The battle continues for Oscar Delp, arguably the nation's top tight end prospect.
Since Shane Beamer's hire in Columbia, South Carolina has been established as a major factor for Delp, expected to be firmly in the mix until whenever Delp decides to render the final call.
As we have consistently said, returns indicate that it's primarily Georgia and South Carolina waging a war at the top of his list. Clemson, which drew Delp for an unofficial visit in June, is lurking as a program looking to make an upward move as well. More on that in a bit.
Delp took four official visits over the summer, with South Carolina getting the last of those in late June. UGA, Michigan, and Florida notched the others, although the latter two are not thought to be seriously in the running.
Georgia looms as a difficult program to beat for obvious reasons. It's the marquee, in-state program that's also quite close to Delp's home, and the Dawgs coaching staff has put on the full court press by making Delp essentially its only tight end target, in addition to enlisting help from current players.
South Carolina's charge has been led by Erik Kimrey, and we don't have to tell our subscribers about how much attention the Gamecocks' pursuit of Delp has generated on social media with the "#WeWantDelp" and "#DelpWanted" hashtags. Just like Georgia, Delp has been priority one at this position from the get-go.
The Gamecocks have harped on the emphasis that Marcus Satterfield's offense is placing on the tight end, plus Delp's potential to play early and to be part of changing the program. The staff's approach has been unique and genuine, and it's resonated with Delp and his family.
College coaches are permitted one more time this summer to host prospects for on-campus visits, for one week at the end of the month.
Georgia and South Carolina both have prospect events on July 31, meaning that both schools have been jockeying to get him on campus. At this point, Delp won't attend either.
"They are both on the same day, so I don't think I will pick one over the other," Delp explained to GamecockCentral.com.
While it would be a positive for South Carolina to host Delp once again, it's also a positive that he's opting to stay at home, rather than a trip to Athens over Columbia.
Delp has also considered a trip to Clemson for the Tigers' cookout event, which is the previous weekend. That, according to Delp, is just a possibility at this stage.
To reiterate: everyone is chasing the Dawgs and Gamecocks here.
South Carolina's next opportunity to get Delp back on campus will, in all likelihood, be during the season for a game inside Williams-Brice Stadium. Delp has said that there's not a firm timeline for him rendering a choice, although announcing one on September 30 (his mother's birthday) is possible. If that general time table holds, that would presumably give Delp a chance to visualize some of what both programs have told him regarding tight end usage, depth charts, and the like.
While the on-field factors have been cited by Delp as playing a large role in the process, he most recently said the choice will ultimately come down to "gut feel."
We'll see where that leads him.
Since Shane Beamer's hire in Columbia, South Carolina has been established as a major factor for Delp, expected to be firmly in the mix until whenever Delp decides to render the final call.
As we have consistently said, returns indicate that it's primarily Georgia and South Carolina waging a war at the top of his list. Clemson, which drew Delp for an unofficial visit in June, is lurking as a program looking to make an upward move as well. More on that in a bit.
Delp took four official visits over the summer, with South Carolina getting the last of those in late June. UGA, Michigan, and Florida notched the others, although the latter two are not thought to be seriously in the running.
Georgia looms as a difficult program to beat for obvious reasons. It's the marquee, in-state program that's also quite close to Delp's home, and the Dawgs coaching staff has put on the full court press by making Delp essentially its only tight end target, in addition to enlisting help from current players.
South Carolina's charge has been led by Erik Kimrey, and we don't have to tell our subscribers about how much attention the Gamecocks' pursuit of Delp has generated on social media with the "#WeWantDelp" and "#DelpWanted" hashtags. Just like Georgia, Delp has been priority one at this position from the get-go.
The Gamecocks have harped on the emphasis that Marcus Satterfield's offense is placing on the tight end, plus Delp's potential to play early and to be part of changing the program. The staff's approach has been unique and genuine, and it's resonated with Delp and his family.
College coaches are permitted one more time this summer to host prospects for on-campus visits, for one week at the end of the month.
Georgia and South Carolina both have prospect events on July 31, meaning that both schools have been jockeying to get him on campus. At this point, Delp won't attend either.
"They are both on the same day, so I don't think I will pick one over the other," Delp explained to GamecockCentral.com.
While it would be a positive for South Carolina to host Delp once again, it's also a positive that he's opting to stay at home, rather than a trip to Athens over Columbia.
Delp has also considered a trip to Clemson for the Tigers' cookout event, which is the previous weekend. That, according to Delp, is just a possibility at this stage.
To reiterate: everyone is chasing the Dawgs and Gamecocks here.
South Carolina's next opportunity to get Delp back on campus will, in all likelihood, be during the season for a game inside Williams-Brice Stadium. Delp has said that there's not a firm timeline for him rendering a choice, although announcing one on September 30 (his mother's birthday) is possible. If that general time table holds, that would presumably give Delp a chance to visualize some of what both programs have told him regarding tight end usage, depth charts, and the like.
While the on-field factors have been cited by Delp as playing a large role in the process, he most recently said the choice will ultimately come down to "gut feel."
We'll see where that leads him.
