of the big questions with him as a prospect has been whether he's a safety or a linebacker. Athletically he's probably one of those guys that you just get into the program and see where he ends up. For my money, he looks like a guy with the frame to ultimately be a linebacker, especially as that positions trends to smaller and more athletics guys. When I saw him lining up at linebacker at camp, it just looked like a fit, but there's obviously a lot more that goes into that type of decision that you can't see in a camp setting such as physicality.
For what it's worth, I'm told that Emmanwori is already a pretty strong kid and getting stronger and the buzz from the local guys - coaches and parents who know ball and are active in watching high school and 7-on-7 ball in the Midlands - has always been that Emmanwori is someone who was flying under the radar and is a really good player.
South Carolina moving in first could prove to be a prudent move as I'm hearing rumblings that North Carolina and Missouri could also move in with offers. It just plays a lot better when the local team beats them to the punch in my eyes.
Finally, it was a pretty cool moment after Emmanwori snatched the interception that Chris referenced above. Beamer quickly made a beeline towards the area where the parents and coaches were all standing or sitting and waved for Irmo head coach Aaron Brand to get over to where he was. You could tell that Beamer was fired up. We had already heard indications that an offer could be coming but I knew at that moment that it was more than likely happening today.
** Y'all know by now that I'm a big fan of Chapin (S.C.) class of 2024 quarterback Jayden Bradford's game and I can tell you that South Carolina is a fan of his as well.
It's Bradford's natural ability to deliver the football, the way it jumps off his hand with accuracy and touch, that has always impressed me. But it's his athleticism that jumped off the page to start the day. The Chapin signal caller put down a 40 in the 4.5s and ran a 4.2 shuttle to ago along with a broad jump that we're told was an absurd distance.
My instinct has always been that Bradford was going to be a Power 5 guy once the process takes off for him. Today's showing - plus what I've heard about his performance at Clemson last week (the Tigers liked him too) - further solidifies that for me.
Bradford got the unofficial visit treatment after camp, meeting with Beamer and some of the other offensive staff, touring the ops building and doing a photoshoot.
South Carolina didn't offer yet - remember he's only a 2024 - but he's definitely on the radar and a strong future offer candidate.
** With Miami (Fla.) Florida Christian class of 2022 three-star defensive lineman Jamaal Whyce's unofficial visit today, he's officially one we should be keeping an eye on for this class where the Gamecocks are concerned.
The feedback I've received on both ends points to there being some strong mutual interest here as the Gamecocks have prioritized Whyce and today's visit went extremely well.
I'd almost go as far as calling the Gamecocks the favorite here if not for the fact that Whyce and the group he's traveling with have already been to Alabama, Clemson and now South Carolina, are set to hit North Carolina next, and are on a trip right now that will see them hit literally 10 or more schools throughout the trip - point being there's a lot that can change when a kid is at that many places and around that many coaches in a short period of time, so it's almost worthless to try and make a prediction at this point - but the Gamecocks are firmly in it. (EDIT: Now that the decision is soon, I would definitely call Carolina the favorite)
Whyce is a 6-foot-4, 250-pounder who could be sort of a true five-technique type defensive end or more of a three-tech interior player, depending on how big he gets. Excellent looking player, though, physically with a great frame.
He's got a big-time offer list (Bama, Florida, Kentucky, Ole Miss, etc) and doesn't really do interviews, which is part of the reason you haven't heard much about him to this point, but we'll be keeping an eye on him moving forward.
** Early on in camp I had a "who the heck is that" moment as a massive kid wearing a Brunswick (Ga.) High shirt walked into the indoor facility. Some recon revealed that it was a class of 2023 defensive lineman turned offensive tackle named Jamal Meriweather.
With his recruitment slowed by COVID and by the fact he's only been an offensive lineman for a few months, Meriweather isn't a known prospect yet but that will change soon.
Meriweather checked in at 6-foot-7, 270-pounds with an 83-inch wingspan and the fastest 40-yard-dash among offensive linemen.
When I say he looks the part, this dude looks the part. He also seemed to move his feet well and caught the attention of the coaches. Meriweather got the chance to meet Beamer and tour the facility before leaving with the coaches expressing that they loved his game. It appears he's a future offer candidate and word is that Florida State and Memphis are two other programs that have gotten wind of him and could offer.
** Meriweather was on campus with Brunswick (Ga.) class of 2023 defensive tackle Ka'Shawn Thomas who already had an offer from the Gamecocks under the old staff. The feedback I received was that the guys had an "amazing time" and enjoyed the day.
