Gamecocks leading for Georgia DL recruit Emmanuel McNeil
South Carolina is the current leader for defensive lineman Emmanuel McNeil of Lawrenceville, Ga., according to his Central Gwinnett High coach, Todd Wofford, who played his college ball at Presbyterian.
“He likes them a lot,” Wofford said. “They probably lead for him, to be honest. He’s got some work to do academically, and they have a plan for him. He grew up in South Carolina (Greenville) and that jumps out, and it’s the SEC. He has to have a good year and it will come down to his test score, as it does for many players.”
McNeil (6-foot-4, 280 pounds) camped at USC this summer. Wofford said Kentucky, Georgia and Marshall also are high up on his list.
Wofford said McNeil is an excellent athlete who plays with quickness and moves all over the defensive line. Last season he had 45 tackles with six tackles for loss and four sacks.
USC recruiter Coleman Hutzler is also keeping an eye on running back Josh Samuel, who transferred to Central Gwinnett from JL Mann after rushing for 1,796 yards and 19 touchdowns last season.
“He came on the scene late and he’s evaluating him,” Wofford said. In last week’s opening game Samuel rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Minnesota and Northern Illinois offered him in the spring.
USC also is recruiting 2018 defensive back Donte Burton of Central Gwinnett. He’s currently committed to North Carolina.
Louisville still leads for Justin Marshall
As his commitment announcement draws closer, USC receiver target Justin Marshall of Covington, Ga., is still favoring Louisville.
Marshall plans to announce his decision Aug. 31 and listed Louisville, Maryland, Tennessee, South Carolina and Auburn as the schools still in contention. However, he said he talks with Louisville wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway and director of on-campus recruiting Pete Nutoch every day and admits it would take a lot for another school to become his favorite.
“Honestly, you would have to completely blow my mind, like just completely blow my mind,” Marshall said. “Louisville is a school that I consider a second home to me. That was one of my first offers. I have family from Louisville and I actually lived there for certain summers.”
Marshall keeps in touch with USC wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon frequently, but not as much as he does with the coaches at Louisville. The last time he said he spoke with McClendon was Friday.
As for visits, Marshall is itching to get back to Louisville’s campus soon, because the last time he visited was during the school year. He has a scheduled visit to see the Cardinals home game against UNC Charlotte on Sept. 1. His most recent visit was to Tennessee Aug. 13, which he rated as an 8.5 out of 10.