Georgia lineman has Gamecocks in Top 3: ‘They have everything I’m looking for’

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer and offensive line coach Greg Adkins have done work with offensive tackle Grayson Mains of Suwanee, Georgia.

They were late arrivals in his recruiting with a Feb. 1 offer. But Mains (6-5, 285) liked Beamer and Adkins from the start, and their concerted effort in recruiting him landed them a spot in his top three along with Tennessee and Michigan State.

“They have everything I’m looking for,” Mains said. “I love the new coaching staff, especially Coach Beamer. Seems like he’s got a lot of personality, seems like a great guy to be around. Coach Adkins has a great track record. He seems like a great guy to be around as well. I could definitely see him coaching me. He knows quite a lot about the game.

“And going to an academic standpoint, they have exactly what I want to study there. I’ve been talking to my family quite a lot about it lately, and it seems like it’s perfect for me.”

Mains learned more about the program and the facilities through a recent virtual visit, and he plans to visit the campus later this month.

“It was amazing,” he said. “Very high energy. I got to talk to everybody on staff. That was great. And I am planning to go up to do an academic tour on the 26th (of March).”

Mains said he also plans to visit Tennessee and Michigan State as soon as he can. There is no favorite among his top three, and he hasn’t totally shut down his recruiting to others. As much as he likes the Gamecocks at this point, they haven’t separated from the others.

“I have the same feelings towards the other schools,” Mains said. “I’ve still got a lot of stuff I want to figure out. (The choice) is certainly going to be the place that feels most like home. It’s going to be the coaching staff that I see really wants me, really wants me to be a part of their program and where I feel like I can be developed the best.”

Some of his other offers are Air Force, Duke, Arizona State, Mississippi State, Wake Forest, Purdue, UCF, West Virginia and East Carolina. Mains said he hopes to make his decision by the end of the summer before the start of his senior season.

Other Gamecock recruiting notes

• USC is in the top 12 with 4-star DT Nick James of IMG Academy. The others are Oregon, Ohio State, Alabama, Southern Cal, Wisconsin, Penn State, Arizona, Florida, Texas A&M, UCF and Georgia.
• USC QB target Tayven Jackson of Greenwood, Indiana did not include the Gamecocks in his top 9. They are Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Auburn, UCLA, Florida State, Washington State, Arizona State, Arkansas and Tennessee.
• USC DB target Alfonzo Allen Hallandale, Florida committed to Arizona State.
• RB Emmanuel Henderson of Hartford, Alabama, who had USC in his final 10, committed to Alabama.
• USC TE target C.J. Hawkins of Tampa committed to Florida.
• USC DB target Jordan Allen of Lafayette, Louisiana was offered by Tennessee.
• USC offered DT Curtis Neal (6-1, 290) of Cornelius, North Carolina. He’s rated a 4-star and ranked 36th nationally among defensive tackles in the 247Sports Composite and has 20 or more offers.
• USC offered CB Kyron Chambers (6-0, 195) of Dallas. He’s rated a 3-star is ranked No. 45 nationally among corners in the 247Sports Composite. Some of his other offers are Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, Indiana and Washington State.
• USC offered 2023 teammates — CB Amare Ferrell (6-1, 190) and LB Jaden Robinson (6-2, 210) of Lake City, Florida.
• USC offered 2023 TE Mac Markway (6-4, 250) of St. Louis. He’s the cousin of former Gamecock TE Kyle Markway.
• USC offered 2023 LB Jaiden Ausberry (6-1, 195) of Baton Rouge.
• Hammond RB C.J. Stokes, a USC target, made a virtual visit with Notre Dame on Saturday.
• The USC women offered 2023 prospect Riley Stack (6-4) of Wren, the daughter of former Gamecock star Ryan Stack.