** Sumter (S.C.) Lakewood class of 2023 DB Brandon Cisse received some positive feedback from the South Carolina staff following his workout. The Gamecocks want for Cisse to get a bit bigger from a weight/strength standpoint but the staff liked what they saw and will continue to track him, according to one of Cisse's coaches.
** Another class of 2024 prospect to file away for the future is South Homestead (Fla.) Somerset Academy 2024 WR Glenn Smith III. Smith goes to a school that just opened and was in its first year last year, but he led the team in receptions as a freshman, and then won the fastest man challenge that takes place at the end of every camp among receivers. He had a good time on the visit and travels with the same group as Whyce above.
FROM CHRIS:
*** We reported on Thursday night to expect a pair of Maryland four-stars - 2022 rush end Jaishawn Barham and 2023 defensive lineman Mason Robinson - to make the trip to Columbia on Friday.
Both indeed made it in; Barham did not participate in the camp workouts but was hanging around with edge coach Mike Peterson, who's been largely taking the lead on his recruitment.
Robinson has a connection to a Carolina staffer, as his father went to school with Gamecock defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey.
*** Yet another four-star, linebacker Raul Aguirre, also made the trip and appeared to be one of the standouts moving around in the defensive drills.
Aguirre also got plenty of face time throughout the day with defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Clayton White, and spoke with Shane Beamer toward the end of the camp as well.
Aguirre landed an offer at the end of the day.
NEW OFFER RUNDOWN
Gamecock Central was once again on hand another camp day of talented prospects and Chris and I have split up this report below...
** The buzz of the camp day early on came in the form of Irmo (S.C.) class of 2022 safety/linebacker Nick Emmanwori who threw down an impressive 40-yard-dash, vertical and broad jump to start the day and then finished it with an offer from the Gamecocks.
Here's Chris on the local prospect:
We were anxious to get a look at Irmo defender Nick Emmanwori earlier in the month, as he was originally scheduled to camp in Columbia on June 5. He wasn't able to make that date, but did make the short trip down the road to take part on Friday.
He left having made quite the impression. Emmanwori measured in at 6-foot-3 and put up excellent testing numbers. He ran in the 4.4-4.5 range in the 40-yard dash, had a quality vertical jump, and broad jumped well over 10 feet.
Emmanwori worked out some at linebacker and at defensive back and drew plenty of attention throughout the day from multiple Gamecock staffers. A leaping interception down the field in one-on-ones seemed to seal the staff's opinion. conclusion. Clayton White, Shane Beamer, defensive assistant Joe Bowen, and multiple current Gamecock players ran over to Emmanwori to congratulate him.
Further congratulations are now in order, as Emmanwori picked up an offer from the staff at the day's conclusion.
Back to Wes now...
A few additional notes on Emmanwori. One of the big questions with him as a prospect has been whether he's a safety or a linebacker. Athletically he's probably one of those guys that you just get into the program and see where he ends up. For my money, he looks like a guy with the frame to ultimately be a linebacker, especially as that positions trends to smaller and more athletics guys. When I saw him lining up at linebacker at camp, it just looked like a fit, but there's obviously a lot more that goes into that type of decision that you can't see in a camp setting such as physicality.
For what it's worth, I'm told that Emmanwori is already a pretty strong kid and getting stronger and the buzz from the local guys - coaches and parents who know ball and are active in watching high school and 7-on-7 ball in the Midlands - has always been that Emmanwori is someone who was flying under the radar and is a really good player.
South Carolina moving in first could prove to be a prudent move as I'm hearing rumblings that North Carolina and Missouri could also move in with offers. It just plays a lot better when the local team beats them to the punch in my eyes.
Finally, it was a pretty cool moment after Emmanwori snatched the interception that Chris referenced above. Beamer quickly made a beeline towards the area where the parents and coaches were all standing or sitting and waved for Irmo head coach Aaron Brand to get over to where he was. You could tell that Beamer was fired up. We had already heard indications that an offer could be coming but I knew at that moment that it was more than likely happening today.
** Y'all know by now that I'm a big fan of Chapin (S.C.) class of 2024 quarterback Jayden Bradford's game and I can tell you that South Carolina is a fan of his as well.
