Asheville O-lineman Pete Leota commits to Gamecocks

South Carolina reached into the mountains of North Carolina on Thursday for its 15th commitment of the 2016 class.

Offensive lineman Pete Leota of Asheville, N.C., announced his pledge for the Gamecocks in a ceremony at midfield of the football stadium at Asheville High. Leota chose USC over Virginia Tech.

Leota (6-5, 285) visited both schools for their home openers, Virginia Tech against Ohio State and Kentucky against USC.

“It’s because it’s in the SEC,” Leota said. “Because of the coaches. I felt at home when I was down there. I loved the whole vibe of the campus and I really like Coach [Shawn] Elliott. He’s been an awesome recruiter throughout this process, and also coach Deke Adams has always been consistent throughout this process staying in contact with me and having me call him.”

Those trips gave him one final chance to compare and contrast and allowed him to make a clear final choice.

“I just loved their whole program and what they have to offer,” he said of the Gamecocks. “They also have some great food.”

Some of Leota’s other offers were Virginia, East Carolina, North Carolina, Boston College and Wake Forest. He also visited Virginia Tech for the spring game and he camped at USC in July.

USC now has four linemen committed for the 2016 class (Leota, Akeem Cooperwood, Lloyd Cushenberry and Will Putnam).

Leota’s Asheville Cougars are 4-0 this season.

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 11:41 AM.