Muschamp, Bentley recruiting approach key to landing Valentine

A big Fourth of July for Will Muschamp and his South Carolina program was capped by a commitment from running back Lavonte Valentine of Melbourne, Fla.

Valentine (6-0, 188) is a track talent and one of the fastest running backs in the country, and it was the persistence and approach of Muschamp and Bobby Bentley that won him over.

Bentley, Valentine’s USC recruiter and future position coach, impressed upon him early in the process the Gamecocks’ need for his speed and the opportunity he’ll have at USC to run track. Valentine also has much of his family in South Carolina and that, too, was a major attraction for him.

“Coach Bentley, I’m in contact with him and Coach Muschamp like almost every single day since they’ve been recruiting me,” Valentine said. “They like to run the ball, but they just don’t have the back as fast as me. He said I’ll fit in well. They’ll put me on special teams and there’s a variety of ways I can help the team.”

USC offered Valentine earlier this year and he visited for the spring game. Muschamp made it clear to him that he was a priority, but he never pressured him to commit. In the end, that’s a big reason why USC landed Valentine.

“He hasn’t ever told me, ‘I need you to commit now or your spot is going to be gone,’ ” Valentine said. “He never did anything like that. He never pressured me. And I have a strong connection with him. I talked to him every single day. He said, ‘Whenever you’re ready, you just commit.’ He told me, ‘I’m holding this spot for you and I could see he like me a lot.’ Every time I talked to him it was like heartfelt conversations.”

Valentine rushed for 890 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. He said he can get the tough yards and run through contact, but he prefers those open spaces his speed creates.

“When I score touchdowns it’s like 50-, 60-, 70-, 80-yard runs,” he said.

Valentine is the second and final running back commitment for the class. He plans to attend the USC cookout and gathering for prospects July 22.

His pledge Tuesday was the second commitment of the day for USC, which in the morning added defensive lineman Jabari Ellis of Georgia Military College to the class. Valentine picked the Gamecocks over LSU and Louisville, and is the 12th commitment for the class.

This story was originally published July 5, 2017 at 8:52 AM.