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Golson makes quick work of recruitment
A car wreck cut short this Calhoun County star’s ‘08 season, but USC coaches saw all they needed to see
Calhoun County's Brandon Golson, a college-bound rising senior, runs sprints during practice on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at John Ford Middle School. Golson committed to USC last week.
Erik Campos/ecampos@thestate.com /Erik Campos
CommentsSAINT MATTHEWS — Brandon Golson’s high school football career consists of six games.
“Six games,” Calhoun County High coach Walt Wilson said with equal parts authority and amazement. “Six. Games.”
Quality certainly means more than quantity, because the 18 sacks and 78 tackles Golson amassed in those six games last season were enough for him to earn a scholarship to the University of South Carolina.
After watching Golson work out during a camp last week, USC’s coaches offered a scholarship, and Golson accepted.
“He didn’t hesitate,” Wilson said. “Before he went up there he said, ‘Coach, if they offer me, I’m going to take it.’”
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Golson, a rising senior, had not played for the Saints until Wilson convinced him to play last season. Golson’s 79-inch wingspan and quick first step off the line of scrimmage — thanks to sprinter’s speed that carries him 40 yards in 4.5 seconds — made him difficult for opponents to handle.
Wilson said Golson, a defensive end, needed extra attention when practice began because of his inexperience.
“We worked on some things,” Wilson said. “He was just raw as far as stance-wise. We had to work on that. Coming off the ball. There were little things. He has tremendous upside.”
Golson recorded four sacks in the season-opener and seldom stopped on the field. It took an off-field accident to end his season.
On Oct. 18, Golson and three friends were heading to Columbia to catch a movie. Golson was riding in the back seat when another vehicle hit the car.
Golson sustained the most severe injuries, which included two broken fingers on his left hand, a broken cheek bone and a cut on his face that required six stitches.
Wilson, who was watching the USC-LSU game at Williams-Brice Stadium, received a cell phone call about the accident. He headed to Lexington Medical Center, where Golson was treated.
“He was kind of beat up a bit, and he said something about playing,” Wilson said. “I told him, ‘Don’t worry about playing. You worry about getting out of this hospital. You worry about getting well.’”
Golson did that, and Wilson began distributing highlight films to college recruiters. S.C. State and Wyoming offered scholarships. Florida and Central Florida invited him to visit their campuses during spring practices, but Golson declined.
“A lot of (coaches) saw film and wanted to see him,” Wilson said. “What happened at South Carolina was they saw him and didn’t need to see film.”
Golson, who projects as a linebacker in college, said playing college football close to home is important to him.
He still wonders, though, what would have happened last season had the car accident not occurred.
“If I had played the whole season,” he said, “I would have had over 30 sacks.”
He plans to approach that number this season, and he has a team goal in mind.
“I want a championship and to try to break some more sack records,” he said.
Given what he produced in his shortened junior season, Golson has proven he can deliver.
Reach Wiseman at (803) 771-8472.
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