South Carolina pulls in big commit with four-star pass rusher George Wilson
South Carolina football’s 2021 recruiting class just got a big shot in the arm.
Four-star defensive end George Wilson, long thought to be a North Carolina lean, committed Sunday to the Gamecocks, stepping in as the top-rated pledge in the class. He’s the second blue-chip prospect in the group, joining linebacker Trenilyas Tatum.
“I’m just grateful and happy,” Wilson said. “It was one of my first offers. They showed a lot of love.”
Wilson, a 6-foot-5, 214-pound pass rusher out of Virginia Beach, Virginia, had USC in his final group with Penn State, UNC and Arizona State. The Gamecocks had offered in November.
For Green Run High School, he posted 12 sacks last season. On film, he played often as a stand-up edge rusher, frequently using quickness to race past tackles on the edge.
Wilson is rated by 247Sports as the No. 337 recruit in the country, just a few spots ahead of Tatum. Wilson is the No. 23 weakside defensive end in the country and No. 9 player in Virginia.
“I’m just ready to put in work,” Wilson said, “get to campus and enjoy college life. When I get there I’m going to get it done.”
He projects as a Buck defensive end in college, meaning assistant coach Mike Peterson likely has a hand in his recruitment, while Kyle Krantz usually recruits Virginia. Wilson mentioned both assistants as well as head coach Will Muschamp during his live video commitment Sunday on CBS Sports HQ.
When Wilson is set to come to campus, the Gamecocks should have an interesting situation at the Buck spot. They have no seniors, which means the set of Brad Johnson, second-year five-star Jordan Burch, third-year player Rod Fitten and second-year pass rusher Gilber Edmond would still be on campus at that spot.
Wilson is the 15th commit to the class and the first defensive end. He’s the third defensive lineman along with T.J. Sanders and Nick Barrett.
“George is a great kid, very coachable and an awesome teammate towards his peers,” said Green Run coach Brandon Williams. “He has that natural athletic ability with his long arms. He’s yet to reach his full potential on the field. He’s definitely a raw player that they are getting. His athletic ability is definitely off the charts. He can play in the open field, coming off the edge, wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks. No technique, just straight athletic ability.”
— Phil Kornblut contributed
South Carolina’s 2021 class:
RB Caleb McDowell
WR Sam Reynolds
WR Omega Blake
WR Derwin Burgess
ATH Simeon Price
OL Jordan Davis
DL George Wilson
DL Nick Barrett
DL TJ Sanders
LB Bryce Steele
DB Jayden Johnson
This story was originally published July 12, 2020 at 4:02 PM.
