TheState.com: GoGamecocks: Recruiting

Carson offers his services in 2-for-1 deal

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:35 EDT

Package deals are commonplace in recruiting these days, with college programs routinely offering scholarships to high school teammates.

Sometimes both are worthy, but often college coaches are willing to gamble on a lesser player in an attempt to land his high-profile teammate.

A package deal will be the only way to land Lake City tailback Shon Carson. Yet, his situation is different. Instead of signing one of his teammates, the program he chooses must accept Carson’s alter ego — the top-flight baseball prospect.

Carson said this weekend he isn’t ready to focus on football or baseball exclusively and plans to play both in college. Of course, the status quo could change by June if he’s drafted as high in the MLB Draft as many observers expect, giving him the option of turning pro immediately and bypassing college.

Carson named South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida State, Alabama and Georgia as the schools he’s considering for football, with USC and UNC believed to have a slight edge. However, he hasn’t put much thought into recruiting recently.

Recruiting: USC issues concern Clowney

Mon, 02 May 2011 01:45 EDT

THE COUNTRY’S top-ranked recruit, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (6-6, 247) of South Pointe, told reporters after Saturday’s ESPNU game against Northwestern he still has USC and Alabama as his top two schools.

Clowney said he has no favorite, but did indicate concern about the off-field issues at USC.

“You’ve seen the Roll Tide,” Clowney said. “They just play hard. South Carolina is in a little bit of trouble right now, so I don’t know right now. I’m still thinking about where I’m going to go to. I haven’t decided yet. It will be a big decision, though.”

Clowney is still considering Clemson, LSU, Florida State and Miami. He plans to be at the Alabama-USC game in October.

Quarterback Tanner McEvoy (6-6, 205) of Oradell, N.J., has cut down his list and says USC will be one of his official visits. McEvoy will not take any official visits until his season is finished because all but one of his games are on Saturdays.

Recruiting: Harris jumps out to a quick start

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:08 EDT

Mason Harris is not the biggest name in South Carolina’s 2011 recruiting class.

However, the defensive end from Ridgeland (Ga.) had a big start to his senior campaign Friday, leading the Panthers to a 30-19 victory against Adairsville.

Harris had nine tackles, including one for loss, two forced fumbles, a blocked extra point and a quarterback hurry in the win.

“Between his athleticism and his high motor, he just gives himself a chance to make plays,” Ridgeland coach Mark Mariakis said. “We played a good football team. They were big and strong, but his motor runs top end all the time. He never gives up on a play. With that type of attitude and athleticism, you’re going to have pretty good production every week.

“If we’re going to do what we need to do, he’s got to produce every week.”

Golson keeps USC in his plans

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 23:17 EDT

Calhoun County linebacker and South Carolina signee Brandon Golson said Wednesday he plans to attend prep school for a semester and, assuming he passes the necessary classes, enroll at USC in January.

Calhoun County coach Walt Wilson said Golson was not going to be admitted to USC but was drawing interest from other schools, including Arkansas and Louisville.

On Tuesday, Wilson said Golson would qualify under NCAA standards. Wilson on Wednesday clarified Golson’s status, saying the player had yet to be approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse.

Golson said he had planned to visit Arkansas this weekend. But after discussing the situation with his family, Golson decided prep school — likely Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy — would be his best option.

“He just said, ‘Coach, I want to be a Gamecock. I want to go to prep school, do what I need to do and be back here in January,’” Wilson said in a phone interview.

Closer look at USC's 2010 football class

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:47 EDT

RECRUITING CLASS FACTS

* There are 24 players in the 2010 signing class, including two junior college transfers (Qua Gilchrist and Byron Jerideau). Both players redshirted in their first season at JUCO and will have three years to play three at Carolina.

* Three of the players enrolled in January and took part in spring drills. That trio includes Gilchrist, true freshman Connor Shaw, and 2009 signee Matt Coffee, who did not enroll at USC until January.

