The family feel that eases Burch, Huntley, teammates’ transition to South Carolina
Jordan Burch stayed mostly quiet, again. If you followed the full span of the five-star lineman’s recruitment, that part wasn’t all that surprising.
The South Carolina football commit sat there, surrounded by Hammond School teammates at different tables with their families. Asked if he would do only his second interview in more than a year, he politely declined.
But when he addressed his school as part of a ceremony last week on National Signing Day, Burch said one small thing that stood out.
“For the next three or four years, I’ll be with my friends,” Burch said, gesturing to three teammates who will play with him at South Carolina next season — Alex Huntley, Fabian Goodman and Bradley Dunn.
Then Burch endeavored to stretch a Gamecocks hat around his prodigious volume of hair.
Between him and the other trio, there’s a full gamut of recruiting experiences. Burch is one of the most sought-after high school players in the land. Huntley, his close friend and fellow lineman, wasn’t under the same microscope as Burch, but he was a blue-chip talent as a top-250 national player.
Goodman is a defensive back and the son of a former Gamecock and NFL player who will follow the family legacy as a walk-on. Dunn is going to walk on and try out a new position (fullback) on the suggestion of USC’s staff.
They came up together. They won titles together. They came together on signing day. And now they move on together.
“I think it’s special,” said Hammond coach Erik Kimrey, a Gamecock himself, “especially when it’s the school that I went to. I think it speaks to their friendship and the bond they had playing football and they want to share that on the next level. So I think it’s really cool.”
Huntley was already planning on sharing a room with his five-star teammate.
“We always talked about that a good bit,” Huntley said. “So that’s the plan, you know, get a nice room going on.”
Smaller schools like Hammond tend to stress the idea there’s some level of family. Everyone really can know just about everyone else at the school of less than 900 (from kindergarten through 12th grade). In December the headmaster told stories about Burch, a five-star recruit and top-10 national player, spending time with elementary school kids and playing the role of a big teddy bear.
Perhaps it’s fitting they’ll go to college under the care of another member of the Hammond family.
On the other side of the gym last week sat Will Muschamp, South Carolina’s coach. NCAA rules prevent a coach from being at such a ceremony, but Muschamp was there for family, with his wife and a set of grandparents for his son Jackson’s signing day event.
Jackson Muschamp played alongside the four Skyhawks who are getting ready to play for his dad at the next level. He handed the ball of to Burch in the backfield. He lined up across from all four defenders in practice.
The shared history has meaning for the families. The parents all know each other. Some are close.
And that won’t end just yet.
“I could not be prouder and I’m so grateful,” said Lisa Huntley, Alex Huntley’s mother. “This isn’t lost on me. He’s getting to do this with his teammates, so I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity for him.”
She reflected on how her son and Burch grew closer as they got older and came up at the school together. As the blue-chippers on the roster, they often got paired or met with college coaches together.
“I remember when they got their Michigan offers,” Lisa Huntley said. “They both walked outside and celebrated, just those two, leaving the Michigan coach. So they shared this journey, and I think that’s really special.”
Andre Goodman’s history with the Gamecocks and Hammond also runs deep. His son, Fabian, has been at the school since second grade. Goodman played at South Carolina from 1998 to 2001 and then in the NFL for a decade. He also worked for Steve Spurrier for four years and Muschamp for one, holding the position that just passed from Marcus Lattimore to Connor Shaw.
He spoke about the process of raising kids with college dreams, kids who put in the work to have options. It helped to have the foundation built on the support of friends and family in that community.
“I love the way they support each other and the fact that he has three teammates going over there with him,” Andre Goodman said. “So they’re gonna go through this process together and it’s going to be a culture shock. This is the one thing I kept telling him. This can be a huge culture shock, but to have to have someone that you’re comfortable with and a coach that he enjoys, I think is gonna make it a little bit smoother for him.”
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 11:45 AM.
