What Will Muschamp said about every player who signed Wednesday with South Carolina
The South Carolina football team signed 17 players on Wednesday to start the early signing period. What coach Will Muschamp said about each of them.
Luke Doty, QB, Myrtle Beach High School
“Played for Mickey Wilson. Won a state championship his junior year, first year as a starter. And was on his way to another state championship and unfortunately hurt his hand. He’ll be fully recovered when he steps on campus in January. But a guy that, he has a 36-inch vertical leap breeze and over 10-foot broad. He’s 4.5, low-4.5 (40-yard dash). He can really spin it. The thing that really to me jumps out about Luke when he’s on campus, and you watch him interact with his team on the 7-on-7s when Mickey brings his guys to our 7-on-7 camp, his leadership ability to positively affect other people really is contagious and that’s something that really jumps out at you and he’s a winner. He is a mid-year enrollee. We’re real excited to have Luke, (father) Bobby and (mother) Melanie. His parents were great through the entire process and really looking forward to getting him here on campus.”
Marshawn Lloyd, RB, DeMatha High School
“Committed, I want to say in about May of last year, never wavered. Had everybody in the country on him. But is very explosive in his lower body. Has a 36-inch vertical leap, 215 pounds. He’s got great lateral change in direction, great vision. He’s a tough, hard runner. Thomas Brown did a fantastic job recruiting MarShawn. NaShawn Lloyd, his mom, was awesome in the process, and Martin Gibson was his running back coach there at DeMatha. They were very supportive throughout the entire process, but a wonderful family that came back this weekend and we’re really excited about MarShawn. He is mid-year again, you know obviously when we lost the seniors at the running back position, we signed two in this class and still looking to sign another one in this class as we continue to move forward.”
Rashad Amos, RB, Sandy Creek High School
“Got on Rashad a little late. We liked him in the spring. But his senior year, and that’s where you can’t just lose track of guys, and Matt Lindsey and his staff did a really good job of continuing to track him through his senior year. A hard runner, tough, a great program at Sandy Creek. And, obviously, we signed Joey Hunter as well. But what a great program to come from, and coach (Brett) Garvin does an outstanding job. (Amos) had his entire family here this weekend and was really good to see them. They’ve come to a couple games. A guy that we got on a little bit later in the season and committed to us there in December. We’re excited about him being a Gamecock.”
Rico Powers, WR, Hapeville Charter
“A very explosive guy, 35-inch vertical leap, over 10-foot broad. Runs extremely well. Was at Savannah Benedictine High School and transferred to Hapeville his senior year. Played for coach (Winston) Gordon there. J.J Enagbare from that high school, has had a fantastic career here at South Carolina. But Rico’s an explosive guy. He’s got a lot of length. He’s a starting point guard on the basketball team. He’s over 6-2, a guy that we really think can stretch the field vertically as we continue to replenish ourselves at the receiver position.”
Mike Wyman, WR, Dudley High School
“Mike is a big receiver. A guy we had camp two years ago. Coach (Steven) Davis there at Dudley does an outstanding job, and Mike and his mom, Bonnie, have been with us from Day 1. I mean, they committed here and really had a good process here as far as that again. State champion as a junior. Was a mid-year enrollee, a big target, a guy that catches the ball extremely well. Excited about Mike and his future here at the University of South Carolina.”
Jaheim Bell, WR, Valdosta High School
“Really explosive guy. (A) 36-inch vertical leap guy. ... His role this fall will be very similar to what he did at Valdosta. They played him outside. They played him inside. That can use him as an H-back type situation there offensively, but gives you a lot of things. Can carry the ball. He actually, coach (Alan) Rodemaker, their head coach is a defensive guy. They put him on defense some, too, and he played really well over there. Caught my eye, that’s for sure. But he and Dolores, his mom, were great in the recruiting process. He tore his ACL, which really hurt their season. They ended up making the third round of playoffs. They lost to Richmond Hill. He’s very explosive guy. I watched him play basketball as a junior. He actually tore down the basketball goal there at Tift County High School one night, but just an explosive guy, a really good athlete.”
Eric Shaw, TE, Reeltown High School
“(He is) 6-3, 6-4, you know about 210, but a guy that you know is a high jumper, he’s over 6-foot. Long jumps over 20 feet. He’s a very explosive guy. Played for the state title this year. They were undefeated going into that game. Eric and Wanda, his parents have been great in the process. (Coach) Matt Johnson’s a guy that I’ve known for a long time there at Reeltown High School. Another explosive athlete. Can play defense. Can play outside backer. Wants to play tight end and that’s what we’re going to play him as. But a guy that’s got a big frame, a really good athlete we’re excited about.”
