South Carolina Football: Gamecocks secure commitment from top-10 athlete

On Sunday, South Carolina football head coach Shane Beamer put out his first #WelcomeHome tweet in months. The headman’s patented commitment announcement didn’t come with any additional news, so fans thought that they might have to wait a while to learn the identity of the newest pledge to the South Carolina football program.

They thought wrong.

Just a few hours later, 4-star athlete Jalewis Solomon (who had decommitted from Auburn less than a week ago) announced his new destination. After spurning the expectant Gamecocks in August in favor of Auburn, the Georgia native made the commitment that most in recruiting circles were expecting, just two months later than originally anticipated.

Solomon’s announcement (via On3’s Hayes Fawcett) came with a message for Gamecock Nation: “South Carolina fans, I’m sorry I hurt y’all the first time, but I promise you this time I’m here to stay. I’m ready to work & get South Carolina to the ‘ship!”

The Schley County High School prospect is a two-way star in high school (wide receiver and cornerback), but he is expected to play corner at the college level.

South Carolina football has had some struggles in the secondary in 2023, so Solomon could make an impact immediately next season if things go his way. Current starter Marcellas Dial (cornerback) is out of eligibility and fellow starter O’Donnell Fortune (cornerback) and major contributor David Spaulding (safety/nickel) are both in their fourth years of college ball.

Solomon is one of the most underrated players in the class. Somehow both On3 and 247Sports have him rated as a 3-star prospect. ESPN and Rivals have better evaluations of Solomon, rating him as a 4-star player (Rivals has him as the 91st-best player in the ’24 cycle).

In the end, South Carolina football beat Auburn, Florida State, Kentucky, and Texas A&M for Solomon. His older brother is a defensive tackle for Auburn, and his younger brother Zayden Walker is a 5-star linebacker/EDGE prospect in the class of 2025.

You can watch some of Solomon’s film here.