Inside the commitment: Lex Cyrus
South Carolina football added a key piece to its 2025 recruiting class on Thursday by picking up a commitment from four-star wide receiver Lex Cyrus.
GamecockCentral provides an in-depth analysis of the pickup below.
The recruitment
Cyrus was a relatively late addition to the Gamecocks’ recruiting board, picking up an offer in January of this year. Several programs actually extended their offers to the speedy pass-catcher between the months of January and March. Penn State issued their scholarship in June of 2023.
That was when James Coley was still the Gamecocks’ receivers coach, but Cyrus remained on the board as a priority after Mike Furrey arrived in town.
South Carolina got Cyrus in for an unofficial visit in the spring that helped make sure Shane Beamer’s program would have some staying power here.
In the summer, the Pennsylvania product opted to take just two official visits. Penn State was up first the weekend of May 31, and a trip to Columbia would follow the week after that.
The Nittany Lions seemed to hold an advantage heading into the South Carolina official visit. While things were quiet in the immediate aftermath of that trip wrapping up, there was a hint that USC may just have a chance to pull this one off at the end.
On June 17, GamecockCentral.com reported that there was some information pointing to Cyrus preferring to leave his home state. Still, it was anticipated that this would be a battle down to the end of the process.
It was indeed down to the wire, as Cyrus kept things quiet until the end. He had conversations with Penn State and South Carolina’s staffs in the final 24-48 hours leading up to his announcement. The Gamecocks were able to definitively turn things in their favor during that span.
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The evaluation
The first word that comes to mind when scouting Cyrus as a prospect is speed.
He holds his high school’s record in the 100 and 200 meter dashes, plus his district and conference record in the 100. Last year, he captured a state championship in the 100 meter dash.
Cyrus is 5-foot-10, 175-pounds, but he can run, and that’s very appealing to the South Carolina staff. He’s also been quite productive on the field, going for over 1,100 receiving yards on 67 catches as a junior.
Watching him on film, Cyrus is not a guy that just runs go routes and that is it. His high school team utilizes him carrying the football on sweeps and on shorter routes as well. While he has speed that you can’t teach, he also has the look of someone who could be a quality route runner in college. He understands spacing and getting open.
Some added value: Cyrus could be a candidate to get a look as a return man, too.
The On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average of the four major recruiting media sites, ranks Cyrus as a four-star prospect and as the nation’s number 219 prospect overall in the 2025 class.
What’s next?
With Cyrus now in the fold, South Carolina has a total of three receivers committed. He joins Jayden Sellers and Brian Rowe in the class, with one significant target still remaining.
In-state target Malik Clark out of Rock Hill has been a major priority and the Gamecocks are primarily battling UNC for his services.
If the Gamecocks could land Clark, that may close things out for this position – at least from the high school ranks – for this cycle.
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