It's Bradford's natural ability to deliver the football, the way it jumps off his hand with accuracy and touch, that has always impressed me. But it's his athleticism that jumped off the page to start the day. The Chapin signal caller put down a 40 in the 4.5s and ran a 4.2 shuttle to ago along with a broad jump that we're told was an absurd distance.
My instinct has always been that Bradford was going to be a Power 5 guy once the process takes off for him. Today's showing - plus what I've heard about his performance at Clemson last week (the Tigers liked him too) - further solidifies that for me.
Bradford got the unofficial visit treatment after camp, meeting with Beamer and some of the other offensive staff, touring the ops building and doing a photoshoot.
South Carolina didn't offer yet - remember he's only a 2024 - but he's definitely on the radar and a strong future offer candidate.
** With Miami (Fla.) Florida Christian class of 2022 three-star defensive lineman Jamaal Whyce's unofficial visit today, he's officially one we should be keeping an eye on for this class where the Gamecocks are concerned.
The feedback I've received on both ends points to there being some strong mutual interest here as the Gamecocks have prioritized Whyce and today's visit went extremely well.
I'd almost go as far as calling the Gamecocks the favorite here if not for the fact that Whyce and the group he's traveling with have already been to Alabama, Clemson and now South Carolina, are set to hit North Carolina next, and are on a trip right now that will see them hit literally 10 or more schools throughout the trip - point being there's a lot that can change when a kid is at that many places and around that many coaches in a short period of time, so it's almost worthless to try and make a prediction at this point - but the Gamecocks are firmly in it. (EDIT: Now that the decision is soon, I would definitely call Carolina the favorite)
Whyce is a 6-foot-4, 250-pounder who could be sort of a true five-technique type defensive end or more of a three-tech interior player, depending on how big he gets. Excellent looking player, though, physically with a great frame.
He's got a big-time offer list (Bama, Florida, Kentucky, Ole Miss, etc) and doesn't really do interviews, which is part of the reason you haven't heard much about him to this point, but we'll be keeping an eye on him moving forward.
** Early on in camp I had a "who the heck is that" moment as a massive kid wearing a Brunswick (Ga.) High shirt walked into the indoor facility. Some recon revealed that it was a class of 2023 defensive lineman turned offensive tackle named Jamal Meriweather.
With his recruitment slowed by COVID and by the fact he's only been an offensive lineman for a few months, Meriweather isn't a known prospect yet but that will change soon.
Meriweather checked in at 6-foot-7, 270-pounds with an 83-inch wingspan and the fastest 40-yard-dash among offensive linemen.
When I say he looks the part, this dude looks the part. He also seemed to move his feet well and caught the attention of the coaches. Meriweather got the chance to meet Beamer and tour the facility before leaving with the coaches expressing that they loved his game. It appears he's a future offer candidate and word is that Florida State and Memphis are two other programs that have gotten wind of him and could offer.
** Meriweather was on campus with Brunswick (Ga.) class of 2023 defensive tackle Ka'Shawn Thomas who already had an offer from the Gamecocks under the old staff. The feedback I received was that the guys had an "amazing time" and enjoyed the day.
** Sumter (S.C.) Lakewood class of 2023 DB Brandon Cisse received some positive feedback from the South Carolina staff following his workout. The Gamecocks want for Cisse to get a bit bigger from a weight/strength standpoint but the staff liked what they saw and will continue to track him, according to one of Cisse's coaches.
** Another class of 2024 prospect to file away for the future is South Homestead (Fla.) Somerset Academy 2024 WR Glenn Smith III. Smith goes to a school that just opened and was in its first year last year, but he led the team in receptions as a freshman, and then won the fastest man challenge that takes place at the end of every camp among receivers. He had a good time on the visit and travels with the same group as Whyce above.
FROM CHRIS:
*** We reported on Thursday night to expect a pair of Maryland four-stars - 2022 rush end Jaishawn Barham and 2023 defensive lineman Mason Robinson - to make the trip to Columbia on Friday.
Both indeed made it in; Barham did not participate in the camp workouts but was hanging around with edge coach Mike Peterson, who's been largely taking the lead on his recruitment.
Robinson has a connection to a Carolina staffer, as his father went to school with Gamecock defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey.
*** Yet another four-star, linebacker Raul Aguirre, also made the trip and appeared to be one of the standouts moving around in the defensive drills.
Aguirre also got plenty of face time throughout the day with defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Clayton White, and spoke with Shane Beamer toward the end of the camp as well.
Aguirre landed an offer at the end of the day.
NEW OFFER RUNDOWN
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