South Carolina football: Gamecocks score commitment from Kolbe Fields
By Jacob Elsey
Class of ’21 defender pledges to South Carolina football program.
Shane Beamer and the South Carolina football staff scored a third pledge of the day when class of 2021 linebacker Kolbe Fields announced his pledge to play for the Gamecocks next season, joining Georgia Southern transfer David Spaulding and Delaware transfer Darryl Williams. Fields made his announcement on Twitter late Thursday evening.
Fields is rated as a three-star recruit, and is viewed by 247 Sports to be the nation’s 60th best outside linebacker, as well as the 28th best prospect in his home state of Louisiana. Fields committed to both Oklahoma State and Memphis during the recruiting process, but now chooses the Gamecocks over offers from Houston, Purdue, SMU, Tulane, and others.
As a senior at Rummel High School, Fields tallied 98 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.
The defender adds depth to a linebacker group in need of production after losing its top tackler of the last two seasons. Team captain Ernest Jones is now off to the NFL, meaning the Gamecocks need someone to step up in his role as leader.
At outside linebacker, where Fields will likely factor in, the South Carolina roster consists of just Sherrod Greene, Jahmar Brown, and Damani Staley. Gilber Edmond and Rodricus Fitten could also slide back to the second level after playing the BUCK position last season, but even so, the Gamecocks remain very thin. With the lack of depth, new commit could factor into early playing time in his freshman season.
Fields becomes the 14th member of a South Carolina recruiting class that now ranks 88th in the nation.