Former Gamecocks commit waiting to hear from new coach. Has time for decision
Former South Carolina wide receiver commitment Simeon Price (6-foot, 204 pounds) of Pensacola, Florida will not sign next week. He is going to wait until Feb. 3, so he doesn’t have to rush into a decision in the next few days. That gives new Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer more time to recruit Price if he decides to get him back involved with the Gamecocks. Price has USC in his top five along with Tennessee, Mississippi State, Oklahoma and Ole Miss. He’s been hearing from the Gamecocks but not yet from the new head coach..
“I actually haven’t talked to coach Beamer yet,” Price said. “I’ve seen that he’s talked to a couple of JUCO guys and a couple of Tennessee commits, but I have not talked to coach Beamer as of right now. I’ve talked to coach (Bobby) Bentley. That’s about the only guy I’ve kept in touch with. He can’t really give me any answers right now. From what he’s told me, he’s not sure he’s going to be on the staff. My high school head coach, he did tell me Beamer should be calling me sometime soon. And I remember talking to coach Bentley a couple of weeks ago, and he said I still have an offer at South Carolina.”
If and when Beamer makes the call to Price, he’ll find a willing listener on the other end.
“My feelings about South Carolina haven’t changed,” Price said. “That’s why I committed in the first place. But I need to see where I fit in in coach Beamer’s system if he decides to keep my offer on the table. There’s a lot of questions that need to be answered.”
A reaffirmation of the offer from Beamer would be big to Price. However, it would not automatically mean a return to the commitment class.
“We’ll have to see,” Price said. “I plan on signing Feb. 3, so I have a lot of time. So moving forward, we’ll have to see what happens. The top three, Mississippi State has been on me pretty hard, but Tennessee, Mississippi State and South Carolina are really the three above the other two.”
Price can also play safety, and he said Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt informed him this week he has changed his offer to him from safety to receiver. He’s rated a 3-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite and is ranked 39th nationally as an athlete in the 247Sports Composite.
Notes:
▪ Former Gamecocks linebacker commitment Bryce Steele of Raleigh talked with new Gamecock coach Shane Beamer earlier this week. Steele, who committed to Boston College on Dec. 1, listened to what Beamer had to say and took it all under consideration. But Thursday night, Steele said there are still too many unknowns for him with the Gamecock staff, and he is planning to sign Wednesday with the Eagles.
“Right now, I’m still committed to Boston College and I plan on signing to BC on Wednesday,” Steele said. “I’m still talking to him. I’m not trying to rush him or anything, but he hasn’t hired his staff and I’m not really sure who he’s going to hire. I know it take time to find a really good staff especially because a lot of his contenders are still in season. It’s a pretty tough task for him to do. That takes time and unfortunately I don’t have a lot of time. Like I said, I still plan to sign up with Boston College on Wednesday. I don’t think he’s going to hire a staff until after the signing period, and that, unfortunately, is a deal breaker for me.”
▪ USC is in the top seven with defensive end Ian Mathews of Columbus, Georgia. The others are Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Auburn and Duke.
▪ Gamecocks cornerback target Isaiah Norris of T.L. Hanna and Georgia Military College was offered by Tennessee.
▪ Savannah, Tennessee tight end Hudson Wolfe , who has an offer from USC, decommitted from Tennessee.
▪ The Gamecocks offered safety Juwon Gaston (5-foot-11, 187 pounds) of Montgomery, Alabama. Tennessee also has offered.
▪ North Myrtle Beach tight end/defensive end Chase Simmons (6-foot-4, 250 pounds) is committed to Coastal Carolina, but he said he’s now getting “heavy” interest from USC. He’s also hearing from Tennessee. Right now, still committed to CCU and plans to sign next week.
This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 7:01 PM.
