The South Carolina football program landed a consensus top 25 recruiting class for the 2022 cycle, with Shane Beamer and Co. hauling in the pledges of 22 high school prospects. As it stands, the Gamecocks’ class is ranked No. 22 by 24/7 Sports, No. 21 by Rivals, and No. 16 by ESPN.
Those ratings don’t include the additions that South Carolina has made in the transfer portal. Over the past few months, the Gamecocks have added Heisman contender Spencer Rattler, all-conference TE Austin Stogner, Wake Forest’s leading rusher Christian Beal-Smith, and record setting WR Antwane Wells from James Madison.
In all, the coaching staff has quickly boosted the talent level of the program in Columbia.
One of those talented prospects is beginning to see his stock rise after an impressive showing at last week’s Under Armour All-American event. This three-star defender could see a bump in his recruiting rank when all is said and done.
“Stock Up” on this South Carolina Football recruit
Linebacker Stone Blanton received positive feedback for his time at the All-American game last week, catching the eyes of scouts and evaluators.
Folks at 24/7 Sports took note of his performance by tabbing the defender as one of three “Stock Up” players from the contest. Essentially, these are players that could outplay their star rating at the college level.
These key performers took their game to another level, forcing everyone to take notice of their abilities on the field.
Check out what the site had to say about the Gamecock commit.
"[Blanton] displayed toughness, physicality and overall good athleticism… Blanton ran and hit everything that he saw. He showed a great ability to key and diagnose plays as well as running the defense and making sure everyone was aligned and ready pre-snap. The Gamecocks are getting a player with natural leadership skills that’s a sideline-to-sideline ball hawk with plays with presence."
It’s encouraging to see analysts talking to Blanton’s on-field talent, but it’s more impressive to hear about his leadership skills and ability to run a defense. The site notes his skill in diagnosing plays and ensuring that his teammates were lined up correctly.
Should that continue at the next level, we’ll see Blanton in the middle of that South Carolina defense very soon.
The Gamecocks picked up Blanton’s pledge over finalists Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M. The Magnolia State native spurned offers from hometown programs to be a part of what Shane Beamer is building in Columbia.