South Carolina Football: Major running back target sets decision date

Most South Carolina Football fans know that the Gamecocks need a running back this offseason. Freshman DJay Braswell is getting to campus this summer, but every other back on the roster has two or fewer years of eligibility remaining, so Carolina is also in need of running backs for the future.

Head coach Shane Beamer and running backs coach Montario Hardesty are heavily involved with at least three high school running backs in the 2024 recruiting class. Anthony Carrie has been viewed as a Gamecock lean during parts of his recruitment, and Daniel Hill has announced that Carolina is one of his two leaders (along with Alabama). The third back is Virginia native Peyton Lewis.

Lewis is a consensus 4-star prospect with real straight-line speed. He is viewed by some outlets as the top player in the state of Virginia (others say fellow Gamecock target Keylen Adams). Lewis has previously said that South Carolina and Tennessee were his “top-2,” and on Wednesday, he announced that he has set a commitment date.

Lewis will commit on May 27th. His complete list of finalists includes South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Penn State, Georgia, and Florida. According to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, Lewis is likely going to commit to the Tennessee Volunteers. South Carolina football is second in the RPM rankings.

It is almost imperative that the Gamecocks land at least one of Lewis, Hill, and/or Carrie. Unless there is an unknown target that hasn’t gotten much publicity, if Carolina misses on these three backs, they will be forced to take lower-rated backs or hit the portal for players with fewer years of eligibility remaining.

While Lewis is announcing his decision in less than two weeks, neither Carrie nor Lewis have announced their decision dates. Of the three, it appears that Lewis is the least likely back to pick the Gamecocks.