Longtime Gamecocks football commit leaves USC recruiting class
A longtime South Carolina football recruit announced Tuesday that he won’t be part of the team’s 2020 class.
North Mecklenburg High School (North Carolina) wide receiver Da’Qon Stewart announced he had decommitted from the Gamecocks in a social media post. He did not sign in December during the early signing period.
At the time, he said he’d still planned to join the Gamecocks. Multiple recruiting reports expressed doubt he would end up as part of the class.
Said Stewart via Instagram and Twitter: “First off, I would like to thank God for every blessing he has blessed me with and every door he has opened for me and the doors he will continue to open for me. Secondly I would like to thank Coach Muschamp and his staff for offering and believing in me before anybody else. Lastly I wanna thank my family and coaches for sticking by me on this journey but after much prayer and thought ... at this time I feel that it’s best for me to de-commit from USC and REOPEN my recruitment.”
The 6-foot, 195-pound pass catcher committed to South Carolina in January and was a consistent presence as a visitor. He said coaches compared his game to former USC star Deebo Samuel.
He is the No. 462 player in the country in the 247Sports Composite rankings. The put him 15th in North Carolina and 78th among wide receivers nationally.
As a senior, he missed four of 10 games and started at quarterback for an injured teammate in another game. He put up 20 catches for 250 yards and a touchdown with a kickoff return score.
South Carolina added 17 official 2020 signees during the December signing period plus QB grad transfer Collin Hill. They also have commitments from four-star tackle Alex Huntley and five-star end Jordan Burch, both expected to sign in February. Muschamp has indicated plans to add another running back to the class.
Grad transfer fullback Adam Prentice and two special team commits are expected to go on scholarship starting in the fall and have those spots count toward the 2021 group.
This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 11:04 PM.
