Official visits coming for in-state tight end, South Carolina target

Now that his baseball season is over with a state championship runner-up finish, tight end Tilden Riley of Orangeburg Prep is ready to turn his focus to the final stage of his football recruiting. 

Riley (6-5, 205) burst on the scene earlier this year as a major prospect in the Class of 2026, and South Carolina tight ends coach Shawn Elliott and head coach Shane Beamer extended him a scholarship offer in early April. 

Riley has four official visits lined up for June, with the Gamecocks getting the final stop on June 20. Elliott was by his school recently to check in and to make sure everything was still on go for the visit. 

“Coach Elliott came by the school the other day, and we just talked,” Riley said. “We have a great relationship. We were just talking about how recruiting was going and stuff like that. We talked about the official visit and how we are both excited for that. I think we’re just going to go from there after the official visit. I will make my decision after the official visit.”

Virginia Tech will get the first visit on May 30. West Virginia will be the next weekend and Vanderbilt will follow that. As he takes his official visits, Riley said he’ll be looking to see what the programs have to offer in several areas. 

“The culture, obviously,” Riley said. “The coaching staff. Who really wants me the most and how welcome I feel at all those places. I think all of them really like me as a player and as a person. I just plan on going on all my visits and seeing how I like them all there. I’m listening to everything right now.”

With South Carolina getting the final visit, the Gamecocks can try to close things out with Riley with what they have to offer as a program, and, of course, the fact that they’re only 35 miles down the road. 

“I wouldn’t say home field advantage, but it’s very close to home, and I like that a lot about that,” Riley said. “Obviously, me and Coach Elliott have a great relationship. I’ve gone to games growing up and I’m very familiar with South Carolina. That’s where all my friends are going. That stuff kind of plays a factor I guess.”

Riley is viewed as an athletic tight end who can put on the weight to play attached while not losing the ability to play down the field. Last season he had 49 catches for 903 yards and 13 touchdowns. On defense he had four interceptions, two that he returned for touchdowns.

South Carolina has five commitments in the 2026 class, with four of them in-state recruits.

This story was originally published May 27, 2025 at 7:00 AM.