South Carolina in final two for do-it-all Georgia running back
Savannah running back Antario Brown (5-foot-11, 213 pounds) has set Aug. 5 for his college commitment. And in preparation for that, he has cut his list to a final two of South Carolina and Virginia Tech. He also has offers from West Virginia, NC State and Savannah State. Brown said the Gamecocks and Hokies have recruited him hard and he has built good relationships with his recruiters from both.
“I got a great relationship with them,” Brown said of the Gamecocks. “We talk every day. They tell me how much they want me, show a lot of interest in me, talk to my family, my coaches. They come at me hard every day. It’s a great school, great campus. Gamecocks showing a lot of interest in me over the past months from when we first interacted. Our relationship has grown.”
Brown added that he likes new Gamecock running backs coach Des Kitchings, and he has a good idea how he would be used with the Gamecocks.
“I’m a do it all back, speed back, downhill back,” Brown said. “The type of offense they run, that’s what I’ll be playing. They’re still telling me I have to come and compete if I do decide to become a Gamecocks. It’s always about competing.”
Brown said he has similar feelings for the Virginia Tech staff as he does for USC.
“The relationship with the coaches,” Brown said of what stands out to him about Tech. “Every coach, I get on the Zoom call with, the love is there instantly every time, you know interacting and talking ball. So, I love things like that. Showing an interest in me is a huge thing, showing me that it will feel like home. The academics, I heard from where I’ve researched so far, is pretty decent.”
But USC might feel a little more like home to Brown. The Gamecocks jumped on him early, and he has family who live about a half-hour from downtown Columbia.
“South Carolina, my first offer, I was grateful for that one,” Brown said. “That pushed me a lot, gave me hope because a kid like me, I never envisioned even going to college. South Carolina kind of got my heart. The videos I looked at so far on YouTube, the fans are electric. Great school, great campus, pretty big. The city of Columbia, it’s pretty big itself. I got family who live up there. Columbia as a city got my heart.”
Brown has not yet visited either school. He said right now he is scheduled to visit South Carolina unofficially Sept. 3, and he has an official visit with the Gamecocks planned for Sept, 19.
Notes:
▪ USC linebacker target Greg Penn of Hyattsville, Maryland committed to LSU on Sunday. Maryland also was on his short list.
▪ Fairfield, Alabama wide receiver Malachi Bennett named his top as South Carolina, Georgia, Ole Miss, UAB and Louisville.
▪ Gamecocks defensive end target Kelvin Gilliam of Highland Springs, Virginia was offered by Stanford.
▪ USC offered 2022 linebacker TJ Dudley (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) of Montgomery, Alabama. He also has a Clemson offer as well as Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Michigan State, LSU, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Iowa, Nebraska, Mississippi State, West Virginia, Tennessee and others. He’s rated a four-star by 247Sports and the #17 outside linebacker nationally in his class.