Insider Report – More on Gamecocks targets after a key weekend

It was an eventful weekend on the recruiting front as the Gamecocks football staff hosted a star-laden cookout event on Friday. Other key targets made visits elsewhere, too.

We give USC fans all the latest with what happened in Columbia and where things stand with top prospects, including a pair of five-star visitors and more.

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— For starters, if you missed our Friday night recap, we have plenty of quotes from prospects and scoop on USC’s recruiting cookout. Check it out here.

— I entered a new On3 RPM pick on Sunday afternoon for 2026 quarterback Landon Duckworth in favor of the Gamecocks.

As some subscribers pointed out, this is an early call based on the timeline.

USC, to reinforce that point, does not even have a committed 2025 prospect at this point.

There was a reason for it, though. Duckworth backed up our call on social media on Sunday, saying “I know where home is” and indicating he would be announcing soon.

The staff really likes Duckworth, who also visited back in April for the spring game. Area recruiter Jody Wright and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains watched him throw in person in the spring. Wright has family ties to Duckworth’s hometown of Jackson, Alabama and knows plenty of coaches there to get feedback.

This pickup would be a nice early – very early – start for USC’s ’26 class.

— Four-star wide receiver Jonathan Paylor took visits over the weekend to NC State and UNC, his last two before announcing a choice.

The decision is set for August 4 at his high school, which was moved up a day simply due to logistics.

After the July 29 visit to Raleigh – estimated to be Paylor’s 20th or so to NC State – he spoke with TheWolfPacker.com and told them that he still did not have a decision made. While at NC State, he woked out on the field with offensive coordinator Robert Anae.

He followed that trip with one to Chapel Hill to check out UNC, posting a picture on social media with Mack Brown and some other prospects who were in town.

I still haven’t changed my On3 RPM from South Carolina, but anticipate doing so before Paylor’s announcement unless something changes substantially.

NC State would still be the program I’d point to here. We have noted that the Wolfpack has had the most buzz here lately.

Notably, Alex Taylor, a guy that Paylor has indicated he would like to play with, committed to UNC this weekend. Another, Terrell Anderson, has been leaning to NC State.

We anticipate hearing more in the next 24-48 hours on this front.

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— USC’s top remaining running back target is Mississippi product Daniel Hill, who was in Tuscaloosa this weekend.

Let’s give you the BamaOnline perspective on how the trip went here:

It was another great visit for Meridian RB Daniel Hill, who continues to add to his total of more than double-digit visits to Tuscaloosa during his recruitment. This was another great visit for the Tide, with multiple sources surprised Hill is not on the commitment list. South Carolina has been Alabama’s biggest threat the last few months. There are some who believe the Gamecocks have the edge, while others give the nod to the Tide. Alabama has Hill’s family on its side, the proximity to home and the familiarity aspect. The only thing that’s possibly holding him back is the unknown regarding early playing time, which is used by Shane Beamer and his staff. This one is very tight as Hill marches toward the August 23 decision

From our standpoint, the reason that Hill is not on Bama’s commitment list is because South Carolina has been – and remains – a major factor here. The Gamecocks have been the public leader here at times, and Hill even lately has continued to tell folks behind the scenes that South Carolina is in the best shape.

Yes, the playing time situation at USC is better, but he likes plenty more about the school aside from just that.

As we have pointed out, any battle with Nick Saban and Alabama in recruiting will go down to the wire.

There has been plenty written about Hill and a family member’s preference for Alabama. In asking around about that aspect, we believe that can be overcome and that the decision will be Hill’s.

In other words, if he wants to go to South Carolina, that will be his pick. If he were to ultimately pick Alabama, it’s because that’s where he wants to go.

We will be gathering more feedback on this one in the next day or two as well. For now, we have not heard anything that leads us to change our On3 RPM pick for Hill; it remains pointed to the Gamecocks. Of course, this is one that we will have to heavily monitor into August.

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— Another significant USC target in the 2025 class, Jontae Gilbert, did the expected over the weekend and formally decommitted from Ohio State.

He was in Columbia on Thursday, then Georgia Tech the next day.

While some other programs do remain in the mix, those two are the main ones to watch for the Atlanta (Georgia) Douglass product.

We believe South Carolina is in the best shape for the four-star, but there’s a ways to go in this one.

As of now, Gilbert is not planning to commit to a new school until next spring.

— We have made everyone wait long enough in this space, so let’s discuss Elijah Griffin.

Anytime a five-star visits your campus, it’s significant. Such was the case when the Savannah defensive lineman made it back to Columbia for the Gamecocks’ cookout event on Friday.

It was at least the fifth trip to USC for Griffin, who’s currently rated the number two overall prospect in the country according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

It was a trip that was described to us as having gone extremely well. Griffin, despite having overtures from Alabama, Georgia, and others, has been consistent in his affinity for South Carolina.

Those schools – and others – are going to go all-out for one of the country’s best overall prospects.

While on campus, Griffin was able to hang out with other visiting prospects – including teammate David Bucey – from the Savannah area. USC commitment Michael Smith was one of those.

Based on everything we know, the Gamecocks are right in the hunt.

— Let’s close out this edition with more on five-star EDGE Dylan Stewart, who made yet another trip to USC on Friday.

As we laid out in our previous update, Stewart stayed in Columbia until Sunday. He was also joined by his parents.

The projected decision timeline for Stewart is August or September. That could mean that USC just landed his last visit, another multi-day trip, after getting him in for an official visit in June. Stewart’s also been to South Carolina more than any other place.

We have asked several sources, including some that interacted with Stewart this weekend, for a feel. It all sounded very positive for the Gamecocks.

USC has to hold off Ohio State, which has become the biggest contender in recent weeks, and perhaps others.

This would be another big recruiting acquisition for Shane Beamer.

Stay tuned.

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