Trai Jones, OL, Abbeville
“Played for Jamie Nichols over there. I think they lost their first home game in six years when Saluda went over there and beat them there. But it’s a perennial state championship team. He understands about winning, understands how to work. Really a neat story. Came to camp ... he’s got 34-inch arms, but he’s only about 6-2. You start to question yourself a little bit, his height and this and that and the other. But he runs 4.6 and is 290 pounds. He’s as powerful a guy on our team. He’ll be a 600-pound squatter, 300-plus pounds power cleaner coming out of high school and you don’t see that many times with big guys. But he’s very flexible in his lower body. Came to our camp and really earned the scholarship in camp and, you know ... his parents were here this weekend, and we had a great time. Athletic ability-wise for an offensive lineman is just off the charts. Obviously, will be a center or guard for us when he gets here on campus.”
Vershon Lee, OL, Freedom High School
“Targeted him early in the process. Eric Wolford and I were recruiting Jakai Moore last year, went to see him during the day. ... That night we watched Vershon play basketball. I knew then, I said ‘This guy athletically is what we’re looking for’ ... 6-4 plus, 34-inch arms. He’s got great length athleticism, but he got a huge upside as a player. Again, great family.”
Jazston Turnetine, OL, Hutchinson Community College
“He goes 6-7, 340, 36-inch arms. He’s a massive human being that really can move his feet, bend in his lower body. Tracked him out of high school. He’s was at Stockbridge High School, played for Kevin Whitley over there in Georgia, and then went to Hutch. Had a fantastic career and has been committed to us. He’s another mid-year enrollee, a guy that we’re really excited about.
Tyshawn Wannamaker, OL, Calhoun County
“Another powerful guy inside. Trei and Tyshawn aren’t guys that go to a bunch of camps so they’re not going to get rated high. But we feel like inside player-wise, they’re as good of guys as we’ve seen on tape all year. Six-foot-4, 350, 34-inch arms. A guy that you look at and he looks 280. And that’s what you want guys to look like. He’s got great mass on him, got great camp numbers. Melissa and Thomas, his parents, have been wonderful through this entire process. They’re Gamecocks all the way. In fact, Alshon (Jeffery) texts me today before I came in this meeting to congratulate that we were going to get another good player from Calhoun County.”
Makius Scott, DL, Gainesville High School
“Another guy that came to camp and earned the offer. We liked this tape. We wanted to see him move around, but he’s got really good feet and change the direction. Got good length in his upper body. We think he’s going to be a really good inside technique. ... His parents came this weekend. But this guy’s got a huge upside as an athlete. Another guy you go watch play basketball, you seen bend and change of direction and come off the floor for a big guy that you know is 300-plus. Very very impressive to see his athleticism.”
Tonka Hemingway, DL, Conway High School
“His folks have been great this process and you know his brother went to Michigan. That was too far away. I’ve heard too many stories about driving to Ann Arbor from Conway. it’s a little bit too far of a drive. (Hemingway’s father) Kenny wasn’t doing that anymore. It’s interesting with Tonka. He’s a basketball player in the winter, and he actually is a pitcher and a baseball player, a first baseman in the spring. So I don’t know how much in the weight room he’s getting. When he gets in the weight room and does it full time and gets on a training table, I’m interested to see where his body is going to go but he’s a really good athlete. He’s a 4.0 student, a guy that I’m really excited to be able to keep him in state.”
Mohamed Kaba, LB, Clinton High School
“Tore his ACL in the first ball game of the year. But when we started evaluating linebackers and looking at the 2020 class, he was No. 1 on our board. As far as his athleticism, his physicality he played with, his contact speed the short area quickness to engage. But another mid-year enrollee. Corey Johnson was head coach up there and has done a fantastic job with him as far as training and developing him, and we’re excited to get him on campus.”
O’Donnell Fortune, DB, Sumter High School
“Another mid-year enrollee that came to camp and earned the scholarship. His testing numbers were outstanding, very comparable to the combine in Indianapolis as far as his length is concerned, his size, his change of direction, his speed. But again, another guy that, I think all three of the DBs we signed could play corner, could play safety, could play nickel, could play dime. The intelligence, the athleticism, the speed on the top end to finish outside. Certainly go ... and get him through spring ball. He played for Mark Barnes, who actually I signed John Bullard from when I was at Florida. ... He was at Shelby at the time. Great to have O’Donnell in our program.”
Dominick Hill, DB, Jones High School
“Dominick just competed for the state championship. They lost to Northwestern High School out of Miami. Dominick is another mid-year enrollee, but a state runner-up. Elijah Williams was his coach, somebody I’ve got a lot of respect for. Me with he and Millie, his mom, last week down there in Orlando. Have been committed to us the whole time. A lot of schools came and took some shots, but he tested extremely well. He’s a 40-plus triple jumper, 20-plus long jumper, high jump about 6-4, 6-5, but a very explosive guy that we’re excited about.”
Joey Hunter, DB, Sandy Creek High School
“He knows about work. He knows about winning. He had a shoulder issue during the season and had that scoped and fixed. He’ll be ready to go as he gets on campus here during the spring. I think a guy that gives you a lot of position multiplicity. To be able to play multiple spots in the back end and extremely intelligent.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 7:26 PM.
