Hometown SpursUp! Cam Smith commits to Gamecocks

For the second straight day, South Carolina picked up a commitment for its secondary. This one was close to home.

Westwood High cornerback Cam Smith committed to the Gamecocks on Friday following his game against Lugoff-Elgin. Smith’s commitment comes a day after Georgia Military College’s D.J. Daniel committed to USC.

The senior picked USC over Georgia and Tennessee. He still plans to take all three official visits.

“It’s my home school,” he said after committing. “I’ve been loving it since I was little.”

Smith made up his mind a couple weeks ago and called Gamecocks’ coach Will Muschamp, who was on vacation, to tell him the news. Still, he showed a little flair for the dramatic in his announcement.

Following Westwood’s 53-14 win over Lugoff-Elgin, Smith headed back to locker him and put on four T-shirts. He had a Westwood shirt out front and then Tennessee, Georgia and finally revealed the Gamecocks’ jersey on the bottom as Sandstorm blared over the loud speakers and he was mobbed by his teammates and family.

Smith’s commitment gives the Gamecocks 18 for the Class of 2019, including seven four-star recruits. USC also has a commitment from five-star defensive end Zacch Pickens.

The Gamecocks have a need in the secondary, and Smith believes he can contribute next season.

“They are losing three defensive backs, so there will be an opportunity to go and play right away,” Smith said.

Smith plans to enroll with the Gamecocks in January.

“I like how they are building around that program and investing,” Smith said of South Carolina. “They’ve got the football operations building and the indoor facility they just built. They are trying to revamp the program and get in-state talent like when they had Jadeveon [Clowney] and Stephon Gilmore, Marcus Lattimore.”

Westwood coach Dustin Curtis said Smith has the attributes of current USC cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu.

“From how big he is and how he hits and how much bigger he can get, he is certainly the cornerback that could come up and play hard and help out in run support,” Curtis said. “He fits in that mold and it is certainly a trend for that defense.’

Smith spent his first three years of high school at Fort Meade in Maryland before he and his family moved back to the Columbia area where he grew up. He was a relative unknown in recruiting when he returned but it didn’t take long for him to create some interest.

Smith ran a 4.48 in 40-yard dash and had a 36-inch vertical at a USC camp at the beginning of June to earn an offer from the Gamecocks. He showcased his skills this summer against some of the nation’s best. He competed in Rivals’ five-star challenge and Nike’s The Opening this summer.

This story was originally published August 17, 2018 at 9:51 PM.