W
Wes Mitchell
Guest
Gamecock Central was on hand again Thursday as Day 6 of Shane Beamer Camps took on quite a different structure with the OL/DL Camp going on in Williams-Brice Stadium and the 7-on-7 passing tournament taking place throughout the fields at the indoor practice facility, the outdoor practice facility and the old Proving Grounds where the Gamecocks used to practice for most of the Spurrier years and prior.
As I said in my preview for today's action, the two most well-known prospects on hand for the OL/DL Camp were Oceanside Collegiate class of 2023 four-star OL Monroe Freeling and Camden class of 2023 defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod, but those were far from the only two prospects worth keeping an eye on there.
** I'll start with McLeod, who the Gamecocks hosted on their campus for the second time in the last week. I think it's safe to say that South Carolina has some momentum with the in-state target. The visit last week went literally as well as it possibly could have and defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey spent most of the morning right in McLeod's pocket. Make no mistake, the Gamecocks want to protect their home turf and with a kid as talented as McLeod right down the road in Camden, he's quickly become a huge priority for this staff.
On the field, McLeod looks the part of future SEC three-technique defensive tackle. He's got prototypical size at 6-foot-4, 300-pounds and carries that weight very well. This is a kid who's really only beginning to scratch the surface of what he can be as a player and it's going to be fun to see him continue to get better. The natural quickness off the ball is very impressive though. As I said above, he received plenty of attention from Lindsey and that extended from off-the-field recruiting attention to on-the-field instruction and McLeod seemed to be attentively paying attention to everything Lindsey was showing him.
** Freeling and class of 2022 OL teammate Jacob Ashley had barely hit the Spring Brooks Plaza around Williams-Brice Stadium when offensive line coach Greg Adkins was quickly out front to be the first to greet them and a couple of other teammates who were participating in the camp.
To say that Freeling looks the part is an understatement and I don't know if I can remember a time that the state has had three guys at the same time who appear to be elite offensive tackle prospects like the Palmetto State now with Freeling, Dillon 2024 OL Josiah Thompson and Woodland 2024 OL Kam Pringle.
Freeling is nearly 6-foot-7, 280 pounds and the first thing you notice is his sheer length, but it really becomes impressive when you realize how well he can bend and his flexibility/mobility at that size. Some of that is certainly natural but it's also likely augmented by his dedication to yoga and belief in its affect on his abiltiy as a player.
Entering this visit, I felt like South Carolina was a long shot to land Freeling and most of the buzz I heard related to him has centered around schools like Clemson, Notre Dame and North Carolina. Post-visit, it will be interesting to see if the Gamecocks can maintain some staying power here, but Freeling was at least saying all the right things about the visit helping Carolina's chances and about a return trip to Columbia in the fall. Stay tuned there...
While Freeling certainly gets the hype, his teammate Ashley is no slouch and is a solid 6-foot-4, 300-pounds and has the look of a college offensive guard. Ashley has offers from Georgia State, Howard and Old Dominion and had some good feedback from Adkins today who told him to call him when he got home, so it appears he's on the radar. Clemson has also talked to him about a PWO offer.
** While McLeod was well known entering the day, another Camden defensive line prospect also made a name for himself today and he's got an incredible story. There's a reason that Camden class of 2023 EDGE Shymeak Jones doesn't have a Rivals profile yet. The 6-foot-4-plus, 250-pounder has only been playing football since May but credit someone at the school for finally convincing the basketball standout that he also could have a future on the gridiron.
A lengthy edge prospect, with a good first step and natural knack for getting to the QB, Jones won his share of 1-on-1 reps and quickly created some buzz for himself at the camp and put himself on South Carolina's radar for the future.
I'm sure there's a lot for Jones to learn but he's got two years of high school left, so there's plenty of time for him to develop as a player. It's a small sample size but he looked the part of FBS athlete. Appalachian State, which had coaches at the camp, either offered or could be on the verge of offering (I'm not sure if they officially did).
** John's Creek (Ga.) class of 2024 EDGE Alex Cunningham is the only OL/DL prospect we're aware of who entered Thursday without an offer and exited with one from the Gamecocks. Cunningham is a prototypical edge rusher with a 6-foot-6, 264-pound frame and long arms. On top of the early South Carolina offer, Cunningham also has offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Georgia and Georgia Tech, so he's off to a nice start in that regard.
** Mt. Ulla (N.C.) West Rohan class of 2022 offensive lineman Josh Noble is another kid I thought had an impressive day and really competed, winning several 1-on-1 reps when I was watching. The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Noble is still waiting on his first offer but is on South Carolina's radar and may be one to keep an eye on down the road.
** There are some guys that Chris and I put eyes on for the first time during the 7-on-7 portion of the day, but this is getting long and my brain seems to be done processing for the day, so I'll integrate some of those notes into a Carolina Confidential that I'm hoping to run soon. The 7-on-7 Championship came down to John's Creek vs. Clover with John's Creek taking the W.
