What to watch for with South Carolina on National Signing Day
South Carolina football will go through the second signing day on Wednesday, looking to pull in a few more blue-chip players to finish off the 2018 class.
USC signed 20 in December and were projected to have four remaining spots. Commit Bryce Thompson from Dutch Fork High will not sign Wednesday, but here’s what to watch for Wednesday:
▪ Before 10 a.m. | The Gamecocks staff is known for starting early. While the announcements and ceremonies don’t start that early, four-star offensive tackle Dylan Wonnum’s letter of intent is already in and was announced early.
▪ 10 a.m. | Wonnum will have his ceremony at Tucker High School in Georgia after committing over the weekend.
▪ 10 a.m. | Clinch County (Ga.) three-star defensive end John Mincey announced his choice for Tennessee over South Carolina and Florida State.
▪ 2:30 p.m.: Four-star defensive tackle Rick Sandidge will announce his choice as Concord High School in North Carolina. The Gamecocks and Georgia are considered his final two, and he has long been thought to be a South Carolina lean. Kirby Smart and his staff reportedly put on the full-court press down the stretch. His announcement will be streamed on the GoGamecocks Facebook page.
▪ 4 p.m. | Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp will hold his signing day press conference, wrapping up USC’s 2018 class. It will be streamed by USC on its YouTube channel. Early enrollees were recognized on the February signing day in Muschamp’s first two USC signing classes, but it’s unclear if that tradition will continue Wednesday.
▪ Bryce Thompson | If signing day comes and goes with USC leaving open an available scholarship, it could be a sign the Gamecocks are willing to wait on Thompson to sort out remaining academic hurdles. The signing period begins Wednesday but actually lasts until April 1. Thompson could sign at any point or wait and enroll this summer without signing a letter of intent.
Beyond that, every signing day seems to include a surprise or two you just can’t see coming.
This story was originally published February 6, 2018 at 5:34 PM with the headline "What to watch for with South Carolina on National Signing Day."