![South Carolina football flag. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/345e63aeae259063f1f2f6ddc64983a38d5e8593317f251293dd4772cfc9bba5.jpg "South Carolina football flag. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]")
The South Carolina football program has put together one of their top recruiting classes in recent years for the 2023 recruiting cycle. While the recruiting rankings are ever-changing, according to industry leaders
and
, Shane Beamer and company have found themselves firmly inside the top-20 since the Early Signing Period ended.
One of the players in this class is ATH CJ Adams, who signed with South Carolina football during the Early Signing Period.
Position: ATH (WR/TE)
Recruiting Ranking: Consensus 3 Stars
Measurables: 6’3”; 212 pounds; 41-inch vertical
Former Player Comp: Rory “Busta” Anderson
CJ Adams will step on campus in Columbia as the only player of his profile on the South Carolina football team. A big, explosive athlete, Adams will be fought over by Tight Ends Coach Jody Wright and Wide Receivers Coach Justin Stepp. Whether split out wide or lined up nearer to the ball, at 6’3” tall and already over 210 pounds as a high school senior, Adams will likely play the “small forward” receiver role for the Gamecocks—a role usually played by a big receiver or receiving tight end who can high point the football and make impressive catches in traffic.
With Jaheim Bell moving on to Florida State through the transfer portal and injury-plagued Chad Terrell retiring from football, no one else on South Carolina’s returning roster fills this role. New transfer additions Trey Knox and Joshua Simon (from Arkansas and Western Kentucky, respectively) are tight end/wide receiver combos, but neither player is the same type of leaper as Adams. A basketball player at nationally-ranked Pebblebrook High, Adams reportedly has a 41-inch vertical that would see him immediately become a jump ball threat if he can earn his way onto the field.
Adams’ fluidity and physical running style after the catch conjures up memories of former athletic tight end Rory “Busta” Anderson who played for Steve Spurrier’s offenses from 2011-2014. Anderson was a couple inches taller than Adams, but both players were high school basketball stars who were elite leapers and athletic runners. Anderson was listed as a tight end but usually played receiver, finding matchup advantages against smaller defensive backs or slower linebackers. He played alongside numerous NFL wide receivers, cutting into his production, but if Adams grows into the player he has the potential to be, he will be given ample opportunities to showcase his skills.
With numerous pass catchers leaving the program through the transfer portal and graduation this offseason and at least three more leaving via graduation next offseason, Wright and Stepp will be looking for players to fill the voids. Adams will likely need some seasoning to reach his full potential, but because of his natural ability, he will be battling for playing time from the time he gets a grasp on new Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains’ system.
A prospect with much to be excited about, if CJ Adams puts it all together, he will be a highlight waiting to happen every Saturday.