* The class includes three players on the Rivals.com Top 100 list, with Marcus Lattimore ranked No. 10, Victor Hampton checking in at No. 60 and Kelcy Quarles ranked 91st.

* The class includes three of the ESPNU 150 including Lattimore (19), A.J. Cann (85) and Quarles (124).

Recruiting: Georgia QB ready to make his pick

Mon, 02 May 2011 01:45 EDT

USC'S SECOND commitment for 2011 could fall into place this afternoon.

Quarterback Martay Mattox (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) of Athens, Ga., plans to announce his decision today at 4:30 p.m. at his school. Mattox is down to USC and Maryland. If USC's Shane Beamer doesn't get Mattox, it won't be for a lack of trying.

"Coach Beamer was the first coach at my school on the first day" coaches could visit, Mattox said. "And coach Beamer was the first coach I talked to on the first day they could call."

USC likes him as a quarterback, and he would like to play that position in college, but he wouldn't be averse to playing receiver or defensive back.

Highly recruited running back Savon Huggins (6-0, 190) of Jersey City, N.J., made an unofficial visit to USC on Saturday with his father. Huggins has offers from across the country. He also has visited Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Miami, Rutgers, Penn State and Pittsburgh. He has not narrowed his list but plans to have a top 10 later in the summer. His teammate, offensive lineman Keith Lumpkin (6-9, 285), visited USC earlier in the spring.

Rabasa Would Like To Visit This Summer

Mon, 17 May 2010 00:35 EDT

DE Anthony Rabasa (6-3 220) of Miami is up to 22 offers now including offers from USC, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Pitt, Auburn, UCLA, Purdue, Maryland, NC State, and Duke. Rabasa says North Carolina visited him last week but has not offered yet.

His most recent visit was to FSU where he came away impressed. "It's a really nice campus," said Rabasa. "The coaches are great. The players really bust their butts for those guys."

Rabasa has plans to visit several schools this summer but is waiting on Denzel Perryman, another local prospect, to decide together which schools they will visit. "We want to visit South Carolina," he said. "They've got a good tradition of producing good athletes." R

abasa says early playing time and proximity to home will not be factor in his decision. He does not have a favorite.

Recruiting: Waccamaw lineman likes Tigers

Mon, 03 May 2010 00:59 EDT

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN JEROME Maybank (6-foot-4, 320 pounds) of Waccamaw committed to Clemson on Saturday, picking the Tigers over USC, North Carolina and West Virginia.

Maybank had been strongly favoring the Tigers from the early part of his recruiting. He attended the Tigers' junior day back in January. Maybank plays on the offensive line but is projected as a defensive tackle for the Tigers. He is the eighth commitment for the Tigers and their fourth from South Carolina.

Quarterback Christian LeMay (6-3, 195) of Matthews, N.C., announced Friday that Georgia is his favorite school and he plans to enroll for January. LeMay is not calling this a commitment because he does not want to be pinned down should there be major changes on the Georgia staff after the season. LeMay picked Georgia over Clemson, Auburn, Notre Dame and Texas A&M.

Calhoun County quarterback Shamier Jeffery (6-2, 190) said he could have a decision in a couple of weeks. He did not name a favorite but indicated Kentucky is strongly on his mind. He has not visited anywhere since going to Clemson for a spring practice. He said he would like to visit more of the schools that have offered, like Kentucky, Alabama and Auburn. USC is also an offer, and he has talked recently with recruiter Shane Beamer.

Lake City running back Shon Carson (5-9, 195) was informed Thursday of his nomination for the U.S. Army All-American Game, according to former Lake City coach Justin Gentry. Carson is busy with his baseball season right now. His top three schools, according to Gentry, are USC, Clemson and North Carolina. Gentry said Carson is not indicating a favorite.

Recruiting: Family ties put USC atop receiver's list

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:42 EDT

WIDE RECEIVER Tyrequek Zimmerman (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) of Lawton, Okla., has grandparents who live in Orangeburg, and he likes the idea of playing his college football close to them at South Carolina.

