Delaware defensive recruit working to nail down South Carolina visit details

South Carolina has around 20 official visits scheduled with recruits for the month of June, and likely will add more. The Gamecocks will also have numerous unofficial visits during the month.

A visit of some sort will be made by defensive end Tomiwa Durojaiye of Middletown, Delaware. He’s become a prime target for the Gamecocks with defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey, area recruiter Pete Lembo and personnel director Taylor Edwards in touch with him regularly.

“I’m talking to somebody from South Carolina every other day or every three days,” Durojaiye said. “It’s either coach Lindsey, coach Edwards sends me some texts, and coach Lembo is the recruiter for my area and he reaches out of lot. Those are the three main guys but then you might have someone on the staff just reach out here and there. The whole staff wrote me personal letters, and it was obvious everybody on the staff took their time to write a letter. That meant a lot to me.”

Durojaiye (6-5, 255) was in Columbia for the spring game but could not have contact with coaches with the NCAA dead period still in place. He plans to meet them for the first time in June, but is not yet sure of the details.

“I can’t confirm yet, but most likely,” Durojaiye said of an official visit with the Gamecocks. “I’m just taking it slowly over the next week to evaluate how I feel and talk to my parents. That’s how I’ll determine if I’m there. But I’m definitely coming up to South Carolina this summer. I haven’t really touched base on if it will be unofficial or official yet.”

Durojaiye recently named a final eight of USC, Northwestern, Georgia Tech, West Virginia, Michigan, Arkansas, Iowa and Duke.

“Those were the schools from all my offers where I felt I could be developed best at both on and off the field,” Durojaiye said. “I felt like with those schools I would have an opportunity to make an impact early, have an opportunity to play as a freshman, something I’m really high on being able to do. Education-wise, they were the schools that have a lot to offer. They can put me in good positions outside of football. I’m interested in studying business, and between my eight schools I felt like all of them could really help me both in my major and what I can do as a football player.”

Durojaiye has set officials to Georgia Tech June 18 and Arkansas June 25. He is looking at the start of his fall practice Aug. 17 for making a commitment. If not then, he said his first game Sept. 10 would be the date.

Durojaiye high school teammate Braden Davis, a quarterback, committed to the Gamecocks at the end of April.

Gamecock recruiting notes

• USC offensive line target Jacob Allen of Princeton, New Jersey committed to Rutgers.
• USC offered 2023 linebacker Josiah Trotter (6-2, 225) of Philadelphia. He’s a four-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite and ranked No. 5 nationally among inside linebackers. He’s the son of former NFL star linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, and his brother Jeremiah Jr. is a freshman linebacker at Clemson. Other offers include Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oregon, Maryland, Marshall, Syracuse and Penn State.
• USC offered 2023 QB Eli Holstein (6-3, 212) of Zachary, Louisiana. He’s rated as a four-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite and ranked the No. 6 pro-style quarterback nationally in his class. Some other offers are LSU, Penn State, Georgia, Auburn, Purdue, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Utah, Arizona State, Texas A&M, Louisville and Colorado.
• USC offered 2023 linebacker Grayson Howard (6-3, 205) of Jacksonville, Florida. He’s rated a four-star by 247Sports and ranked 14th nationally among outside linebackers. He had 118 tackles and 3. 5 tackles for loss last season. Some other offers are Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Virginia Tech.
• USC offered 2023 five-star offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor (6-7, 300) of Des Moines, Iowa. He’s ranked the No. 2 OT nationally in the 247Sports Composite. He carries a national offer list.
• USC offered 6-foot-8 basketball prospect Jaret Valencia of Colombia. He attends school in Legacy, Texas. He’s rated a three-star in the 247Sports Composite and the No. 33 power forward nationally. He also has offers from Creighton, Houston, Rutgers, San Diego State, North Texas, Washington State and Mississippi State.