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 OL Markee Anderson, who signed with South Carolina during the Early Signing Period.
Position: OL (G/C)
Recruiting Ranking: Consensus 4 Stars; Under Armour All-American
Measurables: 6’3.5”; 320 pounds; 80-inch wingspan
Former Player Comp: Ronald Patrick
Markee Anderson’s commitment to South Carolina made national news, not just because of his status as one of the country’s best interior offensive linemen, but also because of the manner in which he committed: the consensus 4-star lineman put all of the logos of his college choices on bottles of maple syrup, hinting at the many pancakes to come in his future in Columbia. He also showed some business-savviness as his family owns a restaurant famous for their flapjacks.
On the field, Anderson played a lot of tackle in high school as most dominant non-centers do. However, his time in garnet and black will be on the interior, most likely as a guard. Anderson showed himself to be a marquee (Markee?) run blocker, routinely dominating opposing defensive linemen. He is a block finisher who is always searching for another unfortunate defensive player to add to his collection of pancakes. He flashes elite hip drive in the way he seems to gain more and more control over defenders the longer he remains engaged in his blocks. He was also the South Carolina state silver medalist in the shotput as a junior, a skill he uses to toss would-be tacklers away from his ball carrier.
Anderson performs well in space, showing elite level athleticism for a player his build as he enjoys climbing to the second and third level to punish linebackers and defensive backs who dare get in his way. His rampaging style of run blocking is similar to former Gamecock interior offensive lineman Ronald Patrick who was known to block two or three different players on longer rushes. Patrick was instrumental in the success of some of South Carolina’s best rushing attacks led by Marcus Lattimore and Mike Davis at the running back spots, and Anderson looks to be the same type of player. He played some as a road-grading fullback at Dorman High School, demonstrating his ability to play a “seek and destroy” type of game that will serve well as a pulling guard at the next level.
Markee will need to work on his pass blocking prowess as he transitions to SEC football. In high school, he relied on his strength and athleticism to have success in pass protection, but Offensive Line Coach Lonnie Teasley will have to coach him up in regard to his technique and footwork in keeping his quarterback’s jersey clean.
South Carolina has several players with experience returning at guard. While four-year starter Jovaughn Gwynn has graduated, both Vershon Lee and Jakai Moore started games at left guard, and TyShawn Wannamaker has played a lot of snaps all across the line of scrimmage. It is somewhat rare for offensive linemen to play as true freshmen as they usually have the largest physical adjustments to make before being able to play. Anderson has the raw ability to contribute early if needed, but the Gamecock offensive line unit would be best served by allowing him a year or two of development.
When Markee Anderson is ready to play, South Carolina fans better take a page out of Markee’s commitment playbook and bring some syrup, because the pancakes will be plentiful.