Superlatives for South Carolina football 2022 recruiting class
By Jacob Elsey
Top Overall Recruit in the South Carolina Football Class
The top spot belongs to defensive back commit Keenan Nelson, Jr.
Nelson, a native of Philadelphia, is considered a four-star prospect by all three of the major recruiting sites, landing as high as No. 168 in the ESPN list of top 300 players. He is the team’s most highly rated recruit by both 24/7 Sports and ESPN, while coming in as the class’s third-best signee according to Rivals.
Nelson committed to the program back in July, picking the Gamecocks over the hometown Penn State Nittany Lions. He also held major offers from Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon, and Tennessee.
What makes Nelson’s commitment even more important is the depth (or lack thereof) in the South Carolina secondary. All-American Jaylan Foster is graduating. Dom Hill and Jahmar Brown have opted to transfer. The Gamecocks got a huge boost when corner Cam Smith chose to return for his senior year, but the team still needs help on the back end.
Nelson should provide the Gamecocks with that help, possibly seeing the field as early as his freshman season. He could project as more of a safety, playing as the last line of defense in that South Carolina secondary, or he could slide inside to play nickelback.
Nelson will be joined by fellow four-star defenders Anthony Rose and Emory Floyd as the Gamecocks add blue-chip talent to that defensive backfield. The secondary haul was easily the most impressive group in the recruiting class, and they could all wind up making an early impact.