South Carolina Football cracks top-8 for 4-star pass rusher

South Carolina football has been involved with tons of talented players in the DMV (DC, Maryland, northeast Virginia). In last year’s recruiting class, the Gamecocks landed 5-star athlete Nyck Harbor, 4-star EDGE rusher Desmond Umeozulu, 4-star offensive tackle Oluwatosin “Big Tree” Babalade, high-upside athlete Zahbari Sandy, walk-on tight end Mo Brown, and transfer offensive lineman Sidney Fugar.

In the class of 2024, the Gamecocks have secured a commitment from Washington DC native 4-star cornerback Braydon Lee and are in the running for several other big-time talents from the area. One of these DMV prospects is Dominic Nichols.

Dominic Nichols is a 4-star defensive end prospect out of Ijamsville, Maryland. Nichols is 6’5″ and 240 pounds and has been a quick riser through the recruiting rankings as he has added the majority of his Power-5 scholarship offers over the last six months of his recruitment.

On Thursday, Nichols announced his top-8.

Included in Nichols’ final group are South Carolina, Clemson, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Kentucky. He has already had three official visits, making trips to Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Michigan. It is unclear which two teams will secure his final two official visits.

As a player, Nichols is a plus athlete at defensive end and has a big enough frame that adding solid weight shouldn’t be an issue. On film, he utilizes a subtle hesitation move very well and uses his hands to knock down the paws of opposing offensive linemen trying to block him.

Currently, South Carolina football does not have any commitments across the defensive line in the class of 2024.

The nation’s top prospect Dylan Stewart and 4-star Daniel “DD” Holmes are among Carolina’s top targets on the EDGE (both players are also from the DMV) along with Jordan Thomas, who could play inside or outside. KingJoseph Edwards, Jordan Ross, Jamonta Waller, and Darien Mayo are some of the Gamecocks’ other EDGE targets.

At defensive tackle, D’Nas White, Nnamdi Ogboko, or the currently unoffered Marcus Downs seem like some of the most likely to be added to the class.