South Carolina Football: Gamecocks make top-5 for elite in-state talent

Kelvin Hunter is a baaaaaddddd man. The four-star safety prospect from West Florence High School has been a fast riser in the recruiting rankings as he recently moved up to the top-200 according to on3’s national rankings.

Hunter is listed by recruiting agencies as a safety, but he lined up all over the place for West Florence’s defense last fall. His film revealed that he was able to play over the top in pass coverage, but he also spent considerable snaps in the box where he seemed very comfortable stopping the run. He also played some running back and receiver on offense, but that was a product of his high school team getting their best athletes on the field and is not likely indicative of any future roles.

Hunter’s collegiate future seems to be pretty clearly at safety. He does not have linebacker size (he is listed at 5’11” and 180 pounds), so it is doubtful that he would ever move to the box full-time. There also is not much film of him in man coverage (though there is some), so a move to corner is probably not in the cards for Hunter.

Special Teams Coordinator Pete Lembo and Head Coach Shane Beamer (a former special teams coordinator himself) probably love that half of Hunter’s Hudl film is of him making plays on special teams. His junior film is filled with him blocking punts, tackling returners, and even sometimes returning kicks himself. If he ends up in Columbia, he could be a valuable special teams contributor, much like recent Gamecock alum Darius Rush.

On Saturday, Hunter announced his top-5 schools via his Twitter account.

As expected, the Gamecocks are a finalist for Hunter. He is part of the 2024 recruiting class, and he is ranked fifth in the state of South Carolina by both on3 and 247. As of today, Hunter is projected as a heavy lean to join the Gamecocks. If he were to join South Carolina’s 2024 recruiting class, Hunter would join five current blue chip players on the commit list, and several others are currently predicted to be brought into the fold.