Asheville lineman Pete Leota officially a Gamecock

Offensive lineman Pete Leota of Asheville High School has signed with South Carolina.

Leota committed to the Gamecocks in September and remained committed throughout the process of the coaching change. He said a big reason for sticking with USC was offensive line coach Shawn Elliott being retained by new head coach Will Muschamp.

“I love South Carolina, just the city of Columbia, warm weather, Coach Shawn Elliott,” Leota said. “I knew in my mind that if Coach Elliott was going to stay I was going to stay. It was just a matter of waiting and seeing if Coach Elliott was going to be retained or not.”

Leota also had offers from Boston College, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and others. UCLA also showed interest late. His final decision came down to the Gamecocks and Virginia Tech, a couple of schools that both went through coaching changes.

Leota is viewed as a three-star prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 10:49 AM with the headline "Asheville lineman Pete Leota officially a Gamecock."