Storylines for South Carolina’s first big official visit weekend of the summer
The first of three big recruiting weekends of the summer as South Carolina is set to host 13 prospects on official visits this weekend.
GamecockCentral has the latest storylines to watch for the big weekend below — brought to you by Andy Luedecke and MyPerfectFranchise.net.
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Making a move with Malik
South Carolina finds itself in a border battle for the services of Rock Hill (S.C.) four-star wide receiver Malik Clark who has June official visits set with the Gamecocks, North Carolina and N.C. State and plans to make a decision as early as mid-July.
North Carolina is the perceived favorite here but the Gamecocks are firmly in it and receivers coach Mike Furrey has done a good job of not only building a relationship with Clark but hammering home the number of receivers the school has produced in recent years.
Clark, already a four-star and potentially a riser in the rankings, seems open to all the schools in his top group — in other words, he’s not a UNC lock — and South Carolina will get its biggest chance of the entire process to make a move this weekend and set a high bar on his first official visit.
#Trenches
Hashtag trenches usually refers to South Carolina’s offensive line recruits but we’ll extend it to both sides of the ball here as the Gamecocks are set to host five prospects on the offensive and defensive lines combined and all are highly regarded prospects.
South Carolina has seemingly set the pace for Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson four-star EDGE Jared Smith, though it’s going to be a highly contested battle. Smith has already taken an OV to Ole Miss with trips planned to Tennessee, Florida State, Southern Cal and Georgia after this weekend’s Gamecock official. Sterling Lucas hasn’t been scared to swing big and is locked in another big boy recruiting battle for Smith, who is a five-star on 247Sports.
The Gamecocks have been a long-time behind-the-scenes favorite for Virginia Beach (Va.) Salem four-star IOL Jaylen Gilchrist. Gilchrist did not visit this spring that we’re aware of so this will be a key trip to remind him of all the reasons Carolina has been in a strong position dating all the way back to last summer. Maryland and Virginia also have official visits on the books for Gilchrist.
Louisville (Ky.) Male three-star IOL Isaac “Spike” Sowells has been a mainstay on the South Carolina campus, last visiting Columbia in the spring. The Wolfpacker, the On3 North Carolina State site, has an RPM prediction in for the Wolfpack with Sowells but we believe there’s some confidence in the South Carolina ops building too. In addition to this weekend’s South Carolina OV, Sowells has visits set to Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, and NC State with a decision date of July 18.
Georgia is considered the favorite with Snellville (Ga.) Parkview four-star IOL Cortez Smith but the Gamecocks have been on his list for some time and will take a swing for the big-time line prospect. Miami, Georgia Tech, and the Bulldogs are also set to get OVs before his July 20 decision date.
South Carolina will also take a swing with Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes four-star IOL Dontrell Glover after landing in his recently announced Top 4. Florida State is considered the favorite here but Glover hasn’t had much exposure to the Carolina program so this will be a chance for them to potentially make a move if the visit goes well.
The newbies
Much like the aforementioned Glover, there are a couple of other prospects visiting this weekend who haven’t been on campus as much as some of South Carolina’s long-time targets.
Fort Myers (Fla.) First Baptist Academy four-star wide receiver Winston Watkins, a former Colorado commit, will get his first in-depth look at the program this weekend.
Woodbridge (Va.) Freedom three-star running back Jeffrey Overton only recently landed an offer from South Carolina but he’s been on running backs coach Marquel Blackwell’s radar for some time. Overton, who has OVs set for Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia Tech, feels like a candidate to be in the Gamecocks’ class if this weekend goes well.
Winston-Salem (N.C.) Mount Tabor four-star safety JaDon Blair has been on campus before but has to be considered a long shot at this time. Notre Dame is the favorite while Penn State and Michigan are right behind the Irish.
Commit watch?
Most of the prospects who will be on campus will commit later this summer but there’s always the chance for a #WelcomeHome or two, even if the prospect doesn’t go public yet.
South Carolina should feel good about its position with Irmo (S.C.) three-star ATH AJ Brand and has been a long-time factor with Three-star EDGE Taeshawn Alston, who the Gamecocks like more as a linebacker.
Linebacker Jaiden Braker visited this spring and landed an offer from South Carolina with the Gamecocks seemingly making a big jump up his list.
The Gamecocks are in a strong position with the aforementioned Smith and Gilchrist but both seem to want to take their slate of visits.
Chesterfield (Va.) Matoaca three-star DL Caleb Williams is the lone visitor this weekend who is already committed to the Gamecocks.
Full visitors list
Four-star EDGE Jared Smith
Four-star DB Jadon Blair
Four-star OL Jaylen Gilchrist
Four-star OL Cortez Smith
Four-star WR Malik Clark
Four-star WR Winston Watkins Jr.
Four-star IOL Dontrell Glover
Three-star DL Caleb Williams
Three-star EDGE/LB Taeshawn Alston
Three-star IOL Isaac “Spike” Sowells
Three-star ATH AJ Brand
Three-star RB Jeffrey Overton
LB Jaiden Braker
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