South Carolina QB commit Brandon McIlwain ranked a top-20 baseball prospect

Brandon McIlwain, South Carolina’s class of 2016 quarterback commitment, has long been seen as a potential star for the Gamecocks, but his interest in baseball always loomed in the background.

On Tuesday, he came in at No. 16 in Baseball America’s High School Top 100 list of prospects for the 2016 Draft. That points to the outfielder getting picked high in next summer’s draft, which would leave a football future in doubt.

Last year, all but one of the top 20 high school prospects were drafted in the top three rounds, the lowest pick earning a bonus of $586,900. The lone outlier, Vanderbilt’s Donny Everett, turned down $2.5 million.

McIlwain has the option to enroll early at South Carolina on the table, but he’s said he wants to meet the new coach before making a decision. He is also considering staying in school so he could play baseball for Council Rock North in Newtown, Pa., which would keep him eligible for the draft.

As a senior, McIlwain threw for 1,727 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and ran for 1,528 yards and 30 scores. He was an Elite 11 quarterback and a Perfect Game All-American.