A son of a Gamecocks coach, Drew Bobo has chance to be one of state’s top prospects
Like many high school football junior prospects across the country, Drew Bobo woke up to plenty of text messages on Sept. 1.
That was the first day college coaches could contact Class of 2022 prospects. Bobo, an offensive tackle for Hammond’s football team, is going to be one to watch on the recruiting landscape the next two seasons.
The 6-foot-5, 280-pound Bobo picked up his first offer last year from Tennessee and has added offers from South Carolina and Maryland over the past few months and one from Coastal Carolina on Tuesday. Bobo said he heard from California, West Virginia and others last week but said he has no favorites right now.
“The more you watch him, the more impressed you are with him. He is an SEC lineman,” Hammond coach Erik Kimrey said. “With work and getting older, he can contribute right away for somebody.”
Kimrey admits he didn’t know too much about the big offensive lineman other than his football pedigree when he arrived at Hammond in the spring. Bobo is the son of South Carolina offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, the former Colorado State head coach who was hired to join Will Muschamp’s staff in December.
With the Gamecocks’ season starting later this season, Mike Bobo is able to attend Drew’s early-season games. He was standing in the end zone and watching his oldest son play in Hammond’s opener against Ben Lippen on Aug. 28.
“He is excited about where he is and has got more confidence about playing football now,” Mike Bobo said a news conference Friday. “He has gotten bigger and you see that confidence come out. He is still a raw football player but he is having fun.
“And as a dad to go out there and see that, I’m excited to watch him play and am proud.”
Drew said he and his father don’t talk about football or recruiting but do enjoy being out on the water and fishing together.
Before moving to South Carolina, Drew Bobo was able to finish his basketball season at Resurrection Christian High School, where he averaged 6.6 points a game. Resurrection was 25-0 and was a win away from playing for a state title before the Colorado High School Activities Association shut down athletics because of the coronavirus.
When he arrived at Hammond in March, in-person classes and spring practice were canceled. Bobo wasn’t able to get to know his teammates for a few months and took classes virtually, including Kimrey’s philosophy class.
To get ready for the season, he trained with former Gamecock lineman Corey Helms’ TrenchWork Performance group for offensive linemen in the Midlands. Bobo also had a strong showing at the FBU Top Gun camp in Florida and earned one of the camp’s top performer awards.
“It was fun to go against some good competition at Top Gun. I think there were 800 to 900 guys there. And working with coach Helms, that’s helped me a ton” Bobo said. “It has been interesting, with me coming in and starting to condition. Wasn’t that bad.
“It was smooth. It has been pretty easy and I have been able to learn a lot from coach Kimrey and [offensive line coach Jeff] Barnes. More than I have known before.”
Hammond had several Division I prospects on the defense last year, including South Carolina signees Alex Huntley and Jordan Burch. Bobo and running back CJ Stokes are now college-level recruits on the offensive side. Rivals ranks Bobo as the No. 8 prospect in the state for the Class of 2022, while Stokes is No. 14.
Bobo fit in right away and was in the starting lineup for the Skyhawks to start the season. Hammond is 2-0 after Friday’s 54-7 win over Porter-Gaud. The Skyhawks are going for their fourth straight SCISA Class 3A championship.
“He is a high-talent kid and we are excited,” Barnes said. “We don’t have many 6-foot-5, 280-pound guys walking around. His footwork is amazing and I think he can be one of the most dominant offensive linemen to play in our league and be one of the top linemen in the state.”
Kimrey said Bobo’s love and knowledge of the game has been just as impressive as his size. He said getting Bobo a full offseason in the team’s weight program also will benefit him going into his senior season.
“He has old-man strength and is able to overpower some guys,” Kimrey said. “He is just starting to brush his surface as a lineman. He is unbelievably intelligent as far as picking up our schemes quickly and understanding double teams.”
This story was originally published September 8, 2020 at 8:41 AM.
