Decision imminent for USC target. He likes what he’s hearing from Beamer, Gamecocks
Safety Juwon Gaston of Montgomery, Alabama doesn’t plan to announce his college decision until the February National Signing Day, but he’s getting closer on making his decision.
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer has been leading the charge for the Gamecocks, and right now his efforts are paying dividends. The Gamecocks have the edge right now for the three-star defender, and the challenge for Beamer and his new secondary coach will be to hold on to it.
“I’m at the peak now of making my decision,” Gaston said. “I’m almost there. I’m almost ready to make my decision. South Carolina and Tennessee. South Carolina leads a good little bit. A lot. I should be working on my edit this week but I’m not going to put it out. I’ll announce on signing day. I’m going to get everything else done.”
Gaston (5-11, 187) said his phone wasn’t working for about three days last week, so he missed out on contact with the coaches for those days. It’s back up and running now and the calls and text messages from Beamer have returned.
“They are showing a lot of love,” Gaston said. “They talk to me every day. They check on me every day. I feel like it’s home there. What makes me think he’s going to be successful is the way he talks to me. He talks like he’s a winner. He’s coming from a winner, so I feel like he knows what winning means.”
Beamer not only envisions Gaston as a defensive stalwart on the back end, but also a major factor in the return game.
“They told me about the new special teams coach, and he wants me to come and return kicks for him,” Gaston said. “He’s ready for me to go ahead and make my decision. He’s not rushing me, but he wants me.”
Gaston was one of the top safeties in Alabama this season with 98 tackles and 5 interceptions. He was chosen to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game.
Recruiting notes
▪ Class of 2022 safety Jaron Willis (6-2 210) of Leesburg, Georgia has USC in his top 10. The others are Florida State, Ole Miss, Auburn, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, LSU, Florida and Georgia Tech. Willis has a four-star rating in the 247Sports Composite and is ranked the No. 13 outside linebacker in the class nationally. He’s a teammate of USC running back signee Caleb McDowell, and comes from the same program that produced former Gamecock safety Jammie Robinson.
▪ USC target Class of 2022 tight end Oscar Delp of Cumming, Georgia was offered by LSU.