South Carolina football: Shane Beamer teases another commitment

Who is South Carolina football’s newest commit?

South Carolina football is getting the week off to another great start, with Shane Beamer sending out a Sunday #WelcomeHome tweet, signaling a new commitment. That upcoming pledge would be the program’s 12th since the start of June, helping position the 2022 recruiting class inside the top 15 in the nation.

Who could the latest commitment be?

The Gamecocks have been pursuing a few highly rated prospects of late, and they seem to be picking up some steam with a handful of top targets. The program has put on a full court press in regards to recruiting efforts ever since the NCAA announced that in person contact with prospects would be allowed.

The Gamecocks had at least one player on campus nearly every day of June, and the turn to July hasn’t slowed those efforts down.

The coaching staff has already secured pledges from four-star contributors like Ryan Brubaker, Anthony Rose, Braden Davis, and Emory Floyd. They’ve also landed transfers like Tyrese Ross and freshman All-American Karon Prunty, who will give immediate help in the South Carolina secondary.

But there’s some speculation that the next player in the class will be highest ranked pledge yet.

There a couple of guesses on who that top target could be. One player that’s been a huge priority for both the coaching staff and the fanbase is tight end Oscar Delp. The pass catcher visited South Carolina in June, and has since seen a social media movement take off on Twitter using the hashtag #WeWantDelp. The tag has generated more than 100,000 interactions and reached more than 2,000,000 people since it began trending late last month.

Delp is a top 100 prospect viewed by most recruiting sites as a four-star impact player. It appears to be a race between the Gamecocks and Georgia to land his services, but it would certainly be a huge win to pull the Peach State native out of Bulldog territory.

Second on the list is cornerback Keenan Nelson, Jr. The four-star defender from Pennsylvania is a top 150 player and looks to be deciding between the Gamecocks and Penn State. He’s yet to set a commitment date, but the South Carolina coaching staff would be ecstatic should he make a surprise announcement.

South Carolina has also gotten in on linebacker Jaishawn Barham, the top player in the state of Maryland. The four-star product is down to the Gamecocks, Terrapins, and Penn State. Coach Beamer has roots set in the DMV area dating back to his time with Virginia Tech.

Dominick James of IMG Academy in Florida could also pull the trigger soon. He originally set a commitment date for July 3rd, but postponed that pledge over the holiday weekend. Could he have landed on the Gamecocks after a week of reflection?

James is another top 150 prospect and ranks as the nation’s 16th-best defensive lineman. He’s narrowed his finalists down to the Gamecocks, Ohio State, and Texas A&M.

Whoever the next commitment is, it just continues Shane Beamer’s hot streak on the recruiting trail this offseason. It appears that an announcement will be made on Wednesday. Until then, Gamecock Nation will just have to stay on the edge of their seats.