It’s a big week for Gamecocks with top QB recruits on campus. A closer look
This week will be big for South Carolina on the recruiting front.
Shane Beamer and company are hosting several camps as well as prospects visits, both unofficial and official.
Three highly rated quarterbacks in Dylan Lonergan (class of 2023), Dante Reno (2024) and Jayden Bradford (2024) are among the recruits in Columbia this week. Reno and Bradford are among the several hundred high-schoolers who will showcase their talents to the Gamecocks’ coaching staff. Lonergan will be in town on an official visit, a trip that’s more formal in nature and paid for by USC.
All three quarterbacks are forecast to play college football with the Gamecocks, according to 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions.
Dylan Lonergan
247Sports Composite: 4 star rating, No. 9 QB for 2023 class and No. 91 prospect nationally
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Georgia product is highly touted with offers from plenty of Power 5 schools. Lonergan has offers from big-time colleges such as Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia, among a host of other top-tier schools.
He led Brookwood High School in Snellville to a 10-3 record last year, throwing for 3,392 and 32 touchdowns while also running for seven touchdowns and 645 yards.
In addition to being a top-rated quarterback, Longeran is being heavily recruited for baseball and throws in the low 90s on the mound.
“He’s an awesome two-sport athlete that’s being recruited heavily for baseball as well. He’s got a big arm. He’s a leader of one of the best high school football programs in the state of Georgia,” 247Sports director of recruiting Jeff Wiltfong told The State. “He’s a dual-threat guy that threw for 32 touchdowns and rushed for nearly 700 more yards had had seven rushing scores. Takes care of the football, only turned it over three times. He’s played some big games on the prep level, and he’s a guy that’s one of the more coveted players at the position.”
Lonergan is fresh off an official visit from Alabama and has another official visit set up with Stanford on June 24. A college decision could come sometime in July.
In order to make a lasting impression on Lonergan’s official visit, Wiltfong said South Carolina needs to “just keep doing what they’re doing”.
“He’s got great relationships with staff, likes the trajectory of the program, likes the baseball staff,” Wiltfong said. “Just another opportunity for him to get back to South Carolina and continue to compare and contrast them to Stanford and Alabama and we’ll see where the chips fall.”
Lonergan has made the trip to Columbia twice already this year, visiting for a junior day in January and for an unofficial visit in April. His official visit to South Carolina is set to start Friday.
Dante Reno
247Sports Composite: 4-star rating, No. 17 QB for 2024 class and No. 207 prospect overall nationally
Reno is a 6-foot-1, 215-pound quarterback who plays at The Loomis Chaffee School Fiskdale, Massachusetts.
Last year during his sophomore season, Reno threw for 2,507 yards and 27 touchdowns while completing 66% of his passes.
The son of Yale head football coach Tony Reno, Wiltfong complimented Dante for his high football IQ.
“He really excels in that arena of just being able to talk football, game plan and all of that, but then obviously, when you turn on the tape, you know he’s a guy that’s a good decision maker with a football,” Wiltfong said. “Complete 66% of his passes, accurate to all levels of the field, sees the field well, and his leadership qualities and all of that, too. Just a guy that makes high-level throws on film and would be an exciting pickup for anybody that gets him.”
Like Lonergan, Reno holds offers from several Power 5 schools, including three other SEC schools in Kentucky, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
Although Reno will be starting his junior year of high school in the fall, Wiltfong said South Carolina is in a good spot with the QB.
“It’s obvious he’s real high on South Carolina,” Wiltfong said. “When I talked to him he talked up a few other schools, but South Carolina is certainly one that he likes a lot early in his process.”
Reno is expected to work out Thursday at USC’s camp. He recently took a visit to Florida and will visit Clemson on Saturday after his visit to South Carolina. He told The State he will be in Columbia on Wednesday to Friday.
Jayden Bradford
247Sports Composite: 4-star rating, No. 7 QB for 2024 class and No. 53 prospect overall nationally
The 6-foot, 185-pound Chapin, South Carolina product announced Twitter that he will be back in the Midlands to work out at USC on Thursday. Bradford transferred from Chapin High School to IMG Academy in Florida in February.
At Chapin last year, Bradford led the Eagles to an 8-4 record and threw 2,028 yards and 22 touchdowns, completing 64% of his passes. He also ran for 367 yards and five touchdowns.
According to 247Sports, Bradford holds nine other offers. Among those are schools from the ACC, SEC, Big 10, American Confernce and Sun Belt.
Bradford’s most recently visited LSU on June 5.
This story was originally published June 8, 2022 at 6:21 PM.
