Transfer DB likes opportunity ahead of him at USC

The South Carolina football team Sunday added a defensive back for the future when Jaylan Foster announced on Twitter he will transfer next month from Gardner-Webb.

Foster (6-0, 190) will join the team as an invited walk-on as a cornerback and said he should go on full scholarship in the fall.

“This opportunity means so much to me,” Foster said. “I always wanted a chance to play at a Power 5 school, and a lot of schools didn’t think I could do that. Now I’m excited about the chance.”

Foster was named the Big South Freshman of the Year this season after accounting for 45 tackles and five interceptions. He also was a standout at Byrnes High School and a member of the 2015 Shrine Bowl team.

He said he reached out to some guys he knows on the USC team, and they passed the word of his interest on to the coaches, including Bobby Bentley, a former coach at Byrnes.

And Foster feels the USC defense provides him with a great opportunity to play in the SEC.

“I mean, I fit the scheme good since they usually have three or four DBs on the field at once,” Foster said.

News and notes

▪  Class of 2018 WR Sam James of Richmond Hill, Ga., has USC among his early offers along with Georgia Tech, Southern Miss, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Central Michigan and Georgia Southern. He’s also hearing from Kentucky. James visited USC for the Massachusetts game.

“They like how explosive I am and how when I get the ball in my hand I’m a playmaker,” he said.

He also went to Duke, Georgia Tech and Mercer for games. James said he plans to make his decision after his senior season. This season James had 42 catches for 917 yards and eight touchdowns.

▪  Former USC OL commit TJ Moore of Charlotte committed to Florida on Sunday.

▪  North Augusta DE Tre Lawson has set an official visit to Louisville for Jan. 14. He’s not sure about his other visits. He recently picked up an offer from Oregon. Lawson decommitted from Tennessee earlier in the month and was recruited by USC earlier in the process. He said Florida State, Oregon, Louisville and Ole Miss have been recruiting him the hardest of late.

▪  Former USC commitment defensive back Damarri Mathis of Lakeland, Fla., committed to Pitt. He committed to the Gamecocks in June and decommitted in late November.

This story was originally published December 25, 2016 at 11:30 PM with the headline "Transfer DB likes opportunity ahead of him at USC."