USC linebacker target to announce this week. Where the Crystal Ball is trending

Linebacker Bryce Steele of Raleigh, North Carolina plans to announce his college decision at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Steele has his decision down to South Carolina, UNC and Texas. The Longhorns were the last of the three to offer with their new linebackers coach Coleman Hutzler, who had been recruiting Steele for the Gamecocks. At the time Steele called Texas his “dream offer.”

The Gamecocks and Tar Heels have had much longer relationships with Steele. He camped with USC last summer. His last visit to Columbia was March 5, when he got to meet new linebackers coach Rod Wilson. That visit came two days after his last visit to North Carolina. The Tar Heels received the most visits with Steele estimating seven or eight trips to Chapel Hill.

Steele (6-1, 207) can also play safety. He’s rated a three-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite, the No. 27 athlete nationally and the No. 9 prospect in Virginia. He plays at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia.

He’s trending with the Gamecocks, according to 247Sports’ Crystal Ball projections. The last 11 predictions for where Steele will commit — all entered this week — were for South Carolina.

News and notes

▪ USC linebacker target Raneiria Dillworth of Kernersville, North Carolina is down to UNC and Alabama and will announce Friday.

▪ USC extended three more offers Monday, two to junior college defensive linemen. One went to DT Isaiah Coe (6-3, 310) of Iowa Western Community College. He’s a native of Flossmoor, Illinois. Last season he had 37 tackles with 6.5 sacks. Coe also has offers from Oklahoma, Syracuse, Louisiana, Missouri, Ole Miss, Houston, Arkansas, UCF and Memphis. He’s rated a 3-star prospect by 247Sports and the No. 1 junior college defensive tackle in the country.

The second junior college offer was to defensive end Shemar Pearl (6-6, 235) of Garden City Community College in Kansas. He’s a native of Plano, Texas who committed to Missouri after his senior season of 75 tackles and 11 sacks. Last season he had 22 tackles and two sacks. Pearl also has offers as a high school senior from Purdue, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Notre Dame, Minnesota, Alabama, Georgia and SMU.

▪ USC also offered 2022 3-star linebacker Leon Hart Jr. (6-2 190) of Opa Locka, FL. He also has offers from Alabama, Miami, Georgia Tech, FAU, Arizona State, Maryland, Syracuse, FIU, Kentucky and Penn State.

▪ Mauldin WR Jameson Tucker was offered by East Carolina.

▪ South Pointe DB O’Mega Blake was offered by Penn State.

▪ York WR Da’Shawn Brown was offered by East Carolina.

▪ 2022 LB Jaylen Sneed of Hilton Head was offered by Kentucky.

▪ OL Diego Pounds of Raleigh, who has USC and Clemson interest, was offered by Michigan and Florida.

▪ USC basketball Saturday offered 6-foot-6 Andrew Williams of Chattanooga.

▪ Basketball prospect Latavian Lawrence (6-5) of Gray Collegiate committed to SC State.

This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 9:03 AM.