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 on3 and 247Sports, 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 RB Dontavius Braswell, who signed with South Carolina during the Early Signing Period.
Position: RB
Recruiting Ranking: Consensus 4 Stars
Measurables: 5’11”; 195 pounds; 4.4 second 40-yard dash; 400 pounds squat
Former Player Comp: Tavien Feaster
Dontavius Braswell is not the typical South Carolina running back. Throughout Gamecock history, most running blacks clad in Garnet and Black have been patient, vision-oriented runners or big tackle-breakers—sometimes even a combination of the two. Names like George Rogers, Marcus Lattimore, Brandon Bennett, and Steve Wadiak are famous in Columbia, but they were not the type of backs to break long runs with elite speed or electric quickness. DJay Braswell, though, is that type of runner. Coming in at just under 6’ and 200 pounds, Braswell does not own prototypical size for an SEC running back, but he makes up for it with his speed and surprising strength (4.4 40-yard dash and 400 pounds squat).
Braswell is a threat to score each time he touches the ball, whether he lines up in the backfield or in the slot. He was a state championship 100 meter and 200 meter sprinter in the state of Georgia, and that burst plays well on the football field. Spencer Rattler and future Gamecock quarterbacks may get familiar with Braswell in the screen and quick passing game as Braswell’s film reveals quality hands and a comfortability operating in space.
Some of Braswell’s high school production stems from the sheer speed advantage he had over other high school athletes. The speed gap will certainly shrink some as he transitions to college ball, but top end speed is still a rare commodity. Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains likes to give quick players opportunities to utilize their speed, so Braswell will become a needed weapon for an offense looking to replace former 5-star MarShawn Lloyd who transferred to Southern Cal this offseason.
Former Gamecock Tavien Feaster, a 2019 transfer from Clemson, had similar explosive ability to Braswell. In the four games on Feaster’s career in which he received 13 or more carries, he averaged over 100 yards on six yards per carry. Braswell eventually could produce in a similar manner. The difference between the two, however, is seen in Braswell’s slighter build. If, without compromising his speed, he can gain some weight to protect his body from injury and perhaps strengthen his ability to break through solo tackles, Braswell has the potential to become a dynamic offensive weapon for several years.
With a very inexperienced running back room upcoming for the 2023 football season, Running Backs Coach Monterio Hardesty will give Braswell an opportunity to make an impact if he can earn it on the practice field. Returning back Lovasea Carroll lacks experience, and Juju McDowell is not an every-down back. If Braswell can become serviceable in pass protection, he may see playing time early, as his speed and receiving ability should transition well to SEC play. Even after adding bruising back Mario Anderson from Newberry College, the Gamecocks are still in the mix for a transfer running back, but there is no guarantee they add another portal player at the position. Regardless of the roster situation and when Braswell gets to play, if he gets behind the defense, all the opposing team will see are taillights.
Guaranteed to be an exciting young player, Dontavius Braswell may very well end up joining the long list of Gamecock running backs who find their way to playing on Sundays.