South Carolina Football: Priority running back announces Gamecocks as finalist, gives commitment date

South Carolina football has one running back signed in the class of 2024 (Georgia native and newly-minted 4-star Matthew Fuller), and the Gamecocks are in need of adding at least one more back to the class as just one scholarship running back on the current roster is an underclassman (freshman DJay Braswell).

On Friday, 4-star target Braylen Russell committed to the Arkansas Razorbacks, tightening the squeeze on the South Carolina football staff to reel in another big fish to the running back room.

Russell’s pledge leaves just one more blue chipper on the board for the Gamecocks at the running back position. 4-star Mississippi native Daniel Hill is believed to be deciding between South Carolina and Alabama. On Friday, he announced his official top-5 and released a date for his upcoming commitment.

Hill’s finalists are South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi State, Southern Cal, and Tennessee (who just got busted by the NCAA for a major cheating scandal). He will commit publicly to one of those five schools on August 23rd.

Hill is a multi-talented player who has played all over the offense for Meridian High School as a running back, wide receiver, and quarterback. He is also a thumper at linebacker, something that isn’t surprising when one knows how physical Hill plays and how big he is (6’2″ and 225 pounds).

As a consensus 4-star prospect, Hill has been highly sought after by tons of programs across the country, but South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi State have stood out in his recruitment for a long time with the Gamecocks and Crimson Tide appearing to pull away in recent months.

With Russell’s commitment to Arkansas, if Hill’s recruitment also does not end up with the talented running back wearing garnet and black, the South Carolina football staff will need to pivot to a new target quickly.

Running backs coach Montario Hardesty and the Gamecocks have been in contact with other backs in the 2024 cycle, including Florida ball carrier D’Marius Rucker, but it would be unclear who would rise to the top of Carolina’s recruiting board at the position.

You can watch some of his film here.