C
Collyn Taylor
Guest
--The Gamecocks picked up a commitment this week from 2022 left-handed pitcher Trey Wheeler out of Florida and it was a pretty impressive job by the staff to get him in the boat with his official commitment to South Carolina coming Sunday.
Wheeler was actually set to commit to a Big 12 program before South Carolina found out about him and started showing interest. Wheeler actually decided to visit campus by himself and walk around and was blown away by it, which caused him to delay committing. Over the weekend he fielded calls from a bunch of programs and he ultimately picked South Carolina over North Carolina and Texas Tech.
Trip Couch was the first coach to start showing interest and Skylar Meade did a good job on a call with him but Mark Kingston was the one who sealed the deal on a call last weekend.
As for what the Gamecocks are getting, PerfectGame considers Wheeler the No. 380 prospect in his class. He’s been in the upper-80s on his fastball but also throws a changeup he says is his best pitch.
He’s part of the Gamecocks’ 2022 class that has 10 commitments, nine of which are top 500 prospects.
Basketball recruiting
--One of the biggest names on the Gamecocks’ recruiting board is in-state wing Julian Phillips out of Blythewood. Phillips, the No. 51 player in the 2022 class, is one of the team’s priority targets in the class and are pushing very hard for him.
Phillips is getting interest from both in-state schools in South Carolina and Clemson but is also getting heavy interest from Kansas, Missouri, Florida State and a few other schools. The Gamecocks are, and excuse the pun, are putting the full court press on Phillips with Bruce Shingler and Chuck Martin reaching out to him pretty consistently with Frank Martin reaching out every now and again too.
The Gamecocks actually talked with Phillips earlier this week, continuing to build a relationship with him and are going after him very, very hard.
Phillips has put on about five pounds since March and is up to 6-foot-8, 190 pounds.
It's still very early in the process for Phillips, who hasn't even started his junior year, but he's been receptive to what South Carolina's said and has good things to say about his relationship with South Carolina. He'll likely get on campus again soon once players are officially allowed to visit again.
--Ridge View 2023 prospect GG Jackson tweeted this week about an offer from South Carolina. I haven’t been able to confirm if it’s an official offer just yet, but I do know the Gamecocks are showing a lot of interest in him and Jackson has a chance to be one of the best prospects nationally for his class.
He’s tweeted offers from Clemson, Syracuse and Virginia Tech and the Hokies are pushing hard for him early. The Gamecocks have seen him play quite a few times recruiting Ja’Von Benson at Ridge View.
Jackson has a chance to be a top 100 prospect by the time is all said and done and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him transfer from Ridge View to play at a prep school like Oak Hill or IMG after his sophomore year.
--South Carolina recently extended an offer to De’Ante Green, a forward in the 2022 class. The Gamecocks have a connection to his school at Christ Church (N.C.), having recruited Brandon Stone in the 2018 class.
He’s considered the No. 83 player force his class and a four-star prospect with offers from Louisville, Baylor, Tennessee, Wake Forest, N.C. State and others.
Wheeler was actually set to commit to a Big 12 program before South Carolina found out about him and started showing interest. Wheeler actually decided to visit campus by himself and walk around and was blown away by it, which caused him to delay committing. Over the weekend he fielded calls from a bunch of programs and he ultimately picked South Carolina over North Carolina and Texas Tech.
Trip Couch was the first coach to start showing interest and Skylar Meade did a good job on a call with him but Mark Kingston was the one who sealed the deal on a call last weekend.
As for what the Gamecocks are getting, PerfectGame considers Wheeler the No. 380 prospect in his class. He’s been in the upper-80s on his fastball but also throws a changeup he says is his best pitch.
He’s part of the Gamecocks’ 2022 class that has 10 commitments, nine of which are top 500 prospects.
Basketball recruiting
--One of the biggest names on the Gamecocks’ recruiting board is in-state wing Julian Phillips out of Blythewood. Phillips, the No. 51 player in the 2022 class, is one of the team’s priority targets in the class and are pushing very hard for him.
Phillips is getting interest from both in-state schools in South Carolina and Clemson but is also getting heavy interest from Kansas, Missouri, Florida State and a few other schools. The Gamecocks are, and excuse the pun, are putting the full court press on Phillips with Bruce Shingler and Chuck Martin reaching out to him pretty consistently with Frank Martin reaching out every now and again too.
The Gamecocks actually talked with Phillips earlier this week, continuing to build a relationship with him and are going after him very, very hard.
Phillips has put on about five pounds since March and is up to 6-foot-8, 190 pounds.
It's still very early in the process for Phillips, who hasn't even started his junior year, but he's been receptive to what South Carolina's said and has good things to say about his relationship with South Carolina. He'll likely get on campus again soon once players are officially allowed to visit again.
--Ridge View 2023 prospect GG Jackson tweeted this week about an offer from South Carolina. I haven’t been able to confirm if it’s an official offer just yet, but I do know the Gamecocks are showing a lot of interest in him and Jackson has a chance to be one of the best prospects nationally for his class.
He’s tweeted offers from Clemson, Syracuse and Virginia Tech and the Hokies are pushing hard for him early. The Gamecocks have seen him play quite a few times recruiting Ja’Von Benson at Ridge View.
Jackson has a chance to be a top 100 prospect by the time is all said and done and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him transfer from Ridge View to play at a prep school like Oak Hill or IMG after his sophomore year.
--South Carolina recently extended an offer to De’Ante Green, a forward in the 2022 class. The Gamecocks have a connection to his school at Christ Church (N.C.), having recruited Brandon Stone in the 2018 class.
He’s considered the No. 83 player force his class and a four-star prospect with offers from Louisville, Baylor, Tennessee, Wake Forest, N.C. State and others.
