Gamecocks sign Top 25 class: Breaking down best of USC’s 2026 recruits
South Carolina’s newest class of incoming freshmen is officially signed.
USC added 15 players to its 2026 recruiting class during the December signing period, including a premier offensive lineman, four of South Carolina’s top-five players and a potential future starting quarterback.
Head coach Shane Beamer’s new freshman class, which he said won’t grow beyond the current group, ranks 20th in the country. When ranked by player rating, USC’s 91.59 average is ninth in the country.
Here are the players who stand out from the Gamecocks’ 2026 signing class:
Big gets
The crown jewel of USC’s signing class is four-star offensive lineman Darius Gray. A product of St. Christopher’s School in Richmond, Virginia, Gray is the No. 2 player in Virginia, the No. 2 interior O-lineman in the class and the No. 37 player in the country. He’s the highest-ranked prospect to sign with the Gamecocks since Dylan Stewart and Josiah Thompson in 2024.
Gray projects to immediately bolster a Gamecock line that struggled this season, giving up 42 sacks on QB LaNorris Sellers in 2025.
After Gray, USC’s second-biggest get is four-star quarterback Landon Duckworth. A product of Jackson, Alabama, Duckworth is a Navy All-American, Elite 11 finalist and the No. 10 QB in the Class of 2026.
USC reportedly had to fight off LSU and newly-named head coach Lane Kiffin for Duckworth. Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong even predicted Wednesday that Duckworth would flip to the Tigers. Duckworth signed with USC on Thursday afternoon.
Duckworth’s recruitment with USC has been touch-and-go. He initially committed under USC offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains in 2023 and decommitted the next summer before reinstating his pledge to the Gamecocks ahead of Mike Shula’s first year in the position. He remained with USC even after Shula was fired midseason.
Under the radar
The two most intriguing prospects in USC’s 2026 class are the two prospects listed by recruiting services as “athletes”: Sequel Patterson and Triston Lewis.
A player listed as an athlete typically means they play multiple positions for their high school team and could move around in college, or they’re being recruited for different positions by different programs. Some of the highest-ranked athlete recruits of all time include Jabrill Peppers, Derrick Henry and USC wide receiver Nyck Harbor.
Patterson is the No. 12 athlete in the country and the No. 5 player in South Carolina. He got snaps at quarterback, wide receiver and cornerback for Indian Land High School this season while also running track and playing basketball. Standing 6-feet tall and possessing track speed, Patterson signed to USC as a wide receiver and projects to play in the slot.
Lewis signed as a defensive back. He was recruited by USC wide receivers coach Mike Furrey, as well as defensive backs coach Torrian Gray. He played both free safety and quarterback at Greenwood High School and threw 93 mph off the mound as a baseball player.
Homegrown prospects
The Gamecocks entered signing day with three of South Carolina’s top-five players committed, and they walked away with a signing class featuring four of the Palmetto State’s best.
Four-star edge rusher Julian Walker, the No. 3 player in the state, was committed to Michigan since July 1, but he flipped to USC at his signing ceremony Thursday morning. He took three visits to USC during the 2025 season and was in Ann Arbor over the weekend, and Walker ultimately chose the Gamecocks.
USC also landed the top player in the state. J’Zavien Currence, a defensive back out of South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, is the No. 1 player in South Carolina, the No. 82 player in the nation and the No. 9 safety in the class of 2026. He’s rated as a four-star recruit and is the highest-ranked defensive player in the class.
Other top in-state recruits include Patterson and four-star OL Zyon Guiles. With Guiles, USC lands a pair of top-five interior offensive linemen in the 2026 class. Guiles took visits to Georgia, Florida, Clemson and Auburn after committing to USC in March, but he never swayed from his commitment.
South Carolina football 2026 signing class
- Anthony Baxter, three-star OL (expected to enroll in January 2026)
- Kosci Barnes, four-star DB (expected to enroll in January 2026)
- Keenan Britt, three-star DL (expected to enroll in January 2026)
- Noah Clark, four-star DL (expected to enroll in January 2026)
- J’Zavien Currence, four-star DB (expected to enroll in January 2026)
- Landon Duckworth, four-star QB (expected to enroll in January 2026)
- Darius Gray, four-star OL (expected to enroll in summer 2026)
- Zyon Guiles, four-star OL (expected to enroll in January 2026)
- Aiden Harris, four-star DL (expected to enroll in January 2026)
- Andrew Harris, four-star LB (expected to enroll in January 2026)
- KJ Johnson, three-star DB (expected to enroll in summer 2026)
- Triston Lewis, three-star DB (expected to enroll in January 2026)
- Sequel Patterson, four-star WR (expected to enroll in summer 2026)
- Caden Ramsey, three-star TE (expected to enroll in summer 2026)
- Julian Walker, four-star edge rusher (expected to enroll in January 2026)
