South Carolina football: 12 visitors coming for huge recruiting weekend

South Carolina football will host a dozen high profile prospects.

South Carolina football has had visitors on campus nearly every day of June following the NCAA’s lifting its in-person recruiting ban amid the COVID pandemic. Those visits have already resulted in a couple of commitments as Shane Beamer continues to fill his ’22 recruiting class, and build a foundation for the future.

This weekend, the Gamecocks will see 12 official visitors, nine of whom hold four-star status. Let’s take a look at who will be in Columbia come in the coming days.

WR Addison Copeland

Copeland actually committed to the Pitt Panthers earlier in the month, but South Carolina will do their best to make him flip. The pass catcher hails from New York state, and is one of a number of recruits being targeted in the northeast. A three-star prospect, Copeland is rated as the 75th-best wideout in the nation.

TE Oscar Delp

Delp is one of the most sought after players in the country. The four-star tight end is considered a top 100 prospect, and the second-best player at his position. Delp is a Georgia native, so it may be tough to beat out the Bulldogs, but coach Beamer has the Gamecocks squarely in the mix for his commitment. Others in Delp’s final group include Alabama, Florida, and Michigan. He’s already been on officials to Athens, Gainesville, and Ann Arbor.

DL Tomiwa Durojaiye

Durojaiye comes from the same high school program as quarterback commit Braden Davis. The defensive lineman is considered a three-star prospect, and the nation’s 170th-best player at his position by 24/7 Sports. He’s already been on official visits to Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Georgia Tech.

DB Trequon Fegans

Fegans is a defensive back out of Alabama, and is viewed as a top 100 player. The four-star prospect is the country’s 11th-best corner, and holds a final group of South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Miami. Coach Torrian Gray has done a great job of getting the Gamecocks in the fold. He’ll do his best to reel in the talented defender this offseason.

ATH Chris Graves

Graves is another player being recruited by coach Gray, and he seems to be down to South Carolina, LSU, and Miami. He plans to make his college commitment on July 9th, and the Gamecocks are hoping to land his pledge. South Carolina needs help in the secondary, and this four-star athlete could provide it.

DL Dominick James

Hailing from the coveted IMG Academy in Florida, James ranks as the nation’s 21st-best defensive lineman. A four-star player, James’s top group includes the Gamecocks, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Florida, LSU, and Oregon.

WR Dane Key

Key is a top 250 player, and holds a top group of Kentucky, South Carolina, and Oregon. The four-star pass catcher is rated as the 34th-best wideout in the nation, and he could see a path to early playing time in a thin Gamecock receiving corps.

DL Jamari Lyons

Yet another four-star visitor, Lyons ranks as the 29th-best defensive lineman in the country. He appears to be down to the Gamecocks, Nebraska, Florida, Indiana, North Carolina State, and Miami. Lyons racked up 10 sacks last season at Viera High School, and would provide a major presence in the middle of the South Carolina front four.

DB Nikai Martinez

Martinez is down to three schools. South Carolina will have to hold off Clemson and Central Florida to land the four-star cornerback’s pledge, but Torrian Gray has the Gamecocks in a nice spot. Martinez ranks as the nation’s 33rd-best corner, and is a top 300 player.

DB Keenan Nelson, Jr.

Nelson, another four-star cornerback, hails from Pennsylvania. He will look to make a final decision between South Carolina, Penn State, Virginia Tech, and Pitt. Nelson is considered a top 150 player, as well as the 18th-best cornerback in the country. South Carolina needs all the help they can get on the back end of the defense.

DB Anthony Rose

Rose is actually a former commit, but he withdrew that pledge last month to re-open his recruitment. The three-star safety is viewed as the nation’s 29th-best player at the position, and South Carolina is hoping to reel him back into the boat. Rose’s other finalist, Arizona State, has been in some recent recruiting trouble with the NCAA, which could help the Gamecocks’ chances of regaining a commitment.

QB Braden Davis

Davis is already in the class, but he’ll do his best to recruit some playmakers to join him in Columbia next season. The passer is the No. 1 player in the state of Delaware, as well as one of the top signal callers in the ’22 cycle. His presence will hopefully sway the decisions of these highly rated prospects and lead to a few more commitments in the coming weeks.