Kornblut Q&A: Signing day, the transfer portal and Beamer’s first recruiting class
Wednesday is National Signing Day. South Carolina will make some news with two or three final additions to the 2021 recruiting class, but it’s not quite the scene that February signing days used to be.
That’s because colleges are now using December’s early signing period to lock in most incoming high school recruits. Shane Beamer, in his first season as the Gamecocks’ head coach, signed nine prospects in December. USC has since added seven more to the roster via the transfer portal.
Phil Kornblut has hosted the SportsTalk radio show for 36 years and has covered recruiting for The State since 1996. We asked Kornblut for his take on the state of USC recruiting ahead of the February signing day.
The State: Are you surprised how quiet the February signing day is now?
PK: Not really. The tendency for several years has been for players to make their decision as soon as possible. When the NCAA created the December signing date, it was only natural the majority of the players would sign then, especially those who were going to enroll at college in January.
The State: What was National Signing Day like before we had Twitter and the Internet as we know it now?
PK: National Signing Day pre-Internet and pre-social media was Penn Station at rush hour, hundreds of people going in all different directions. It was a day of non-stop phone calls and speculation.
Lots of players back then would wait right up until the last moment to make their decision known. If you weren’t there in person, you relied on contacts at the school for information. That wasn’t always reliable.
I remember one case of a USC defensive tackle target who gave every indication going into signing day that he would sign with the Gamecocks. I talked to one of his coaches as he was entering the room for the signing ceremony, and he described the kid as decked out in Gamecock attire and ready to sign. The kid signed with Auburn.
The State: Steve Spurrier’s staff used to have a big recruiting weekend and take those prospects to a USC basketball game every January. Seems like forever ago. Will we ever see anything like it again?
PK: I think we will once the pandemic is over, fans are allowed back to the games and the NCAA recruiting dead period is lifted. Spurrier wasn’t the only one to do that. All around the Southeast, schools and football staffs used a big Saturday basketball home game to host recruits and honor the football team in some manner.
The State: Thoughts on USC using 7 of its 25 new scholarship spots on transfer additions? How much did USC’s own roster needs factor in to this?
PK: Beamer had no choice but to go the transfer route, both junior college and portal, to bolster his roster. The one thing you do get is a more experienced player who has some games under his belt. Beamer is rolling the dice that the guys moving up from lower-level programs have developed and matured and will play at a level above how they were recruited out of high school. If they do, then he’s hit the jackpot.
The State: Some fans questions why the Gamecocks would add two FCS transfers in QB Jason Brown and receiver EJ Jenkins. Well, why would they?
PK: Beamer believes Brown and Jenkins are SEC-caliber players and were under-recruited coming out of high school in Virginia. They certainly bring great physical traits to the program, and each is coming off a career season at Saint Francis University in 2019. The Gamecocks need players at quarterback and receiver. Coaches will see in the spring what they have in these two.
The State: Is the transfer portal the new normal? Why are we hearing about it so much now? It’s not new.
PK: The NCAA transfer portal was introduced in October of 2018. I see no way it goes away. As the NCAA gives more freedom of movement to the players, the portal is that one-stop shop for all. If a player is ready to move on, all he need do is have his compliance office enter his information, and he’s in the open market. Other teams can shop the portal like a Walmart. There’s a lot to look at and choose from, even if you don’t need anything.
The State: What do we know about the prospects who will sign, or might sign, with USC Wednesday?
PK: T.J. Sanders of Marion has been a long-time commitment to the Gamecocks. He’s a very good athlete who helped Marion reach a state championship game for the first time in decades. He’s also a standout in basketball. He projects to play defensive end but could grow into a tackle. He continues the Gamecocks’ recent run of success in landing in-state defensive linemen.
Kolbe Fields is a linebacker from New Orleans who the Gamecocks jumped on after the coaching change. He was committed to Memphis at the time after earlier committing to Oklahoma State. He had 105 tackles with 13 tackles for loss and three interceptions last season.
The Gamecocks have at least four defensive players on their board heading into Wednesday: high school safety Juwon Gaston and cornerback La’Dareyan Craig of Alabama; and junior college prospects, defensive end Jimmori Robinson and linebacker Tavereon Martin-Scott.
The State: What did Beamer’s transfers/final recruiting targets tell us about USC’s needs?
PK: The Gamecocks had definite roster needs once Beamer and his staff moved in. In no particular order, they were receivers, quarterbacks, linebackers and the secondary. They addressed those numbers with the players they have brought in. Eight of the nine prospects who have come on board since January fit one of those positions. The other was a defensive tackle.
The State: If you follow the player rankings, this is easily the least-regarded signing class the Gamecocks have had since networks started assigning stars to recruits. How much did the state of the program in 2019 and 2020 play into that and how big is Beamer’s task to rebuild the recruiting?
PK: Five-star and four-star players, the supposed top recruits in the country, are attracted to winning programs. In this day and age of the playoff, the recruiting among the elite players has become even more stilted. Ballers want to play with ballers. Losers need not apply.
So, coming off seasons of four and two wins, and a coaching change, Beamer and company were not going to be able to crack that nut of the national elite in recruiting. But it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. What Beamer has to do is make USC respectable again, then a contender, and then win the SEC East. At that point, the doors to the elite prospects will open.
The State: Who among the high school newcomers stand out to you in this class?
PK: There aren’t many high school prospects in the class, but those who are have solid credentials based on their senior season. Sanders and Fields I touched on earlier.
Defensive tackle Nick Barrett has already enrolled in school, and with his size and strength he should help in the middle of the defensive line in another year. The Gamecocks have good depth there and there’s no reason to rush him.
Offensive linemen Jordan Davis and Jondarius Morgan come in with excellent size. Again, there is depth on the O-line this season, so new line coach Greg Adkins can take some time to develop these two.
Quarterback Colten Gauthier deserves a lot of credit for sticking to his commitment through the coaching transition. He had long been sold on the Gamecocks after taking five visits to Columbia during the recruiting process. He brings excellent credentials from his high school career where he passed for 6,713 yards and 62 touchdowns. He also rushed for 17 touchdowns. He enrolled in January and will have the chance to compete for the job in the spring.
Caleb McDowell was one of the top running backs in Georgia last season and has excellent speed. And receivers Sam Reynolds and O’Mega Blake also are notable for their speed. Reynolds was a top sprinter in Alabama. Blake was considered one of the top prospects in South Carolina for the 2021 class.
The State: How about the seven transfer additions? Is there one or two who intrigue you as most likely to have an early impact?
PK: All of the transfers will have the chance to contribute right away because the Gamecocks have a need at each spot. Linebacker Darryl Williams, in particular, will be one to watch closely. He is coming from Delaware, where he didn’t get the chance to play this season. He was a tackling machine in high school, and he felt slighted in the recruiting process. He is a man on a mission and out to prove everyone was wrong about him. His attitude might carry him a long way.
The State: If USC fills up its 25 spots this week but still loses others from the current roster to transfer this spring, do we think Beamer would use the portal (and count them toward 2022)?
PK: Using the portal to fill future vacancies on the roster is always a possibility. But I’m sure Beamer doesn’t want to make a living off transfers. My guess is he will be very prudent moving forward that approach knowing the best way to build a program for the long term is with the best high school players you can land.
This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