Stay tuned for more in that Carolina Confidential I referenced plus many more notes on Friday's OL/DL Camp and 7-on-7.
As I said in my preview for today's action, the two most well-known prospects on hand for the OL/DL Camp were Oceanside Collegiate class of 2023 four-star OL Monroe Freeling and Camden class of 2023 defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod, but those were far from the only two prospects worth keeping an eye on there.
** I'll start with McLeod, who the Gamecocks hosted on their campus for the second time in the last week. I think it's safe to say that South Carolina has some momentum with the in-state target. The visit last week went literally as well as it possibly could have and defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey spent most of the morning right in McLeod's pocket. Make no mistake, the Gamecocks want to protect their home turf and with a kid as talented as McLeod right down the road in Camden, he's quickly become a huge priority for this staff.
On the field, McLeod looks the part of future SEC three-technique defensive tackle. He's got prototypical size at 6-foot-4, 300-pounds and carries that weight very well. This is a kid who's really only beginning to scratch the surface of what he can be as a player and it's going to be fun to see him continue to get better. The natural quickness off the ball is very impressive though. As I said above, he received plenty of attention from Lindsey and that extended from off-the-field recruiting attention to on-the-field instruction and McLeod seemed to be attentively paying attention to everything Lindsey was showing him.
** Freeling and class of 2022 OL teammate Jacob Ashley had barely hit the Spring Brooks Plaza around Williams-Brice Stadium when offensive line coach Greg Adkins was quickly out front to be the first to greet them and a couple of other teammates who were participating in the camp.
To say that Freeling looks the part is an understatement and I don't know if I can remember a time that the state has had three guys at the same time who appear to be elite offensive tackle prospects like the Palmetto State now with Freeling, Dillon 2024 OL Josiah Thompson and Woodland 2024 OL Kam Pringle.
Freeling is nearly 6-foot-7, 280 pounds and the first thing you notice is his sheer length, but it really becomes impressive when you realize how well he can bend and his flexibility/mobility at that size. Some of that is certainly natural but it's also likely augmented by his dedication to yoga and belief in its affect on his abiltiy as a player.
Entering this visit, I felt like South Carolina was a long shot to land Freeling and most of the buzz I heard related to him has centered around schools like Clemson, Notre Dame and North Carolina. Post-visit, it will be interesting to see if the Gamecocks can maintain some staying power here, but Freeling was at least saying all the right things about the visit helping Carolina's chances and about a return trip to Columbia in the fall. Stay tuned there...
While Freeling certainly gets the hype, his teammate Ashley is no slouch and is a solid 6-foot-4, 300-pounds and has the look of a college offensive guard. Ashley has offers from Georgia State, Howard and Old Dominion and had some good feedback from Adkins today who told him to call him when he got home, so it appears he's on the radar. Clemson has also talked to him about a PWO offer.
** While McLeod was well known entering the day, another Camden defensive line prospect also made a name for himself today and he's got an incredible story. There's a reason that Camden class of 2023 EDGE Shymeak Jones doesn't have a Rivals profile yet. The 6-foot-4-plus, 250-pounder has only been playing football since May but credit someone at the school for finally convincing the basketball standout that he also could have a future on the gridiron.
A lengthy edge prospect, with a good first step and natural knack for getting to the QB, Jones won his share of 1-on-1 reps and quickly created some buzz for himself at the camp and put himself on South Carolina's radar for the future.
I'm sure there's a lot for Jones to learn but he's got two years of high school left, so there's plenty of time for him to develop as a player. It's a small sample size but he looked the part of FBS athlete. Appalachian State, which had coaches at the camp, either offered or could be on the verge of offering (I'm not sure if they officially did).
** John's Creek (Ga.) class of 2024 EDGE Alex Cunningham is the only OL/DL prospect we're aware of who entered Thursday without an offer and exited with one from the Gamecocks. Cunningham is a prototypical edge rusher with a 6-foot-6, 264-pound frame and long arms. On top of the early South Carolina offer, Cunningham also has offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Georgia and Georgia Tech, so he's off to a nice start in that regard.
** Mt. Ulla (N.C.) West Rohan class of 2022 offensive lineman Josh Noble is another kid I thought had an impressive day and really competed, winning several 1-on-1 reps when I was watching. The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Noble is still waiting on his first offer but is on South Carolina's radar and may be one to keep an eye on down the road.
** There are some guys that Chris and I put eyes on for the first time during the 7-on-7 portion of the day, but this is getting long and my brain seems to be done processing for the day, so I'll integrate some of those notes into a Carolina Confidential that I'm hoping to run soon. The 7-on-7 Championship came down to John's Creek vs. Clover with John's Creek taking the W.
Stay tuned for more in that Carolina Confidential I referenced plus many more notes on Friday's OL/DL Camp and 7-on-7.
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