South Carolina football: CJ Smith announces top 5

South Carolina football in with ’22 WR

Shane Beamer continues to keep the South Carolina program in the top groups for a number of highly rated high school prospects, as he looks to build on his first full recruiting class in Columbia. The coaching staff added another name to that list over the weekend with speedy wide receiver CJ Smith announcing that the Gamecocks were one of five finalists to land his services at the next level.

Smith listed five SEC schools in his top group, with the Gamecocks being joined by Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, and Ole Miss. The pass catcher is considered to be the nation’s 58th best receiver by 24/7 Sports, and the 51st best prospect in the Sunshine State.

Smith already has official visits lined up with South Carolina, Florida, and Arkansas. He also had one schedule with Michigan, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll switch that now that the Wolverines have fallen from of his top group. Right now, it appears the hometown Gators have a good shot at landing the speedster, but things can change quickly on the recruiting trail.

Outside of football, Smith runs track and field for Bishop Moore Catholic in Orlando. He was a two-time state champion this past season, winning the 100 meter with a 10.50 second dash, and taking home the 200 meter with a 21.01 second run.

The Gamecocks are in desperate need of wideouts in these next few classes. South Carolina lost Shi Smith, who sits among the top five players in program history in receptions. Outside of (Shi) Smith last season, no Gamecock wide receiver tallied more that 115 receiving yards. The receiving room as a whole is very young and inexperienced, meaning a path to early playing time is in sight.

Should Smith pull the trigger for the Gamecocks, he’d add to a class that currently ranks 39th in the nation.