With no spring football game to host recruits, how is USC enticing prospects?

South Carolina is about halfway through its spring practice period, and that would normally mean the Gamecocks have just a handful of practices left until the new roster played in front of a crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium.

But with USC’s stadium in the middle of an offseason-long renovation project, there will be no culmination of spring football for the Gamecock faithful in 2026.

USC players, like Purdue transfer Hank Purvis, said they aren’t in a fuss about missing the spring game.

“The spring game is really just a scrimmage, and we do scrimmages all the time, so it’s really just something that the fans miss out on, not really something that we miss out on,” Purvis said.

Fans aren’t being left out to dry either, instead being welcomed to the Garnet and Black Spring Fest to meet players and enjoy a concert.

The only group that might be missing out are the recruits.

USC normally hosts a wealth of its high school targets at spring football games. These potential future Gamecocks now won’t get a taste of Williams-Brice Stadium until the 2026 season begins.

How much does this affect USC’s recruiting? And what are the Gamecocks doing to entice recruits instead?

“Not a ton, to be honest with you. It’s more about guys wanting to come to Carolina,” USC head coach Shane Beamer said.

While Beamer said it’s unfortunate USC can’t show off its stadium and fan base to recruits in the spring, he can’t imagine a scenario where the spring game is a make-or-break scenario for a recruit.

“When you’re able to market and sell a spring game, that’s a big deal. But usually, with those spring games, guys had already been here for practice anyway, it wasn’t like, ‘I want to come just to the spring game, and that’s the only thing that I’m going to come to, and if you don’t have a spring game, I’m not coming,’” Beamer said. “I hate that we won’t be able to show that, but they’ll get a good taste of what Williams-Brice is like in the fall when we start the season. So it really hasn’t impacted (recruiting), beyond just the opportunity to showcase the program in Williams-Brice at a spring game.”

Instead of the spring game, Beamer and his staff have zeroed in on hosting recruits at spring practices. Beamer said that Darren Uscher, USC’s director of player personnel and recruiting, told him USC’s practice on March 21 had the largest attendance of recruits with offers from USC at any practice since Beamer took over in 2021.

“There was a ton of people here last Saturday, and that’s great, that they want to come visit,” Beamer said. “We want to continue to open up practices for recruits to be able to come to, and that’s what we’re doing.”

USC has enlisted the help of its players to help recruit the next class of Gamecocks. Junior defensive back Vicari Swain said he’s hosted three recruits in his time at USC.

“Being a recruit, watching how the older guys come in, wanting to be one of them. Them showing you around campus, them showing you how practice is, how the meetings are gonna go, that’s why,” Swain said.

Without a spring game to prepare for, USC’s recruiting seemingly hasn’t slowed down.

“Once March cranks up, it’s full speed ahead, March and April, especially high school prospects going out to visit colleges and watch spring practice,” Beamer said. “Can’t wait to continue to get more of those guys through here. It’s been great visiting with so many of them. They’re all commenting on the excitement, the energy, whatever you want to call it, out there on the field.”