Muschamp, USC in hot pursuit of in-state standout Brad Johnson

Defensive end Brad Johnson of Pendleton High will make official visits this fall to Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Michigan State and Notre Dame, according to his coach Paul Sutherland.

The Notre Dame visit likely will take place the weekend after next, during Pendleton’s open week.

South Carolina is the fifth school Johnson is considering, and he’s been there several times unofficially and might not take an official visit with the Gamecocks. Johnson on Saturday is going to Bristol, Tenn., for the Tennessee-Virginia Tech game as a guest of the Hokies.

After USC defeated Vanderbilt last Thursday, coach Will Muschamp said he was going recruiting Friday. One of his first stops was to Pendleton to check in on Johnson.

“At 5:30 p.m. Thursday I get a text saying coach Muschamp wants to come by Friday morning,” Sutherland said. “I said, ‘Brad, look at this.’ Brad didn’t grow up a Carolina fan but he’s a relationship kid. They’ve worked hard. (Muschamp) let him know he’s still a priority to him. They have not backed off any, I can promise you that.”

Sutherland said Johnson wants to get these official visits in as soon as possible so he can finalize his plans.

“He said as soon as he sees them all, those other four, he feels like he’ll be ready to make a decision,” Sutherland said. “He’s not dragging this thing out to signing day. South Carolina is recruiting him harder than anyone, followed closely by Virginia Tech. The others are in contact with him every week. I’ve never seen a head coach work like Will Muschamp in recruiting.”

Johnson has been hampered this season with a grade one separated shoulder and has been playing with a brace. He’s even played some running back because of injuries in the backfield. He rushed for 123 yards in one game, including a 66-yard touchdown.

Gamecocks in NY lineman’s top group

Defensive lineman Romello Martin of Brooklyn, N.Y., dropped his top six schools recently, and USC has one of those spots locked down. Joining the Gamecocks in Martin’s favored half-dozen are Tennessee, Rutgers, Florida, Miami and Ole Miss.

Martin visited USC in mid-August, his only visit of the summer, and the Gamecocks continue to be a strong pursuer.

“Even before the visit, coaches were always on top of me, texting me and seeing how I’m doing and seeing if South Carolina is still on my mind,” Martin said. “When I went for the visit, everything was amazing, from the coaching staff and seeing everything. I felt at home down there.”

Martin said he’s still working on setting up his official visits from his group of six and he thinks USC will get one. He said Miami, Florida, Rutgers and Ole Miss are the other schools coming at him the hardest along with USC and there is no leader at this point.

USC recruiter Lance Thompson has been up to check on Martin, but so far in this evaluation period no recruiters have been by his school. He is looking at mid-January or signing day for his announcement.

Notes

▪  The weather last week played havoc with the plans of Class of 2018 defensive end Xavier Thomas of Wilson HIgh. He had tweeted the USC staff was coming to watch his game Friday against Conway, but when it was moved up to Thursday, that nixed those plans. The heavy rain also forced Thomas to scratch plans to drive to Auburn for the Clemson game Saturday. Now he plans to make his first college game appearance of the season Saturday when Georgia hosts Nicholls State. Thomas is expected to be at USC’s home opener against East Carolina on Sept. 17.

▪  Wide receiver Austin Connor of Dutch Fork said he has a final four of USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Georgia. However, Connor said he’s not hearing much from the Gamecocks. They are just one of his favorite teams. He’s hearing the most from Vanderbilt and Georgia at this point.

▪  USC basketball target Jordan Pierce of New Jersey committed to Dayton. The Gamecocks just recently offered him.

This story was originally published September 7, 2016 at 3:07 PM.