Can recruiting efforts lead to a South Carolina football resurgence?
Most people around college football know that the state of the South Carolina program is less than ideal at the moment. The Gamecocks are fresh off of a two-win season, are under a new coaching regime, and have been forced to restock the roster following numerous opt outs and transfers. It’s safe to say that coach Shane Beamer will have his work cut out for him in turning the team around, but he’s adamant on getting the program back in the national spotlight.
It won’t be a quick fix, but coach Beamer has done a great job thus far of explaining his vision to incoming prospects. In this day and age of college football, attacking the recruiting trail aggressively is the quickest way to both flip the roster and lay a foundation for the future.
According to Rivals, South Carolina had the 79th-rated recruiting class for this coming season. That cycle consisted of mostly transfers and JUCO products with coach Beamer having to quickly fill voids in the lineup, but if you look ahead to 2022, the Gamecocks come in ranked 21st. The ’22 class is lead by four-star signal caller Braden Davis out of Middletown, Delaware. He is very committed to the program and has even turned into a recruiter himself.
This class could easily find its way into the nation’s top 20, with a ton of talented visitors having been on campus this offseason. The coaching staff has hosted both official and unofficial trips for upwards of 50 prospects in the month of June, alone. The hard work is paying off, too, with the Gamecocks landing commitments from four different players this past weekend.
The Gamecocks are also squarely in the mix for the nation’s top tight end Oscar Delp, four-star defensive lineman Nick James, talented pass catcher Peter Kikwata, and a number of others. Beamer has prospects excited about the idea of playing for South Carolina, and his being able to convince these recruits to come to the campus is impressive, seeing as the team has won just six games since 2018. There’s a new found excitement surrounding Gamecock football, and coach Beamer is doing his best to capitalize.
It seems as though South Carolina could return to form under new guidance. It certainly won’t be a quick turnaround, but the coaching staff has been able to change a once negative narrative in Columbia in just a few short months. There are obviously no guarantees, but it looks like it’s going to be a fun ride under coach Beamer!