"That's a big reason they're out front," Zimmerman said. "And they have a pretty good offense, a couple of good receivers and a good quarterback."

Zimmerman also has offers from Oregon State, Baylor, Tulsa, East Carolina and Louisville. He has the Gamecocks out in front of Oregon State and Louisville. He plans to visit USC in the summer.

Zimmerman caught 54 passes for 945 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Some schools like him as a safety; he had 69 tackles with one interception last season.

"He runs a legit 4.4," coach Randy Breeze said. "His first step, he's at max speed. And he squats over 500 pounds. We don't have an offensive lineman within 100 pounds of his squat. He's hard enough to cover, but once he catches it, he's hard to bring down."

Recruiting: Guard set to follow Brownell to Tigers

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 00:09 EDT

WRIGHT STATE POINT guard Cory Stanton's release from his letter of intent was finalized Friday, and he is expected to sign with Clemson today.

Stanton (5-foot-11) signed with then Wright State coach Brad Brownell in November. But when Brownell was hired earlier this week by Clemson, Stanton decided to follow him.

This situation is not unique for Clemson. Former Tiger star Greg Buckner signed with Providence, but when Rick Barnes left for Clemson, he got his release and signed with the Tigers.

Stanton's signing leaves the Tigers with two spots to fill for the class. Brownell is targeting former Tigers signee Marcus Thornton and will visit with him and his family today in Atlanta.

Thornton is still interested in Clemson, though he has landed several more major offers since getting his Clemson release. Among the new offers are Memphis, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida, Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky, Texas and Michigan.

Recruiting: USC's 2011 class could start with end

Mon, 02 May 2011 01:45 EDT

DEFENSIVE END DEON Lee (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) of Defuniak Springs, Fla., made an unofficial visit to USC late last month for the scrimmage at Williams-Brice Stadium, and he is close to becoming the Gamecocks.' first commitment of 2011.

"I'm thinking hard about it," Lee said. "I want to see how the spring goes. They are my favorite, No. 1, no doubt, they are way out in front. I really like it up there. I can see myself playing for them. I like the way they play. The intensity they play with. And I liked the facilities, the classrooms, the whole campus."

Lee said he talked with recruiter Jay Graham and defensive line coach Brad Lawing, and he met with Steve Spurrier.

"I fit what they are looking for," he said. Lee also has offers from Texas Tech, Louisville, Wisconsin, Florida International, Troy, Western Michigan and Central Florida. He has also been hearing from Florida State, Alabama, Notre Dame, Michigan and Florida. He has no other visits planned but said he might visit Florida State.

Defensive back Brandon Ellerbe (6-0, 195) of Wadesboro, N.C., committed to Clemson in September and had been firm with that pledge until visiting North Carolina last month. The Tar Heels had offered Ellerbe a while back, and he and his teammate linebacker Stephone Anthony took in a junior day with the Tar Heels. Ellerbe came out of that visit with North Carolina and Clemson tied at the top of his list according to InsideCarolina.com. In the article, Ellerbe called his Clemson commitment "soft." Ellerbe said North Carolina, which originally was recruiting him as a running back, is now recruiting him as a safety, which is the position he wants to play in college.

Recruiting: Elite QB keeps Tigers on list

Mon, 02 May 2011 01:45 EDT

CLEMSON REMAINS ON THE list of one of the country's most recruited quarterbacks.

Christian Lemay (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) of Matthews, N.C., made some adjustments to his top 10, switching out three schools from his original list. According to his father, Lemay dropped Oklahoma, Mississippi State and Florida State and replaced them with Auburn, Texas A&M and Notre Dame. The rest of his favorites are Clemson, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Virginia Tech, Miami and North Carolina.

Lemay has been to Clemson and Georgia for junior days. His father said they will get to Clemson, Georgia and Auburn for spring games, and they want to visit Texas A&M before they cut their list to five in July. Lemay also will name a leader in July. He will take his five official visits this fall before making a decision.

