He’s the next big recruit from SC. The Gamecocks want him to headline 2021 class
There was a moment when Gaffney High School football coach Dan Jones wondered if a bigger Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins might lose just a little of that explosion.
The four-star defensive tackle playing up in the Upstate of South Carolina had been a wrecking ball as a 6-foot-3, 265-or-so-pound junior, one a little young for his class. The last bit of growth and filling out hit, bumping Ingram-Dawkins to 6-foot-5, 305 pounds.
But up 40 pounds, things haven’t changed too much.
“He’s actually gotten quicker,” Jones said.
Ingram-Dawkins is a player who could be the crown jewel of South Carolina’s 2021 recruiting class, should he choose to become a Gamecock. As the No. 178 player in the country by the 247Sports Composite rankings, he could also boost the classes of North Carolina, Georgia or Tennessee, the rest of his finalists.
Ingram-Dawkins said he’s about 75% done with his recruitment, but he’s still enjoying the process.
Last Friday he was at his team’s home stadium, making life difficult on Clover’s offensive line and helping his team win a region title. He’d be a tough-enough matchup if he stayed in the same spot consistently, but the Gaffney staff moved him around from tackle to end.
“I play a lot of positions,” Ingram-Dawkins said. “I got a lot of people depending on me in my defense, me being the captain of defense, so I’m moving all around the defensive line.
“I think I’m a quick-twitch defensive lineman, big frame that can play anything on the line.”
Against the Blue Eagles, his plays seemed to come in explosive moments. For a few snaps, the ball might be out quick and he’d be behind the play. Then he’d suddenly just shoot past his blocker and dump someone on the way to four tackles (2 1/2 for loss) and a sack. He also had one other sack wiped out by a penalty.
“If he’s not making plays in the backfield, then they got four or six hands on him,” Jones said. “Otherwise he’s making plays back there.”
The staff also uses him on offense as one of the lead blockers in a jumbo package, shifting him into the backfield after playing tight end last year. It means he can get on the move and clear out ends and linebackers, surely an unsettling fate for smaller high school defenders.
Ingram-Dawkins is a player the Gamecocks have been after for a while, a little bit of a later riser who is now the top-rated player in South Carolina.
And he’s got a good relationship with the coaching staff that’s only a couple hours away.
“My home state, I love the coach,” Ingram-Dawkins said. “I love the atmosphere there.
“I love coach [Will] Muschamp. He’s been there since Day 1.”
The Gamecocks are putting a full-court press on the Gaffney product, with the whole defensive staff working to recruit him.
He plans to enroll at his college of choice in January. The NCAA’s current “dead period” runs through the end of the year — in place during the COVID-19 pandemic — and means recruits and coaches can’t interact in person.
He said he’s still trying to get to a game for each of his college finalists. He’s watched the Gamecocks play in previous seasons, with plans to go to Tennessee-Alabama next week and later to Georgia-Mississippi State. He’d also like to attend a USC game this season, but hasn’t settled on which one.
He’s made a few references on social media and in interviews to perhaps setting a decision date — but he hasn’t made the choice yet, as he’s still enjoying the process.
He also has ties to some current Gamecocks who have gone through some similar experiences with recruiting.
“Jordan Burch, Alex Huntley, Zacch Pickens, those guys,” Ingram-Dawkins said. “I’ve known Zacch Pickens since my freshman year. He was the No. 1 recruit in South Carolina. I knew Jordan Burch, he was the No. 1 recruit last year. I know Alex Huntley, he was the No. 1 defensive tackle in South Carolina.”
Burch and Huntley were top-10 national recruits, and Huntley was a highly rated prospect in his own right. All of them are bigger defensive linemen, like Ingram-Dawkins.
As a potential addition to that stockpile of blue-chip linemen, Ingram-Dawkins possesses some basic traits that could make him a disrupter at the next level.
“Tyrion has got amazing flexibility in the hips and ankles,” Gaffney defensive coordinator Bryce Smiley said. “His get-off is probably the best you’re going to see on any high school football field this season. He’s tremendous off the ball, got great hands when he comes, great hips.”
Smiley has coached at Gaffney for 11 years with a slew of talented players rolling through. He also played for South Carolina tight ends coach Bobby Bentley when Bentley was head coach at Presbyterian College.
Although Ingram-Dawkins’ recruiting process isn’t complete, he’s come a long way through it. Jones remembered when Ingram-Dawkins was just a 6-foot, 180-pound freshman, and mentioned that he won’t turn 18 until next summer.
His coaches describe him as a more calm personality, someone his teammates can rally around. And Smiley has enjoyed watching his talented charge come through the process, hoping he’ll pray on the decision and make the choice that feels is most right for him.
It’ll be another step on a journey with plenty of milestones.
“To see his work ethic in the weight room and how he focuses on his skills, he’s really mature about the way that he works and the way that he tries to take care of his body,” Smiley said. “So I’m pleased and I’m impressed with him as how he’s really tried to develop his skill set and himself.”
