Where things stand for top recruit Joshua Dobson with South Carolina, Clemson

Class of 2027 recruit Joshua Dobson of Catawba Ridge High was in Columbia on Thursday night, but the visit had nothing to do with South Carolina’s recruiting efforts.

Dobson’s team played at Spring Valley. He did not play Thursday due to a shoulder injury but is expected back next week.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Dobson, is a national-level recruit as a cornerback, and the Gamecocks and Clemson are heavily involved. The USC coaching staff, including head coach Shane Beamer, has been wearing out his phone.

“They’ve been texting me every day, just staying in contact,” Dobson said. “They are probably one of the more heavier contact teams I’ve been in contact with, not only my position coach, but the whole staff in general. Coach Beamer does an amazing job of contacting me. He’s probably the head coach that’s contacted me the most.”

One reason Dobson likes the Gamecocks is because of what he has seen from their defense recently.

“That defense has been great the past couple of years,” he said. “I really look at their cornerback room and the cornerbacks they’ve developed, and there are 16 on the next level. I think I’d fit really well. I like what they do with their defense. And they have some dogs on the D-line usually.”

Dobson, a junior, said he plans to visit USC for the Oklahoma game. He also saw the Gamecocks play Virginia Tech in Atlanta.

Dobson began his game visits at Clemson on Aug. 30 for the LSU game. Head coach Dabo Swinney and corners coach Mike Reed gave him their full attention prior to the game.

“Clemson is in-state, so I’ll always like the Tigers,” Dobson said. “I got to talk to Coach (Mike) Reed and some of the other coaches on the staff. It was a great experience. I got to be there with some of the recruits I haven’t seen in a while that I was at camps with.

“Coach Swinney told me I’m a must-get. I’m in-state, you know? They need me in the cornerback room, especially when Avieon (Terrell) leaves. By the time I get there, (Ashton) Hampton will leave. Both of their starting cornerbacks this year, by the time I get there, they’ll be gone, so they really hope they can get me.”

Last weekend, Dobson made a visit to Oklahoma for the first time, where he was welcomed with open arms by head coach Brent Venables, the former Clemson defensive coordinator.

“It was a great experience, especially with it being my first time being out there. They really set a good standard for me,” Dobson said. “I like what they are doing over there. I like the defensive head coach. Coach Venables is a great guy. I just like the whole staff. They seem very genuine and family-oriented.”

Dobson added that he really likes the Oklahoma scheme and feels like it would be a good fit for him because of what they like to do.

“The blitz packages they do with the cornerbacks,” Dobson said. “Venables has a lot of history with great defenses, so just put me in the right situation to make plays.”

Dobson will be back on the road this weekend, going to Notre Dame for the Texas A&M game. He then plans to visit Tennessee on Sept. 20 and Penn State on Sept. 27. He also has Florida State down for Oct. 4 and LSU on Oct. 11. At this point, he does not have a return trip planned for Clemson this season.

Dobson said he will release a list of top schools in the next three to four weeks.

Last season, Dobson had 48 tackles with 10 pass breakups and three interceptions.

This story was originally published September 12, 2025 at 10:23 AM.