Gamecocks land commitment from Georgia defensive end

South Carolina landed its seventh commitment for the 2016 football recruiting class Friday when defensive Cecil Stallings of Tucker, Ga., made his pledge to recruiter and co-defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward.

He’s the first defensive lineman to join the class.

Stallings (6-foot-5, 250 pounds) picked the Gamecocks over Tennessee. Some of his other offers are Miami, Penn State, Mississippi State, Wisconsin, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Texas A&M.

“I feel like I fit there,” Stallings said. “Their system, coach Ward and me have a great relationship. I think I can help the program.”

Stallings attended USC’s junior day in March. He also made stops at Ohio State, Tennessee, Auburn and Georgia Tech in recent months.

USC has been recruiting Stallings for years and first offered him in the ninth grade. USC was his first offer. Tennessee and Texas A&M made strong pushes for him this spring and moved up high on his list, but his strong relationship with Ward was a major reason for his commitment to the Gamecocks.

This story was originally published July 17, 2015 at 3:55 PM.