Our 3 top takeaways about South Carolina’s 2022 class as early signing period opens
The national letters of intent flooded into Columbia on Wednesday as the early signing period opened up.
South Carolina entered the day with 22 high school prospects verbally committed and finished the day with 20 signatures.
For head coach Shane Beamer, it marked the first tangible look at what he and his staff can do on the recruiting trail with a full year to pitch prospects. And while the Gamecocks still had to play from behind given the new coaching staff, it’s an impressive haul for USC after Year 1 under Beamer.
Here are the biggest storylines coming out of signing day:
South Carolina loses four-star linebacker commit Jaishawn Barham
There had been rumblings that four-star linebacker Jaishawn Barham might commit to Maryland ahead of the early signing period. Instead, he shocked most prognosticators and picked the Gamecocks.
That lasted all of four days.
Wednesday, Barham signed with Maryland and saw South Carolina lose out on the highest-rated high school prospect to commit to the Gamecocks since Beamer was hired, per 247Sports.
The loss of Barham certainly stung and had plenty to do with why USC’s class dropped from No. 16 heading into the day to No. 23 by the end of it. However, with four-star Mississippi product Stone Blanton and three-star former Georgia commit Donovan Westmoreland still in the boat at linebacker, South Carolina can mitigate the loss to some degree.
With Barham now out of the picture, don’t be surprised if South Carolina looks for another linebacker in this class or attacks the transfer portal for one sooner than later.
Gamecocks go defense heavy in 2022 recruiting class
South Carolina was brutally thin on the back end of Clayton White’s defense in 2021. This cycle’s class should help rectify that issue.
Thirteen of the signatures the Gamecocks received on Wednesday were from defensive players. Six of those came from players in the secondary.
South Carolina could conceivably return just about everyone in the secondary except for safety Jaylan Foster. Add in a class that is deep at defensive back — including three-star safeties Emory Floyd, Anthony Rose and Peyton Williams — and this group feels foundational for Beamer and his staff moving forward. (Spring Valley High athlete DQ Smith, projected as a DB in college, will sign with USC in February.)
The biggest question, if there are any defensively in South Carolina’s 2022 class, is up front. The Gamecocks have a long history of pulling in high-profile defensive linemen. Three-star defensive lineman Felix Hixon is rated the highest of this year’s crop at No. 586 nationally — good for 10th in USC’s class itself.
The Gamecocks hit a handful of home runs in the secondary and rounded out a group that needed fresh playmakers. This year’s defensive line class, though, projects as a more developmental group.
South Carolina’s offensive haul is small, but plenty to like
The biggest offensive coup of the offseason came Monday when Oklahoma transfers Spencer Rattler and Austin Stogner announced their commitments to South Carolina. That said, there’s plenty to like in the Gamecocks’ high school crop.
Three-star receiver Landon Samson is one to circle in this bunch. He comes from a powerhouse program in Southlake Carroll (Texas) and is former high school teammates with quarterback Quinn Ewers — who was rated the No. 1 player in the 2022 class before he reclassified and went to Ohio State last year. There’s a feeling Samson might be the best player in this class, despite a mid-level recruiting ranking.
Four-star quarterback Braden Davis will also assuredly draw headlines. Davis has steadily dropped in the recruiting rankings, at least in part due to some questions about how much he’s developed as a passer. He’ll need some coaching over the next couple years, but the physical tools are there for him to be a successful college quarterback.
The Gamecocks also landed a handful of interesting offensive line prospects in three-stars Ryan Brubaker, Cason Henry and Grayson Mains. Each has a bit of a different skill set, and it’s unclear whether they project as interior or exterior linemen. However, this is a group that should help anchor South Carolina’s front in a year or two.
USC kept its offensive haul small this year. Some of that was need. Some of it is simply a case that the Gamecocks will hunt the transfer portal — as they did with Rattler and Stogner — for instant playmakers on that side of the ball.
But for a group that made up just over one-third of the class, there’s enough to like here that a few of these guys can make an impact sooner than later.
