Gamecocks making hardest push for 2018 in-state standout Josh Belk

Class of 2018 defensive lineman Josh Belk of Lewisville made a return visit to South Carolina on Saturday for the Massachusetts game.

Belk has made several trips to USC, and the Gamecocks have done their best to show him serious interest every time he visits there.

“The coaches showed a lot of love as usual,” Belk said. “I watched the Gamecocks play pretty hard. They don’t take plays off. They just keep going to the whistle blows.”

Belk also got the chance to talk again with USC head coach Will Muschamp, whose message to him remains about the same.

“He said keep up the good work and keep pushing hard,” Belk said, “basically saying they wanted me to play down there and all that.”

Belk has also been to Clemson this season, and the Tigers remain strong with him largely due to their recent history of success on the defensive line.

“The fact that they’ve put 10 defensive linemen in the NFL the past two years,” Belk explained. “I don’t hear as much from them as USC, but I still hear from them.”

Of all the schools recruiting him, Belk said USC is on him the hardest right now and he might return Saturday night for the Tennessee game. He just picked up an offer from Florida to go along with other offers from Auburn, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, NC State, Florida State, LSU and North Carolina.

Belk does not claim an individual leader at this point.

“Clemson and USC are about tied,” he said.

This season Belk has around 45 tackles and six sacks, and he’s blocked five point-after attempts.

News and notes

▪  DB Johnathan Abram of Jones County College (Miss.), long a target of USC, said Wednesday afternoon he’s no longer considering the Gamecocks. “Just didn’t feel right.” Abram said he’s down to LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee.

▪  DB Keisean Nixon (6-0 195), a cornerback from Arizona Western College and Compton, Calif., said Wednesday afternoon he’s expecting a call from USC soon. He described his recruiting activity with the Gamecocks thus far as “slow.” His offers include Mississippi State, Missouri, Iowa State, Colorado State Kentucky, Oregon State and Illinois. Nixon is a freshman with three years of eligibility remaining. This season he has 5 interceptions with 4 passes broken up and 4 blocks. He also has 36 tackles and has averaged 26 yards per kickoff return and 9 yards per punt return. He plans to announce his choice and sign Dec. 17 as a mid-year transfer.

▪  2018 DE Xavier Thomas of Wilson will visit Florida State on Saturday. He was at Alabama last weekend. He’s also been to Clemson, USC and Georgia for games this season.

▪  2018 WR Tykee Ogle-Kellogg (6-5, 195) of Alcoa, Tenn., was offered Monday by USC after making an unofficial visit Saturday for the Massachusetts game. “It’s a huge relief, first SEC offer, and it feels great. They just said that they loved my height and speed and my blocking ability. They said I fit in perfectly. My top choice is Louisville as of right now, but if I keep getting SEC offers, my top choices will shift.”

▪  2018 DB Malik Dunlap of Charlotte visited USC last month and is drawing interest from the Gamecocks. “They like me, they like my size a lot. I think they will offer at the end of the season, hopefully. “They already offered my brother Quavaris Crouch (2019 DL).” Dunlap is also hearing from North Carolina, Wake Forest, Liberty and Charlotte.

This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Gamecocks making hardest push for 2018 in-state standout Josh Belk."