South Carolina hopes the third time’s the charm for defensive end Dennis Wonnum of Stone Mountain, Ga.
After committing to and decommitting from Iowa State and Indiana, Wonnum committed to USC on Sunday while on his official visit.
Wonnum (6-4, 232) just committed to Indiana earlier in the week after taking an official visit there. USC offered him earlier this week, and recruiter Bryan McClendon was able to get him in for a visit this weekend.
“They got interested in him around the time [Will] Muschamp got the job,” Stephenson High defensive coordinator Corey Johnson said. “They saw him at Auburn and came down to see him. He’s liked USC from the beginning.”
Johnson said Wonnum broke ties with Iowa State when the coaches changed there, and USC presents him with a better opportunity than Indiana. He also took an official visit to Kentucky.
Wonnum also had offers from Cincinnati, Kent State, Colorado State, Memphis, Nebraska, South Florida and California among others.
As a junior, Wonnum was an all-state tight end. He focused mainly on defense last season and excelled there as well.
“He had a great year,” Johnson said. “He’s a long range kid. They can play him at that position where he can be a defensive end or outside linebacker. He’s a versatile kid with a very high IQ. His long arms help him, his long body helps him. It gives him the ability to bulldoze, but those long arms swat passes.”
Last season Wonnum had 38 tackles with 11 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He plays for Stephenson High, which has produced a number of prospects for the Gamecocks in recent years, including former running back Mike Davis and defensive back Kadretix Marcus and current receiver D.J. Neal and cornerback Ali Groves.
Something else appealing about Wonnum, according to Johnson, is his soon-to-be 11th-grade brother Dylan, a 6-foot-5, 280-pound offensive lineman who already has offers from Tennessee, Auburn and Kentucky.
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