South Carolina Football: Gamecocks in top-5 for Georgia linebacker

Most South Carolina football fans have noticed Shane Beamer and his staff make a concentrated effort to recruit the DMV (DC, Maryland, northeast Virginia). However, that is not the only part of the country where the Gamecocks are seemingly making recruiting inroads. Talent-rich south Georgia has gotten the VIP treatment from the Gamecocks recently.

The Gamecocks have secured two commitments so far in the 2024 class from Savannah prospects Michael Smith (4-star tight end from Calvary Day School) and David Bucey (3-star DB/LB from Savannah Christian Prep), and Jesup, Georgia native Matthew Fuller (4-star RB from Wayne County High School) is also pledged to USC.

2025 top target Elijah Griffin is also from Savannah Christian, and other prospects like Thomas Blackshear, Edward Coleman, Logan Brooking, Walter Mathis, Oousmane Kromah, Darrell Johnson, and Tavion Wallace are all from south Georgia and have Carolina offers per 247Sports’ database.

Now, in the class of 2024, another south Georgia prospect has come to light. 3-star linebacker Devin Smith announced his top-5 finalists, and the South Carolina football program made his list.

Smith’s top-5 includes South Carolina, LSU, Kentucky, Auburn, and Alabama.

As a player, Smith is a “tweener.” At 6’2″ and 220 pounds, he plays linebacker for Brunswick High School, but he moves around the defense.

He makes most of his plays as a stand-up EDGE rusher, utilizing his quick first step and athleticism to get around blockers and chase down quarterbacks. As a pass rusher, Smith plays with his head up, and he gets his hands in the air to knock down passes when he knows he cannot get to the quarterback in time.

In his snaps as a more traditional linebacker, Smith has no qualms about coming downhill to strike opposing ball carriers. He moves well from sideline to sideline as his foot speed pops off the screen when watching his film.

Smith is even athletic enough to have played a handful of snaps as a safety. In most of these reps, he immediately comes down in run support.

It will be interesting to see what role he plays at the next level. Most of his high school reps have come as an EDGE rusher, but unless he continues to grow, that does not appear to be his future spot.

South Carolina football has two linebackers committed in the class of 2024 in 4-star prospects Wendell Gregory and Fred “JayR” Johnson. Gregory is a more traditional linebacker, and Johnson fits a similar mold as Smith as an uber-athletic, bigger linebacker who could grow into an EDGE player. The Gamecocks do not have any EDGE players committed in the class.

You can watch some of Smith’s film here.