Dorman wide receiver Charone Peake (6-4, 194) was at Clemson Saturday for an unofficial visit to see the scrimmage. Peake has made several trips to Clemson and has the Tigers at the top of his list along with Florida and Georgia. He visited Georgia earlier this month.

Defensive end Desmond Floyd (6-5, 230) of Union County was at USC last Wednesday to watch the Gamecocks practice, and he left campus with an offer from the Gamecocks.

Recruiting: SC schools hope long-distance relationship works out

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 02:17 EDT

Clemson and South Carolina are doing some California dreaming over one of the nation's top quarterback prospects, Max Wittek (6-foot-4, 217 pounds) of Santa Ana, Calif.

The Tigers and Gamecocks have both offered Wittek, who also has offers from Southern Cal, Florida, Florida State, North Carolina, Duke, Illinois, Cal, UCLA, Oregon State, Arizona and Nebraska.

Wittek is a native of Connecticut who moved to California a little over two years ago to play quarterback at Mateir Dei High School, a program which has produced several major college and NFL quarterbacks.

"I'm strictly a pro style quarterback," said Wittek, who passed for 2,100 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. "I feel I can make any throw on the field. My strong suits are my arm and my pocket presence. I move well in the pocket."

Wittek says Florida, Southern Cal, California and North Carolina have shown the most interest. He wants to decide before his senior season.

Recruiting: Longhorns have eye on Wade Hampton WR

Mon, 02 May 2011 01:45 EDT

TEXAS IS EDGING toward 20 commitments for the 2011 class, and the Longhorns apparently would like to have Wade Hampton wide receiver Hakeem Flowers.

"Coach (Mack) Brown verbally offered me but wanted a commitment on the spot, and I wasn't ready," said Flowers, who recently visited Austin. "He said when I'm ready to commit to call him and he'll send an offer."

Flowers said he has 39 offers. Those include Miami, LSU, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Oregon, Oregon State, Oklahoma and Colorado. He recently visited Oklahoma and Texas and will go to Oregon for a junior day on April 3. Flowers said he is not getting direct contact from Clemson or USC, but he plans to visit both this summer.

"They told my coach they think I want to go out of state and that's why they are holding out," Flowers said. "I'll go to the school that fits me best, in state or out of state."

USC is the lone major offer for Darlington running back Dominique Cooper, but more big-time offers should be coming this spring and summer, according to Falcons coach Justin Danner.

Recruiting: Gators are in the picture for Townsend

Mon, 02 May 2011 01:45 EDT

FLORIDA ALWAYS TARGET one or two of the top prospects in South Carolina, and one it is making a strong pitch for is Marlboro County linebacker Lateek Townsend.

He considers the Gators a strong contender for his services.

"I'm thinking Florida highly," he said. "That's a winning program, so things must be done right. I'm going down there soon for an unofficial visit. I've not seen the campus yet. I put them up there with Clemson and Carolina."

Georgia Tech and Louisville are the most recent offers for Townsend, who also has offers from Clemson, USC, N.C. State, Illinois, Maryland, LSU, Miami, Alabama, Tennessee, Nebraska, Michigan State and others.

Mauldin offensive lineman Ryan Norton received a written offer in the mail from Vanderbilt on Thursday, his first offer from an SEC school. He also has offers from Clemson, Georgia Tech, Illinois and East Carolina.

Recruiting: Daytona Beach defender eases off Clemson

Mon, 02 May 2011 01:45 EDT

ONE OF CLEMSON'S early commitments for the 2011 class backed off that pledge Saturday.

Defensive back Cortez Davis of Daytona Beach, Fla., attended Florida State's junior day and left open as to his recruiting. One Internet report said Davis had committed to the Seminoles but he later denied that. Davis told CUTigers.com that Clemson is still his favorite.

Manning defensive lineman Phillip Dukes is a long way from a decision, but at least he knows when he wants to declare.

