Where Landon Duckworth ranks among South Carolina’s last 10 QB recruits

Landon Duckworth gave South Carolina’s 2026 recruiting class a big boost of momentum with his Friday night commitment.

According to the 247Sports’ Composite rating, a metric that factors in all network rankings, Duckworth is one of the top high school quarterbacks to choose the Gamecocks in recent memory.

Here’s how the last 10 high school quarterback recruits to pick USC stack up in those player rankings.

1. Ryan Hilinski, 2019

Player rating: 0.9695 (4 stars)

How he fared at USC: Hilinski arrived in Columbia with a lot of promise and was forced into action when Jake Bentley was injured in the 2019 opener. He started 11 games as a freshman that year (2,357 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions) but threw only six passes in 2020 and never seemed to connect with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. He transferred to Northwestern ahead of the 2021 season.

2. Landon Duckworth, 2026

Player rating: 0.9670 (4 stars)

How he fared at USC: Duckworth, now a two-time South Carolina commitment, won’t sign until this December — and his player rating could move (up or down) between now and when he enrolls. He put up gaudy numbers as a high school junior: 3,439 yards passing, 648 yards rushing and 51 total touchdowns. And he was just named an Elite 11 quarterback this summer.

3. Luke Doty, 2020

Player rating: 0.9631 (4 stars)

How he fared at USC: Doty is back for a sixth season and is a contender to be the backup QB to LaNorris Sellers. He’s played quarterback, wide receiver and special teams as a Gamecock. His nine starts include six at quarterback and three at wide receiver. Doty is 2-4 as a starting QB and has career passing numbers of 1,543 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.

4. Dakereon Joyner, 2018

Player rating: 0.9199 (4 stars)

How he fared at USC: Played quarterback, receiver, special teams and running back over six seasons at USC. He was Ryan Hilinski’s backup for most of 2019, and was the MVP of the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl as a QB. He threw for 430 career yards and two touchdowns in college. His highest production came on the ground (445 yards and nine scores) and as a receiver (66 receptions for 559 yards).

5. Tanner Bailey, 2022

Player rating: 0.9154 (4 stars)

How he fared at USC: One of two QBs in the class (along with Braden Davis). He spent two seasons as a backup to Spencer Rattler before entering the transfer portal and later announcing his retirement. He said in January 2025, though, that he was enrolling at Auburn but he’s not listed on the Tigers’ team roster.

6. LaNorris Sellers, 2023

Player rating: 0.9127 (4 stars)

How he fared at USC: The redshirt sophomore is still writing his USC story, and big things could be ahead: Sellers is a Heisman hopeful, a preseason first-team All-SEC quarterback and already projected as a first-round NFL Draft pick in 2026. As a redshirt freshman a season ago, he completed 196 of 299 passes for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns, and ran for 674 yards and seven scores.

7. Braden Davis, 2022

Player rating: 0.8896 (3 stars)

How he fared at USC: One of two QBs in the class (along with Tanner Bailey). Davis was the first true quarterback signee for head coach Shane Beamer after his hiring in December 2020. He spent two seasons at USC, couldn’t make any headway behind Spencer Rattler, Sellers and others, then opted to transfer to Syracuse.

8. Dante Reno, 2024

Player rating: 0.8875 (3 stars)

How he fared at USC: He was incredibly loyal to South Carolina, becoming the Gamecocks’ first 2024 commitment after making his pledge in July 2022. In his one year at USC, Reno redshirted, appeared in just one game and mostly worked with the scout-team offense. He transferred to Yale after this year’s spring practices.

9. Cutter Woods, 2025

Player rating: 0.8794 (3 stars)

How he fared at USC: He’s the new face in the 2025 QB room. Woods made a good impression in the spring game (6 of 13 passing for 120 yards), the most yards of any quarterback that night. That effort included a 51-yard deep ball.

10. Colten Gauthier, 2021

Player rating: 0.8733 (3 stars)

How he fared at USC: Gauthier threw two passes in three seasons with the Gamecocks. He announced a transfer to Gardner-Webb after the 2023 season.