Grading the South Carolina football 2022 recruiting class

The South Carolina football program is putting the finishing touches on its 2022 recruiting class. The early signing period saw 20 prospects ink their signatures to play for the Gamecocks next season.

Two of those signings actually came last night with transfers Spencer Rattler and Austin Stogner making things official on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the high school prospects sent in their paperwork, starting with four-star signal caller Braden Davis.

This class looks good on paper. It should be a top 25 group and could be considered even higher if taking the transfers into account. Both Rattler and Stogner were highly regarded high school prospects, originally signing with Oklahoma. After opting to leave that program amid a coaching change, they’ve now landed in Columbia.

Rattler was a five-star player and the top quarterback in his class. He chose South Carolina over other suitors UCLA and Arizona State. Stogner picked the Gamecocks over Ohio State.

Those transfers filled areas of immediate need, particularly at quarterback, but the early signing group fills needs, too.

Wideout has been a question mark since Shane Beamer’s arrival. The South Carolina coaching staff was able to land commitments from Zavier Short and Landon Samson. Samson, an All-American performer at the high school level, could compete for playing time as a freshman.

South Carolina also attacked the defensive backfield with a strong class. Four-star prospects Anthony Rose and Keenan Nelson, Jr. could land early playing time as could Emory Floyd, Kajuan Banks, Peyton Williams, and Nick Emmanwori.

https://twitter.com/KeenanNelsonJr1/status/1471209397292568580

Other areas that were hit hard were along the defensive and offensive lines. The offensive front was a weak spot for the Gamecocks this season. Four-star lineman Ryan Brubaker should help change that. Cason Henry and Grayson Mains will also make a difference up front.

Finally, the Gamecocks added more quality depth at quarterback. The top player in the state of Delaware, Braden Davis will come into a QB room that includes Spencer Rattler, Luke Doty, and Colten Gauthier. All three boasted four-star status at some point throughout the recruiting process.

While there was good, there was also some bad. Top prospect Jaishawn Barham “flipped” to Maryland with a controversial signing. The loss hurts the Gamecocks in the linebacker room, but South Carolina was still able to salvage the class and sign four-star prospects Stone Blanton and Donovan Westmoreland.

When all was said and done, the Gamecocks landed the nation’s No. 21 class according to Rivals. It’s the ninth-best group in the SEC.

South Carolina recruiting grade

OVERALL GRADE: B+

The class hits areas of need, and it boasts star power at the top when including the transfer signees. The group is near the middle of the pack in the SEC despite ranking among the top 25 programs nationally, but it is comparable to higher ranked classes like Tennessee, Mississippi State, and Arkansas.

South Carolina got better on defense with this class, particularly on the back end. The defensive back and linebacker rooms should be much improved, and we expect a number of these players to become steady contributors in the coming years.

All in all, not a bad class for Shane Beamer’s first full cycle.