Gamecocks offer another eighth-grade football prospect

South Carolina has extended its second scholarship offer to an eighth-grade football standout.

Owen Pappoe, who attends Couch Middle in Grayson, Ga., received the news this week. The 14-year-old’s offer list started with Boston College and is up to seven schools, including USC, Tennessee, Michigan and Auburn.

Pappoe (pronounced PAPP-Oh) is considered an outside linebacker prospect for the Class of 2019. The 6-foot-1, 194-pounder will attend Grayson High in Loganville, Ga., the same school that produced USC linebacker signee Daniel Fennell.

USC quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus made the offer through Kenyatta Watson, who coached Pappoe in middle school and is the college recruiting coordinator at Grayson High.

Pappoe is nicknamed “the Freak” and has earned a follow from head coach Steve Spurrier on Twitter. He plans to attend a camp at South Carolina in the coming months. He’s already visited Tennessee, Auburn, Ohio State, Louisville and Georgia.

As an eighth-grader, he had 23 carries for 616 yards and five touchdowns; 12 passes for 531 yards and eight scores; 50 tackles, including 21 for loss and 17 sacks; three interceptions; and a 73-yard kick return for a touchdown.

USC in March was the first to offer eighth-grader Dominick Blaylock, who attends Dickerson Middle School in Marietta, Ga., and will be at Walton High this coming season.

This story was originally published May 15, 2015 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Gamecocks offer another eighth-grade football prospect."