South Carolina Football: Gamecocks make top-3 for talented linebacker

South Carolina football fans might be frustrated with the current state of the 2023 season, but they have to be encouraged by some of the recruiting news coming from their favorite program.

Last weekend, 4-star athlete Jalewis Solomon completed his flip from the Auburn Tigers to the Gamecocks, and it appears as if USC might be gaining some momentum to add a couple more flips and commitments.

One of the more recent targets that has been added to the South Carolina football recruiting board is Antoine Deslauriers. Deslauriers is a class of 2025 linebacker originally from Montreal, Canada who moved down south to play high school ball in the state of Georgia.

As of the time of this writing, Deslauriers does not have an official recruiting ranking, but his recruitment has picked up in recent months as he has picked up some major scholarship offers.

A junior at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, Deslauriers is a high school teammate of fellow class of 2025 South Carolina football target Marshall Pritchett who recently received a bump up to 4-star territory at the tight end position. The Gamecocks are a new offer for Deslauriers, and the big-hitting middle linebacker has expressed his interest in the program.

Earlier this week, Deslauriers spoke with Rivals’ Lee Wardlaw and said that the South Carolina football program is in his top-3 along with the Ole Miss Rebels and Oklahoma Sooners.

As a player, Deslauriers is a killer. While not a tremendously fluid athlete, he runs very well, and he delivers blows to ball carriers. On film, Deslauriers forced multiple fumbles with big hits that seem to come naturally. His above-average sprint speed is a weapon in pursuit, and if he can become a bit looser and freer after spending some time in a college weight room, he could develop into a very good college linebacker.

You can watch some of his film here.