South Carolina Football: Gamecock commitment moved up to 5-star ranking

South Carolina football commitment Josiah Thompson is one of the top offensive tackle recruits in the country. For almost a year, it has been speculated that the Dillon High School standout would eventually become a 5-star prospect in the recruiting rankings.

On Monday, that speculation became reality as On3 released an update to its individual player rankings. In the new update, the class of 2024’s most athletic offensive tackle took a massive leap forward in the rankings.

On3 now has Josiah Thompson ranked as the 9th-best player in the class of 2024. He is the 2nd-highest rated offensive tackle and the Gamecocks’ 2nd 5-star prospect in the class. Fellow 5-star Dylan Stewart (EDGE, Friendship Collegiate Academy, Washington DC) dropped a few spots to 12th in the rankings and is now the 2nd-highest rated Gamecock pledge in the class.

As a player, Thompson has an unlimited ceiling. His athletic profile is elite for an offensive tackle as he moves like a tight end yet weighs 280 pounds at over 6’6″. His run blocking is his best trait in high school as he uses his athleticism and mean streak to punish high school defenders that dare get in his way. Once he solidifies his pass protection technique and adds some muscle in a college weight room, Thompson could be the top tackle in all of college football in just a few years.

Another elite offensive tackle in the class for South Carolina is Woodland High School’s Kam Pringle. Pringle dropped in the latest On3 rankings but is still ranked inside the top-40 (just outside of 5-star territory) in ESPN’s individual recruiting rankings. Fellow offensive lineman Blake Franks (Greenville High School) is considered a 4-star by Rivals.

South Carolina football offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley also has the Gamecocks in the mix for another big-time offensive line prospect in the class of 2024. Jordan Seaton, another Washington DC native who now plays at IMG Academy in Florida, made an even bigger jump in the rankings than Thompson, settling in at #7 overall and as the class’ top offensive tackle.

The new 5-star has not narrowed his recruitment down much yet, but he is heavily considering the Gamecocks and plans to take an official visit to Columbia this fall.

With Thompson and Stewart in the fold, the 2024 class is the first in the modern recruiting era in which the Gamecocks have two 5-star prospects (Jordan Burch and MarShawn Lloyd were both considered 5-star players by Rivals in the class of 2020).