South Carolina Football: Georgia Athlete Jayden Johnson Commits to Gamecocks
By Jacob Elsey
The South Carolina football team added its eighth commitment to the class of 2021.
South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp sent out his familiar #SpursUp tweet, signaling another addition to the 2021 recruiting class.
Georgia athlete Jayden Johnson announced his commitment to the University of South Carolina on Monday afternoon, becoming the eighth member of this year’s recruiting class. The Cedartown native currently holds offers from Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Memphis, the Naval Academy, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Virginia, and others.
Johnson has not yet visited Columbia, but seemed firm in his announcement. The race ultimately came down the Gamecocks, the Razorbacks, and the Yellow Jackets, with South Carolina winning out, for now.
Johnson, who looks to be a candidate at safety in the Gamecock secondary, has played defensive back, quarterback, and wide receiver on his high school team. The 6’2” athlete is rated by 247Sports as a three-star prospect and the 24th best player in the state of Georgia.
South Carolina is beginning to build some depth at the defensive back position, after adding three signees in the class of 2020, and four in 2019. That depth could provide important as juniors Israel Mukuamu and Jaycee Horn are already garnering the attention of NFL front offices.
Johnson is the fifth commitment on the defensive side of the ball, and the second defensive back prospect in the class, joining Georgia Military College cornerback Marcellas Dial. He also becomes the fifth member of the class to hail from the Peach State, following Dial, quarterback Colten Gauthier, linebacker Trenilyas Tatum, and running back Caleb McDowell. McDowell committed to the Gamecocks late last week.
With the commitment, the South Carolina recruiting class now ranks 57th in the nation. Johnson is currently the third-highest rated player in the class.