Gamecocks land commitment from walk-on QB out of Charlotte
South Carolina football bolstered its quarterback room some Friday with a talent from just up the road.
Jake Helfrich of Providence Day High School in Charlotte announced that he will be a preferred walk-on with the Gamecocks. Helfrich also had a walk-on offer from Coastal Carolina, Eastern Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Helfrich said he recently spoke with new offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield and plans to enroll in the summer.
“I talked with coach Satterfield over the phone and he’s excited to start something special down in Columbia,” Helfrich said.
Being a preferred walk-on guarantees a recruit a spot on the roster but no financial assistance to start his college career. He can also enroll and participate in preseason workouts at the same time as scholarship athletes.
South Carolina has two scholarship quarterbacks on its roster in freshman Luke Doty and Colten Gauthier. The Gamecocks also have walk-on Connor Jordan on the roster.
Jason Brown, a quarterback at St. Francis (Pennsylvania) was offered by the Gamecocks this week and also could be another QB headed to USC. If Brown commits, he would enroll at the school on March 1.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Helfrich played for Chad Grier this season at Providence Day. Grier is the father of Panthers quarterback Will Grier and also coached in South Carolina at Oceanside Collegiate.
“He was a great leader for us. A very hard worker and team-first guy. First to workouts, last to leave,” Grier said. “Carried the ball bag to and from practices. Really studied the game and our schemes and developed his football IQ. Strong in the weight room and very athletic. He lays basketball and lacrosse.”
Helfrich completed 57.1% of his passes and threw for 1,275 yards and 11 touchdowns in the six-game season shortened because of COVID-19. Providence Day and other NC private schools were able to have their seasons while NC public schools had theirs pushed to the spring because of COVID-19.
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 12:43 PM.
