The South Carolina football program wrapped up the early signing portion of the recruiting season on Wednesday, landing a total of 20 high school prospects to bring on campus for the 2022 campaign.
That group currently ranks as a top 25 class, giving Shane Beamer a positive grade in his first full recruiting cycle in Columbia. The class is considered the 23rd-best in the country according to 24/7 Sports. Rivals ranks it at No. 21 while ESPN lists it at No. 16.
The group features a number of future contributors from the high school ranks, but the coaching staff also made a few key additions in the transfer portal. The Gamecocks landed former Heisman trophy frontrunner Spencer Rattler, who opted to leave Oklahoma following the year.
Rattler threw for more than 4,500 yards in two seasons with the Sooners, tossing 40 touchdowns and completing 70% of his passes. Rattler made the decision to transfer after head coach Lincoln Riley left for Southern Cal. He wasn’t the only Sooner on the move, though.
Joining Rattler in Columbia is all-conference tight end Austin Stogner. The pass catcher hauled in eight receiving scores in his three seasons with the program, but he’ll head to South Carolina to finish out his career. Stogner is considered a four-star transfer according to the 24/7 recruiting site, which takes into account updated rankings for players in the portal.
It’s safe to say it was a big week in recruiting for the South Carolina football program, but it may not be done quite yet.
Shane Beamer hints at another South Carolina football commitment
On Friday morning, coach Beamer posted a message on Twitter teasing another commitment to the Gamecocks. The tweet included Beamer’s #WelcomeHome tag which typically signals a new addition to the roster. Also posted within the message was the hashtag #YouThoughtWeWereDone?.
#WelcomeHome 🤙🏻#YouThoughtWeWereDone ? pic.twitter.com/nRxwG9iODI
— Shane Beamer (@CoachSBeamer) December 17, 2021
While Beamer shared the news of the commitment, he wouldn’t yet comment on who the prospect was. Could it be another addition from the portal? Is there a high school player looking to sign in February?
We’ll have to wait until January to find that out. Sources close to the situation have stated that the prospect is waiting until after the New Year to announce his commitment publicly.
As @GCChrisClark shared on @GamecockCentral, the latest #WelcomeHome by Beamer is expected to make his announcement in Jan. We are gonna respect the prospect’s request not to steal his moment to announce the decision. More details on @GamecockCentral https://t.co/x6cjAA9NYX
— Mike Uva (@Mike_Uva) December 17, 2021
Regardless of who the player is, this announcement continues the positive momentum for the Gamecocks on the recruiting trail. South Carolina will continue to look at ways to improve the roster as the offseason progresses.