South Carolina football: TJ Sanders commits
By Jacob Elsey
The South Carolina football team picked up its third commitment of the month on Saturday.
The South Carolina football program can set off some fireworks for a couple of different reasons this Fourth of July. One, to celebrate the independence of our country, and two, to celebrate a new commitment to the 2021 recruiting class.
On Saturday, in-state defensive lineman TJ Sanders officially committed to the Gamecocks, becoming the team’s third pick-up over the last four days. Sanders is rated as a three-star prospect, and the eighth best player in the state of South Carolina, according to Rivals. He chose the Gamecocks over offers from Duke, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and West Virginia. The announcement came via Sanders’ Twitter page, which was followed by a #SpursUp from head coach Will Muschamp.
Sanders has been on the South Carolina coaching staff’s radar for a while, as Muschamp and Co. were the first program to offer the 285-pound tackle. He was last on campus back in February prior to the Coronavirus pandemic shutting down on-campus visits. He becomes the 14th commitment in the class, and the second defensive line prospect, joining Nick Barrett.
What’s most impressive is that Sanders has only one year of football under his belt. A lifelong basketball player, he was convinced by a friend to join his high school football program last year. Here’s what Sanders had to say about his pledge.
"First and foremost I would like to thank God for blessing me with the ability to play football at one of the highest levels. Without him nothing is possible! Secondly I would like to thank my mom, dad, Coach Lance, Coach Leo, Coach State, the rest of our coaching staff and the rest of my family for supporting me since the beginning. Lastly I would like to thank one of my main guys Kyheim for convincing me to play football this year. Without him I probably wouldn’t have played this year once again. With that being said I will be taking my Academic and Athletic talents to………. THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA #SpursUp #ImStayingHome"
With Sanders in the fold, the South Carolina recruiting class moves up to 32nd nationally, situated in between Texas A&M and Nebraska.