South Carolina Football: Where the Gamecocks Stack Up in Recruiting in the SEC

Signing Day has come and gone (both the Early and the Traditional), and college football fans are imagining all the different ways their team can go 15-0 on the way to a national championship. “The future is bright” is a common refrain this time of year on the college football calendar, but which teams can honestly say “we got better” after the 2023 recruiting period has ended? South Carolina football fans believe their program can answer with a resounding “Yes!”

To be fair, the recruiting period is only 99% over as unsigned high school seniors and junior college players may still sign with a college football program. However, of the top-300 recruits according to both on3 and 247Sports, only Duce Robinson (still deciding and also considering the MLB draft) and Warren Roberson (announcement delayed by school closure due to weather) remain unsigned. Not including the transfer portal, South Carolina’s class is complete.

Compared to the rest of the country, the Gamecocks’ signing class is ranked and will likely finish as the 16th-best class nationally as ranked by the composite rankings from both on3 and 247Sports. In the SEC, remarkably, that is only 7th best according to both services (and future SEC programs Texas and Oklahoma are both part of the group of 15 ahead of the Gamecocks). South Carolina football’s 2023 recruiting class was a great haul for Head Coach Shane Beamer, but relative to expectations and program trajectory, how does South Carolina’s class grade out within the conference? *All rankings will be based on the on3 composite and 247 composite ranking systems.*

Alabama and Georgia

The Class(es) (Ranked 1st and 2nd, respectively, by both on3 and 247)

Is it even fair to grade Alabama and Georgia anymore? Neither program has been outside of the top-5 in team recruiting rankings since 2016, and most recent cycles have ended with the ‘Tide and Dawgs in the top-2 spots. The two teams combine for 11 5-stars and 37 4-stars based on on3’s rankings and 14 5-stars and 35 4-stars according to 247Sports. In college football, talent is king, and that is precisely why these programs have won the last three national titles.

The Grade(s)

A+

LSU

The Class (Ranked 5th by on3 and 6th by 247)

The Bayou Bengals have rebounded from the unceremonious end of the Coach O-era faster than expected. Head Coach Brian Kelly has the Tigers recruiting at an elite level, and their top-6 2023 class is led by local product Zalance Heard who will anchor LSU’s offensive line moving forward. Add 17 more blue chippers to the equation, and LSU fans can be very happy with the future of their program.

The Grade

A

Tennessee

The Class (Ranked 12th by on3 and 9th by 247)

It appears as if the almost two-decade-long nightmare in Knoxville is over. Tennessee, once one of the country’s best teams annually, spent close to twenty years hovering around mediocrity before Josh Heupel turned the program around. Impressive recruiting efforts and one of the country’s largest NIL pools helped bolster the Vols’ 2023 class that boasts one of the country’s top-2 quarterback prospects in Nico Iamaleava.

The Grade

A

South Carolina

The Class (Ranked 16th by on3 and 247)

Headlined by 5-star athlete Nyck Harbor’s Signing Day decision, the Gamecocks are bringing in 15 players ranked as 4-stars or better by at least one major recruiting outlet (not including the transfer portal). Shane Beamer’s team is on the rise and spreading out their recruiting footprint beyond the southeast, securing five DMV (DC, Maryland, Northeast Virginia) commitments, three of them being four or five-star prospects.

The Grade

A-

Arkansas

The Class (Ranked 24th by on3 and 22nd by 247)

Despite a bit of a down year in 2022, the Hogs’ 2023 recruiting class continues the trend Arkansas fans have seen under Head Coach Sam Pittman: get back to what Arkansas does. When Arkansas recruits to its highest potential, they shut down Arkansas (secured NLIs from the only two composite 4-stars in-state) and raid Texas (signed five recruits from the Lone Star State). The coaching staff has faced some turnover, but if the Pitt Boss can continue his culture of development, this class will look even better after a few seasons.

The Grade 

B+

Auburn

Auburn football did not have a good year in 2022. They did not have a good year in 2021. However, Brian Harsin is no longer the coach on the plains, and the vibes in eastern Alabama are improving. After a short dip, the recruiting is picking back up and is almost back to “Auburn levels.” Keldric Faulk is an exciting prospect in the class that could provide the defensive anchor that Auburn’s best teams always seem to have.

The Grade

B

Florida

The Class (Ranked 11th by on3 and 14th by 247)

What would have been viewed as a very good class for the Gators has been marred by controversy in recent weeks. 4-star quarterback Jaden Rashada was reportedly offered a ridiculous $13 million NIL deal by the Gator Collective but was told he would not receive the money. Rashada recommitted and ended up at Arizona State. The entire incident is (of course) denied by the Gator Collective, but the look is bad nonetheless. The class ends up being a haul about average for recent Florida offseasons (highlighted by a very above-average Kelby Collins) that gets dinged by the Rashada situation.

The Grade

B

Ole Miss and Mississippi State

The Classes (Ranked 22nd and 23rd, respectively, by on3 and 27th and 25th, respectively by 247)

Fans of the Mississippi schools likely will be highly dissatisfied with being grouped together, but both fanbases should be relatively happy with their recruiting classes. Often limited by the talent in the Magnolia State, the Rebels reeled in five-star linebacker Suntarine Perkins from in-state, and the Bulldogs snagged the perfect safety for new Head Coach Zach Arnett’s defensive system in Mississippi product Isaac Smith. If the talent pool cycles back up in Mississippi over the next few seasons, expect the state’s biggest two programs to continue trending upward.

The Grade(s)

B-

Texas A&M

The Class (Ranked 15th by both on3 and 247)

Head Coach Jimbo Fisher and his staff have done a good job retooling the roster after record-level attrition in the transfer portal. However, because of the fractured culture in the program, optimism with the class is not as high as it could be; fans seem fearful they will lose to transfer any new player they sign, and, after losing over 25 players this offseason, who could blame them? Despite a slight dip from the team’s average level of recruiting, Aggieland has plenty of reason to be happy with the class and the two Texas 5-stars in it but seems reluctant to get its hopes up.

The Grade

B-

Kentucky

The Class (Ranked 31st by both on3 and 247)

2023 Signing Day ended with Kentucky having their lowest-rated class since 2017 according to the 247 composite. Head Coach Mark Stoops’ preferred method of winning football games relies on a strong defense and running game, and this class helps with that pursuit as the Wildcats signed five defensive players rated as four-stars by either on3 or 247 and one of Georgia’s most undervalued prospects in running back Jamarion Wilcox. The transfer portal was kind to Kentucky, but the lack of overall high school talent coming in could come back to bite Mark Stoops and his team.

The Grade

C+

Missouri

The Class (Ranked 36th by on3 and 33rd by 247)

Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz put all of his eggs in the offensive basket for the 2023 recruiting class, bringing in 10 of his top 12-rated recruits on the offensive side of the ball according to 247. This makes sense for Drinkwitz as an offensive-minded coach but could become an issue moving forward for the team from the other Columbia as the majority of players in the defensive two-deep were juniors and seniors this past season. Losing the top-6 prospects from in-state does no favors for the perception of this class.

The Grade

C-

Vanderbilt

The Class (Ranked 54th by on3 and 52nd by 247)

Bringing in a recruiting class ranked in the fifties is not the worst offseason imaginable in Nashville. However, until Vanderbilt is able to consistently bring in more than one four-star prospect per cycle (according to the on3 composite rankings, something only done once since 2018), losing will continue to be the norm for Vandy. Conversely, the energy and passion Head Coach Clark Lea has for the school will not turn around the program’s recruiting until they start winning. This vicious cycle seems as if it will keep Vanderbilt at a perpetual failing grade.

The Grade

F