South Carolina Football: Major Gamecock recruiting target receives high school honor

After a 5-7 season, South Carolina football fans have lots on their recruiting and transfer portal Christmas wish lists this year. One of the most pressing needs on the roster is up front on the offensive line.

The 2023 offensive line class (Markee Anderson, Tree Babalade, and Tro Baugh) and incoming 2024 class (Josiah Thompson, Kam Pringle, and Blake Franks) are loaded with talent, but with the current holes on the roster, even more talent will be needed to be added to the Great Wall of Columbia to ensure that a year like 2023 never happens again.

A major 2025 target for the Gamecocks is Virginia Beach, Virginia product Jaylen Gilchrist. Gilchrist is a big-time 4-star prospect in the current junior class and has played a lot of tackle in high school, though he seems as if he could play any spot on the offensive line at the college level. After a big junior year, Gilchrist was named to the All-Region team as a first-team selection in the talent-laden Virginia Beach/Hampton Roads area.

Ranked inside the top-80 by three of the four major recruiting services, Gilchrist is a consensus top-3 player in Virginia. While not located in the heavily recruited DMV area (DC, Maryland, northeast Virginia), the South Carolina football coaching staff certainly doesn’t mind shifting their focus a few hours south to recruit a player as talented as Jaylen Gilchrist.

As a player, Gilchrist is a fierce run blocker who puts opponents on their heels (or into the dirt) on almost every run play. As a pass blocker, he uses his exceptional strength to stonewall opposing pass rushers. When pulling or in space, he shows off some big-time athleticism for a player his size, chasing down players at the second and third level for punishing blocks.

You can watch some of his film here.