‘We gotta get him next.’ South Carolina has eyes set on another in-state prospect
There’s a graphic making the rounds of social media titled the “Great Wall of Carolina.” It features in-state offensive linemen Kam Pringle, Blake Franks and Josiah Thompson.
Two-thirds of that group, Woodland’s Pringle and Greenville High’s Franks, already have picked the Gamecocks. Will Thompson be next?
Franks talked about playing with Pringle and possibly Thompson after announcing his choice for the Gamecocks last Friday.
“I’m looking forward to sharing the locker room with Josiah Thompson and Kam Pringle,” Franks said. “I think we are going to have good chemistry. Of course, we don’t have Josiah right now. I don’t know why I said that. … But we gotta get him next.”
Thompson, the Dillon offensive lineman, is set to announce his choice at 9 a.m. on April 14 at his high school. The 6-foot-6, 280-pound junior is considered a four-star prospect by 247Sports Composite and ranked 73rd nationally in the Class of 2024.
A Thompson commit would cement an impressive run by Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks’ coaching staff over the past two seasons. USC landed four of the state’s top five prospects in Class of 2023 in Dorman’s Markee Anderson, Camden’s Xzavier McLeod, South Florence’s LaNorris Sellers and Manning’s Monteque Rhames (who currently isn’t with the team).
Oceanside Collegiate’s Monroe Freeling, the state’s top-ranked prospect, was the only one USC missed out on. Freeling signed with Georgia.
That was the first time since 2020 that the Gamecocks had commitments from four of the state’s top five prospects.
If Thompson commits, that would mean USC would have the top-three prospects in South Carolina for the Class of 2024 to go along with Pringle and Greenville receiver Mazeo Bennett.
West Florence’s Kelvin Hunter, the No. 4 prospect, is projected to pick USC, but the defensive back hasn’t announced his commitment date. 247Sports has the Gamecocks as the No. 8 recruiting class for 2024 after Franks’ commitment.
“We are not done,” Bennett said.
Franks agreed with his Greenville teammate and is ready to do his part to get more recruits for this year’s class.
“I’m very excited that the (recruiting) process is over,” Franks said. “Now, I get to help recruit more people to play for the Gamecocks and also get back to work and focus on being a better offensive lineman.”
South Carolina Class of 2024 Football Commits
- July 2, 2022: QB Dante Reno — Windsor, Conn.
- Jan. 22: OT Kam Pringle — Dorchester, SC
- Jan. 24: TE Michael Smith — Savannah, GA
- Jan. 27: LB Wendell Gregory — Marietta, GA
- Feb. 3: WR Mazeo Bennett — Greenville, SC
- March 31: OL Blake Franks — Greenville, SC
This story was originally published April 3, 2023 at 8:55 AM.
