Official visitor from Tennessee watches Gamecocks take down Vols

Offensive lineman K’Rojhn Calbert of McMinnville, Tenn., picked a great time, from a South Carolina standpoint, to take his official visit with the Gamecocks.

USC had its best setting of the season Saturday night with the win over Tennessee, and it was was the kind of performance and atmosphere that can open the eyes of recruits.

“It went well,” said Calbert, who arrived on campus early Saturday morning and met with Will Muschamp and Shawn Elliott and got a tour of the school and football facilities. “There was nothing I didn’t like about it. It was a good place to be. I thought it was a hell of a game, it was cool to watch. They were ready to come and play. It was just special.”

Before leaving, Calbert had a chance for a final conversation with the coaches and they made it clear to him that a spot in the program exists if he will take it.

“They said what you see is what you get,” Calbert said. “They really need me. Not that they want me, they need me. I really like them, I really do. If I had a top three they would probably be up there. It would be hard to shy away from South Carolina.”

Calbert also has a Tennessee offer, so he got to watch his home state team as well. He said the extra distance to get to Columbia from his home, including driving right thru Knoxville, is not an issue, but the offer from the Vols is still big.

“Obviously, that’s a big swing in things in how I will approach where I will choose to go because the offer did mean a lot to me,” he said. “I worked my butt off to get it. When I got it, Coach Butch (Jones) told me I had an offer to the University of Tennessee and it felt awesome. It probably will make a difference but I don’t know how much of a difference.”

Calbert has not set up any other official visits and he plans to with Tennessee, Florida and Louisville. He does not have a timeline for a decision and could carry things out all the way to National Signing Day. He does not have a favorite.

This story was originally published October 30, 2016 at 1:52 PM with the headline "Official visitor from Tennessee watches Gamecocks take down Vols."