South Carolina dips into Texas again, lands commitment from wide receiver
South Carolina continued its red hot recruiting run Wednesday when it dipped into the Lone Star State for the second time in its 2022 class.
Three-star receiver Landon Samson announced his commitment to the Gamecocks via Twitter. Samson is USC’s 12th public commitment in the 2022 class and the seventh in the last 11 days.
USC receivers coach Justin Stepp, who is close friends with Samson’s high school coach, offered him a couple of weeks ago and put a heavy recruiting push on him. And that paid off for the Gamecocks.
“Coach Stepp started talking to me at the end of my football season this year, and then we didn’t talk a whole lot,” Samson said. “Coming up to the last week, he FaceTimes me, ‘Hey man, we really love you, we want to offer you.’ Every night since then, he’s been FaceTiming me right before I go to bed. We’ve been building a great relationship, and I’m very excited.”
Rated the No. 787 player and No. 108 receiver in the 2022 class per the 247Sports Composite rankings, the Dallas-area native stars at Texas high school football powerhouse Southlake Carroll. He had offers from Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Duke, UCF, Boise State, Memphis, Tulane and Louisiana, among others.
Samson’s three 247Sports crystal ball projections indicated he was leaning toward Nebraska before he chose South Carolina on Wednesday.
Samson has yet to visit USC. He will be in for a cookout event July 31. But a lengthy Zoom session with Shane Beamer and staff members last week went a long way toward him deciding on the Gamecocks.
“It was a great Zoom,” Samson said “It was supposed to be an hour and it ended up lasting two-and-a-half hours because I was really interested in the program and I had so many questions, and were all just having fun, laughing. “I learned a ton about the program. And the end of the Zoom call, it really just felt like home. I really wanted to be a Gamecock.”
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound receiver finished his junior season with 75 catches 1,293 yards 15 touchdowns. He also notched six receptions for 91 yards in the 6A state championship game against Westlake High School.
South Carolina has now added two players from Texas in the 2022 class in Samson and three-star safety Peyton Williams. The Gamecocks have signed just two players from the state since 2009, the last being Shilo Sanders in 2019.
USC’s 2022 class is currently rated 22nd nationally and 10th in the Southeastern Conference following Samson’s commitment according to 247Sports’ team recruiting rankings.
“They see me coming in and play very early,” Samson said. “I have a very high football IQ and they think that’s something that can be used in a versatile way. I can play anywhere on the field, which is amazing for them and for me, because it means I can get on the field earlier and I can have a lot more production for the team as well. Just being able to know every position and be able to know everything on the field at once will be able to help the team, too.”
South Carolina’s Class of 2022 Commitments
Braden Davis, QB
Ryan Brubaker, OT
Grayson Mains, OT
Cason Henry, OT
Landon Samson, WR
Kylic Horton, WR
Jamaal Whyce, DL
Donovan Westmoreland, LB
Anthony Rose, S
Peyton Williams, S
Kajuan Banks, S
Jy’Vonte McClendon, S
This story was originally published June 30, 2021 at 3:11 PM.
