South Carolina football: where do Gamecocks go in recruiting?

South Carolina football has lost six members of the 2021 recruiting class.

South Carolina football parted ways with Will Muschamp midway through the year, and as is common following head coach firings, the Gamecocks have seen a negative impact on the recruiting trail. Since breaking ties with their former leader at the helm, six members of the 2021 class have walked back on their pledge to the program and reopened the recruiting process.

According to 247 Sports, the class rank has now fallen to 92nd in the nation and dead last in the Southeastern Conference. The Gamecocks have the smallest group in the league, with just 10 commitments. With the program in flux, and early signing day quickly approaching, how can the program salvage the 2021 class?

Much of that will fall on the new hire, as South Carolina administration aims to have a new leader in place by mid December. When they do pull the trigger on a candidate, the new head coach will be expected to hit the recruiting trail immediately.

There are a few options, even with the Gamecocks being on a bit of a time crunch.

First, the new hire can build on relationships with current high school coaches and prospects. The majority of candidates in the hunt for the South Carolina head coaching opening have ties to the southeast, and are very familiar with the recruiting landscape of the region. That familiarity can help the new coach sell the program and its vision to recruits in search of a landing spot.

We’re not suggesting the poaching of current players already committed to a certain school, but being able to find talented recruits that may not have a solid allegiance to one particular program is a must. A number of players would jump at the chance to play in the SEC, and if the program can bring in an innovative offensive system, it could help sway the decisions of recruits that are currently on the fence of where to attend.

We’re also likely to see some coaching changes following the season, which could make a few committed recruits available in December (Auburn, Tennessee, Michigan could potentially open up). Being able to take advantage of these types of situations is key.

With signing day quickly approaching, though, it may be difficult to entirely fill the class, that’s now at less than 50% capacity. That may mean the Gamecocks will need to scour its options in the transfer portal to make up the ground. South Carolina has had some success with both JUCO transfers (Javon Kinlaw, ZaQuandre White) and players coming from other Division I teams (Tavien Feaster, Nick Muse) in the past.

Whoever ends up winning the job as new South Carolina head coach, they’ll certainly face an uphill battle in assembling the 2021 recruiting class, but being able to salvage a solid class could go a long way in a successful start to their Gamecock stint.