With another recruiting win coming in on Friday when offensive lineman Blake Franks committed to the South Carolina football program over Clemson and other big-time programs, fans might wonder where the Gamecocks rank in 2024 recruiting.
According to the rankings from On3, the Gamecocks currently sit at 9th nationally but hold a better average recruit ranking than 8th-place Florida State, 7th Notre Dame, 6th Tennessee, and 5th Michigan. 247 has South Carolina at 8th with a higher per-recruit ranking than four of the teams ahead of them. Rivals ranks the Gamecocks 9th, but they have the Carolina class better on a per-recruit basis than five programs ahead of them.
All six of Carolina’s public commitments are rated as 4-stars by at least one recruiting service. Offensive tackle Kam Pringle, tight end Michael Smith, wide receiver Mazeo Bennett, and linebacker Wendell Gregory are consensus 4-star recruits (Pringle and Gregory are ranked high enough that they might be eventually in consideration for a 5-star ranking by at least one service). Quarterback Dante Reno is considered a 4-star by 247, Rivals, and ESPN but a 3-star by On3. Offensive lineman Blake Franks is a 4-star according to Rivals.
The recruiting momentum is not stopping, either. Head Coach Shane Beamer announced two #WelcomeHome commitments recently (Franks is assumed to have been one of them). Potential 5-star offensive tackle Josiah Thompson is announcing on April 11th and has been considered a Gamecock “lean” for a long time. Reading the tea leaves, Thompson makes sense as the second #WelcomeHome. He is a consensus 4-star, but his 19th overall spot by On3 will eventually make him a 5-star if he does not drop in the rankings.
Another blue chip prospect Kelvin Hunter is considered to be close to a lock to the Gamecocks. The safety is a 4-star according to both On3 and 247. Rivals is not as high on Hunter because of his size (just 5’11” and 180 pounds), and ESPN has only ranked their top-300 players to this point, but he has been a fast riser in the industry, so the rankings at Rivals and ESPN will likely reflect Hunter’s growth soon.
Elite defensive line prospects Dylan Stewart, KingJoseph Edwards, and Justin Greene have mentioned Shane Beamer’s program among their favorites. Stewart is the #1 overall recruit in the nation according to On3, and Edwards and Greene are high 4-star prospects who have recently had good visits to Columbia.
A pair of 4-star running backs recently had positive things to say about the South Carolina football program. Anthony Carrie announced the Gamecocks as a finalist (1 of 6) to land him, and Peyton Lewis called South Carolina and Tennessee his co-leaders.
Plenty more players are interested in coming to South Carolina, and the players already in the boat are recruiting almost as hard as the coaching staff. Players like Dante Reno, Kam Pringle, and Mazeo Bennett are constantly talking with interested prospects, and their efforts cannot be understated.
There are lots of reasons to have optimism about the future in Gamecock Nation, and a top-10 recruiting class that should get even better is near the top of that list.