South Carolina Football: Big commitment weekend incoming; what should Gamecock fans expect
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina football has had a great week in recruiting after a disappointing July. The Gamecocks secured a commitment from 4-star athlete Zy’marion Lang on Sunday, and on Tuesday, 5-star EDGE prospect Dylan Stewart announced his pledge to the Gamecocks. Meanwhile, Carolina’s 5-star DB target Jontae Gilbert (’25 class) decommitted from Ohio State.
This weekend has the opportunity to be a continuation of the good recruiting vibes in Gamecock nation. Major South Carolina targets Landon Duckworth, Jonathan Paylor, and Jalewis Solomon are all set to announce their college choices over the next couple of days.
Landon Duckworth is an elite class of 2026 quarterback prospect who announced a few days ago that he “know[s] where home is.” Duckworth is very impressive on film, especially considering he has only played one year of varsity football as a freshman. He has a strong arm and is a really good athlete who also plays varsity basketball.
Duckworth has visited South Carolina and was one of the first offers in the 2026 class for South Carolina football, and fans feel optimistic about their team’s chances to land the talented quarterback. Frankly, they should. Duckworth has been nothing but complimentary of the Gamecock program and coaching staff and announced his plans to commit right after leaving his unofficial visit to South Carolina (his second in a week’s time).
Duckworth has two 2026 teammates at Jackson High School that have recently received Gamecock offers. Like their quarterback, receivers Jamarrion Gordon and Keeyun Chapman both seem intrigued by the prospects of playing in Columbia. None of these three players have official recruiting rankings as the class of 2026 has not yet been rated.
South Carolina football should be viewed as the heavy favorite to secure the early commitment from the class of ’26 prospect. It would be their first in the class (they don’t even have a 2025 pledge yet), but it is so early in the process that this one is far from over.
Duckworth has offers from a number of big-time programs, and based on his visit activity and social media posting, Florida, TCU, and Tennessee could also be factors.
You can watch some of his film here.
Jonathan Paylor has led an interesting recruitment. He was considered a virtual lock to be a Gamecock for the last year, but since June, things have started to shift. Always a player willing to take other visits, the speedy wide receiver has visited South Carolina, North Carolina, and NC State a lot, including trips to UNC and NCST for big recruiting weekends a week ago.
Both NC State and North Carolina have improved their chances to land Paylor in recent weeks. South Carolina is still in the game for the 4-star 2024 receiver, but many national recruiting personalities view the North Carolina native as a lean to the NC State Wolfpack.
Paylor has revealed that he has made his decision and that the decision was between the three schools that were viewed as his favorites. NC State appears to have the lead heading into his decision on Friday, but as the long-time favorite, Gamecock fans are hopeful that he will commit to the program that dominated his recruitment 90% of the way. UNC is a factor but should be considered third amongst Paylor’s three favorites.
As a player, Paylor combined top-end speed with elite quickness, and all three of his top schools have a good story to tell about how they would use him in their team’s offense.
You can watch some of his film here.
Jalewis Solomon is an underrated prospect in the class of 2024. The Schley County High School athlete is considered a 4-star by ESPN and Rivals but a 3-star by On3 and 247Sports. The Georgia native plays both wide receiver and defensive back but is being recruited primarily as a defensive back, including by South Carolina football defensive backs coach Torrian Gray.
Solomon’s recruitment saw South Carolina and Florida State separate themselves early in the process as Auburn and Kentucky hung on in the background. Both the Gamecocks and Seminoles were named his leader at different points in the summer. However, after taking trips to Columbia and to Auburn, the Georgia native said Carolina and Auburn were “probably” the only two schools he was still considering.
Florida State’s prominent role in his recruitment should cause fans not to dismiss the Seminoles completely, but the Gamecocks’ combination of longevity and inclusion in his pseudo-top-2 announcement has fans feeling optimistic. Auburn has become a major factor in recent weeks, but the Gamecocks should be viewed as the favorite.
It is worth noting that Solomon’s older brother plays for Auburn and that his younger brother is a 5-star linebacker prospect in the class of 2025.
You can watch some of his film here.