‘We want Burch!’ Gamecocks, fans roll out garnet carpet for coveted 5-star commitment
With the sheer number of South Carolina football coaches and staffers in the building at the Gamecocks men’s basketball game Saturday afternoon, one could only hope the last one out of the football building turned out the lights and locked up.
Mere days before the February signing day, the USC staff was out in full force as Frank Martin’s Gamecocks took on Missouri. Sure, a batch of player newcomers, several coaches and Connor Shaw were at Colonial Life Arena to be introduced at halftime. But after the roar went up when South Carolina’s most winning quarterback was recognized, the crowd turned attention to the unspoken star of the day.
“We want Burch! We want Burch!”
Jordan Burch, the five-star lineman who played high school ball with USC coach Will Muschamp’s eldest son at hometown Hammond School, was inside the arena Saturday. He’s been a South Carolina commit since December but elected not to make it official in the early signing period, leaving just enough doubt about how his recruitment will play out.
On Saturday afternoon, he sat between Muschamp and his younger son Whit. Burch’s mother was a seat over, all of them just behind South Carolina’s bench. The 6-foot-5, 275-pounder was plenty conspicuous with some blond dyed into his hair. When the crowd started chanting, he broke into a laugh and pointed across the court as Muschamp talked to him.
In the second half of the game, a “We want Jordan!” chant broke out as well. At one point, Muschamp, his son and Burch all slipped away.
The scene was somewhat reminiscent of a Zion Williamson visit when the crowd chanted for him and Shaw’s predecessor as director of player development, Marcus Lattimore, was introduced.
USC defensive ends coach Mike Peterson sat with Burch’s mother just about all of the game, and pretty much every USC football assistant was in the building with a large cluster of recruits. This came a day after a handful of current Gamecocks and at least seven assistant coaches were in person for Burch’s latest basketball game with Hammond.
The Gamecocks are working hard to hold onto the crown jewel of their 2020 class. Burch, the No. 8 player in the country in the 247Sports Composite rankings, picked USC ahead of the likes of Clemson, Georgia and LSU. He took a visit to LSU last weekend, creating some stir among Gamecocks fans.
But this weekend was saved for his official visit, which meant USC’s staff will be the last one in his ear. Burch will be on campus through Sunday.
The Gamecocks were also hosting a junior day and an official visit for Northwestern (Rock Hill) receiver Ger-Cari Caldwell, a late-rising prospect who is considered a four-star in some circles and widely considered to be an strong Gamecocks lean.
Caldwell will sign at 10 a.m. Wednesday and has said he’s picking between Tennessee and the Gamecocks. Burch will sign at 1 p.m. alongside fellow Gamecocks defensive commit Alex Huntley and QB Jackson Muschamp, who is committed to Colorado State.
