South Carolina football: Keenan Nelson, Jr. commits to Gamecocks

South Carolina football picks up 4-star CB.

One day after Shane Beamer took the stage at SEC Media Days discussing his team’s success on the recruiting trail this Summer, the Gamecocks added another commitment to the class. Keenan Nelson, Jr. of Pennsylvania chose to pledge to South Carolina over his other finalist Penn State.

https://twitter.com/KeenanNelsonJr1/status/1417554766583025670

Nelson becomes the 16th player in the boat for the 2022 recruiting cycle, and the 12th pledge to commit since the start of June.

The cornerback out of Philadelphia is viewed as a consensus four-star prospect and one of the top 150 players in the nation. He’s the 18th-ranked corner in the country according to Rivals, as well as the third-best prospect in the Keystone State.

For most of the offseason, Nelson appeared to be a lean to commit to Penn State, but things changed once Shane Beamer and Co. were able to get the talented prospect on campus last month. Since then, it’s been a tight battle, one in which the Gamecocks were fortunate enough to prevail. Defensive backs coach Torrian Gray was Nelson’s primary recruiter, and had a major impact on the decision.

Coach Beamer teased the pledge earlier this week with a #WelcomeHome tweet, but he wouldn’t reveal who the prospect was. Nelson took the week to create a commitment video, and now makes the decision public.

With the commitment, Nelson becomes the top rated player in the class, and the seventh defensive back pledge. South Carolina’s 2022 recruiting class improves to No. 13 in the nation, ranking fourth among SEC programs.