QB commit Dante Reno could opt to join Gamecocks sooner than later

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield did not land their preferred 2023 quarterback target in Dylan Lonergan, who opted instead for Alabama. But that doesn’t mean the Gamecocks won’t have a highly regarded quarterback in this class.

Dante Reno — technically a rising junior in high school — committed to the Gamecocks earlier this month for the 2024 class. That would have been the perfect fit for him, and the Gamecocks, had Lonergan picked USC.

But with the spot for a quarterback in the 2023 class now open, Reno said Tuesday night from Aruba, where he and his family are vacationing, that moving up one class is now a serious possibility.

“I get back on Sunday, and we were going to talk to the family (Wednesday) about what’s going to happen,” Reno said. “We’re going to talk to coach Satterfield and coach Beamer and see what their thoughts are. It’s definitely an option right now. They have mentioned that.”

Reno said he’s all set academically to be able to graduate early from the Loomis Chaffee School in Connecticut with the 2023 class. He views getting an earlier start than originally planned with the Gamecocks as an exciting and intriguing opportunity.

“For sure,” Reno said. “It’s definitely exciting to get there a year earlier, be able to learn the whole offense earlier. Nothing is set in stone right now, but it’s definitely an opportunity.”

Last season, Reno passed for 2,507 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Should Reno move up to 2023, that would leave the Gamecocks with three offered quarterbacks currently on their 2024 board in Jayden Bradford of Chapin/IMG Academy, Jadyn Davis of Charlotte and Kamari McClellan of Pinson, Alabama.