"I'll make my announcement at the Under Armour game," Dukes said referring to the All American game played in Orlando in early January. Dukes' top four alphabetically are Alabama, Clemson, North Carolina and USC. Dukes said all the schools are recruiting him the same and he is wide open with his decision. He also has offers from N.C. State, Maryland, Florida, Stanford and Duke.

Offensive lineman Justin Floyd of Cartersville, Ga., was at Tennessee on Saturday for junior day. He has also been to junior days at Alabama and Georgia. He made an unofficial visit to USC earlier this month. He also visited the Gamecocks twice last season. Floyd will take an unofficial visit to Clemson this month. Vanderbilt and Duke are also very interested and he will attend a junior day at Vandy. He is also getting interest from Georgia Tech and has visited there several times. Floyd played in the Wing-T last season, and schools want to check his pass-blocking skills this spring before moving forward with an offer.

Recruiting: Junior day is busy day at Clemson, USC

Mon, 02 May 2011 01:45 EDT

THE CLEMSON AND USC football staffs had a busy Saturday with their first major junior day of the 2011 recruiting campaign.

The Tigers had about 65 prospects on campus, the Gamecocks about 150.

Many of these juniors were invited guests of the schools and will be primary targets through the spring and summer. No one committed publicly, but both programs improved their positions with several players they like.

Marlboro County linebacker Lateek Townsend was one of those with Clemson. He stopped in Columbia early Saturday for a photo shoot then headed up to Tigertown, where he spent the rest of the afternoon.

"Clemson is No. 1 ... there is no No. 2 or No. 3," Townsend said.

Recruiting: Compare and contrast never ends

Mon, 02 May 2011 01:45 EDT

IN THE FINAL analysis, Clemson and USC both signed top 25 classes Wednesday. The Tigers' haul was regarded as slightly better than the Gamecocks' on a national level.

The four major Internet recruiting services - Rivals, Scout, ESPN and The Sporting News - each had Clemson's group rated higher than USC:

Rivals rated Clemson 18th and USC 25th. Scout had Clemson 23rd and USC 34th. ESPN ranked Clemson 19th and USC 23rd. The Sporting News ranked Clemson 18th and USC 23rd.

How do these numbers compare with the past five recruiting seasons? Here is a breakdown of the highest ranking for each using the Rivals and Scout rankings.

2009: USC 9; Clemson 37

Never a doubt in Golson's mind

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:01 EDT

ST. MATTHEWS - Intrigue and mystery often surround the recruitment of the top high school football players.

Not for Brandon Golson, the Shrine Bowl linebacker from Calhoun County High.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Golson accepted his intial offer from South Carolina defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson after a June camp, and he never wavered over the next seven months.

Wednesday he made that commitment official with his signature at center court of the Calhoun County gym, where a total of five Saints signed scholarship papers, including All-American offensive lineman Eric Mack, who made a high-profile late switch from USC to Auburn.

That wasn’t the case for Golson, who is ranked No. 76 nationally among outside linebackers by Rivals and No. 20 overall in South Carolina by SuperPrep.

Decision Day for Lattimore: Auburn or USC?

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:04 EST

As soon as it is made, Lattimore's decision will be posted at gogamecocks.com and at our Twitter page at twitter.com/gogamecocks. It also will be sent to our GoGamecocks Newsletter subscribers.

Shortly after 6 this evening, Marcus Lattimore will stand at a lectern in his Spartanburg church and answer a school's prayers.

The Byrnes High tailback, rated the nation's top running back prospect by the two biggest recruiting sites, will announce his choice between South Carolina and Auburn during a program at Silver Hill United Methodist Church.

The church can accommodate 600 people in the sanctuary and balcony area, where Rev. Edward McDowell said Lattimore's family sits every Sunday. But Lattimore will be front and center today to reveal a closely guarded decision.

In his last public comments, Lattimore gave Auburn a slight edge, citing the school's running back tradition and the similarities between the Tigers' offense and Byrnes' scheme.