Long, speedy Gamecocks target has made his choice. But he won’t go public for a while
Two prospects pursued by South Carolina are set to announce college commitments Sunday. Linebacker Greg Penn of Dematha High in Hyattsville, Maryland is down to South Carolina, LSU and Maryland. Defensive end George Wilson of Virginia Beach, Virginia made his decision from the Gamecocks, North Carolina, Penn State and Arizona State. And another Gamecock target, cornerback Damond Harmon (6-foot-1, 178 pounds) of Highland Springs, Virginia also has made his decision and has set 7 p.m. on August 1st for his reveal on Instagram Live and with a Twitter video.
USC, Georgia, Tennessee, Penn State and Oklahoma were the final five for Harmon. He said he has not yet informed the schools of his decision.
“It was kind of 50-50 between two schools, but I’ve made my decision and I’m sticking with it,” Harmon said. “It feels great. It’s a burden off my shoulders. Once I put it out there schools aren’t going to be pressing me as much. I won’t have to check my phone every day. I won’t have to call a coach every single day.”
Harmon added that the school he chose fit the criteria he was seeking.
“Everything was a perfect opportunity for me,” Harmon said. “I fit pretty good in the system as I do for all my other top five schools, I fit great in the system. But this school, I felt like I was a perfect fit for the system, and I felt I had great opportunities on and off the field.”
Harmon visited USC for the Clemson game last November. It was a tough afternoon for the Gamecocks as they suffered their sixth consecutive loss in the Palmetto Bowl. But Harmon said that didn’t diminish an overall positive experience with the Gamecock coaches and players.
“I felt great about everything, that’s why they made the top five,” Harmon said. “Everything was pretty good for me with that. When I visited it wasn’t just all one person, It wasn’t a cancer on the team. Even though they lost the game, everybody still had good energy.”
Harmon has been in touch a great deal with Will Muschamp and secondary coach Travaris Robinson, and they’ve made it a point to let him know how his skills would fit into their defense in a number of ways.
“They like my length and my speed and my tackling ability,” Harmon said. “They said I could play any position in the defensive backfield. Corner, safety, nickel, all that.”
Harmon was scheduled for another visit to South Carolina on March 21 but the Covid-19 issues squashed that. Also last season he got to games at Clemson, North Carolina, West Virginia and Ohio State.
Harmon is rated as a three-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite. He’s ranked as a cornerback 40th nationally and as the No. 15 prospect in Virginia for the 2021 season.