South Carolina football: Ryan Brubaker commits to Gamecocks

South Carolina football just landed its highest rated recruit.

Ryan Brubaker, an offensive lineman from the state of Pennsylvania, has been high on the list of targets for South Carolina and new head coach Shane Beamer. The big man had originally planned to announce his college commitment this weekend on the Fourth of July holiday. I guess the wait was just too much, because Tuesday morning, the mauler pulled the trigger in favor of the Gamecocks.

With the commitment, Brubaker becomes South Carolina football’s most highly rated prospect in the 2022 cycle. He helps the Gamecocks’ class jump from No. 33 all the way up to No. 21 nationally, and solidifies an offensive line haul that includes Grayson Mains and Cason Henry.

Brubaker is considered a top 200 prospect, and the 18th-best offensive lineman in the class. He’s also the fifth-best player in the Keystone State, and becomes the latest pledge to hail from the northeastern part of the country.

The Gamecocks had to beat out Brubaker’s other four finalists to land his services. Those programs included Penn State, Stanford, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee. The Nittany Lions were thought to be the leader in the clubhouse, particularly with the lineman’s father having played for the program in the late 80s.

That legacy didn’t sway the big man’s decision, though, and coach Beamer and Co. will happily welcome Brubaker with open arms. This could be just the first of a number of commitments for the Gamecocks this week, with three other targets also set to announce in the coming days.