NC O-lineman looking hard at USC as Showcase nears

South Carolina has new competition for offensive lineman Will Putnam of Harrisburg, N.C.

Putnam has been favoring USC since being offered in late May and said the only thing that might delay a commitment this Saturday at camp would be another major offer. He got one of those Thursday on a visit to Virginia Tech.

“It just opens up another opportunity,” he said. “I’ll really have to step back and look at both schools after my USC visit.”

He will be at USC Saturday for the Gamecock Showcase Camp. A commitment had been a strong possibility, but not so much now.

“Quite honestly I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t want to just jump into anything. But if it feels right, then it feels right.”

Putnam will visit Vanderbilt on Friday before coming to USC. He has been in regular contact with Gamecocks offensive line coach Shawn Elliott and has gotten the game plan from him for how he would be used.

“I would play tackle. I don’t know what side yet,” Putnam said. “He says that he can see that I move very well for my size, that I’m athletic.”

Putnam does have other offers from Connecticut, Ohio, Charlotte, Gardner-Webb, Elon, Coastal Carolina and Charleston Southern.

This story was originally published June 11, 2015 at 4:50 PM.