South Carolina adds signing day commitment from Alabama defensive back
South Carolina football has added some defensive help in a position of need.
Cornerback La’Dareyen Craig of Baker High School in Mobile, Alabama committed to the Gamecocks on Wednesday on National Signing Day. He also considered Mississippi State and Oregon State. All three schools offered in the past two weeks.
In the end, when making his decision, Craig said he just went with the feeling he was getting from Shane Beamer and the new Gamecock staff.
“I love them,” Craig said. “They seem really genuine.”
Craig, along with USC commitments TJ Sanders and Kolbe Fields, were in line to sign Wednesday. The Gamecocks later Wednesday added a pledge from junior college defender Tavareon Martin-Scott.
USC signed nine during December’s early signing period and has added seven more to the roster via the transfer portal.
They offered Craig on Jan. 27, and Beamer along with defensive backs coach Torrian Gray made a big impression on the 6-foot-2, 175-pounder. Craig had 41 tackles and three interceptions this season for Baker.
“I’ve been talking to the whole staff. We had a Zoom call. We FaceTime and we text every day. I love them,” Craig said.
Defensive back is a big area of need for the Gamecocks, who lost Jammie Robinson, Jaycee Horn, Israel Mukuamu, John Dixon and Shilo Sanders over the past few months. Robinson, Dixon and Sanders transferred to different schools, while Horn and Mukuamu left school early to prepare for April’s NFL Draft.
JUCO linebacker added to class
South Carolina football added some experience to its defense Wednesday.
Junior college linebacker Tavareon Martin-Scott committed to the Gamecocks. He picked USC over Mississippi State and West Virginia.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder played at Dodge City Community College in Kansas, led the team with 3.5 sacks and was second with 42 tackles in 2019. He also forced two fumbles and picked off a pass.
Scott — nicknamed “Bam” because of his birthday being on the Fourth of July and the accompanying fireworks — earned all-conference honors as a freshman year at Dodge City. The Conquistadors didn’t play a fall season in 2020 because of COVID-19 but are expected to play a spring schedule starting in March.
“I like the city really,” Martin-Scott said in making his commitment. “I want to be down South with that weather. And the weight room, I really want to develop my body and the coaches there are good for that.”
He’s the third junior college addition for the Gamecocks’ class, joining defensive backs Marcellas Dial and Isaiah Norris, both who played at Georgia Military College.
Martin-Scott will play the spring season at Dodge City while finishing up his academic work and hopes to join the Gamecocks this summer.
— Phil Kornblut contributed
This story was originally published February 3, 2021 at 11:27 AM.
