South Carolina Football: 4-star offensive line prospect to announce soon; Gamecocks are finalists
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina football fans know that their favorite team needs some help on the offensive line. The 2023 version of the Gamecocks finished in the bottom-15 nationally in tackles for loss allowed (76, 124th in the country) and sacks allowed (41, 117th in the country).
The most talented linemen on the team are the youngest (rising sophomores Tree Babalade, Tro Baugh, and Cason Henry and redshirt freshmen Markee Anderson and Jatavius Shivers), and the 2024 recruiting class is among the best O-Line hauls in South Carolina football recruiting history (5-star Josiah Thompson and 4-stars Kam Pringle and Blake Franks).
The Gamecocks might not be done stockpiling talent in the 2024 class.
4-star interior offensive lineman Elyjah Thurmon is set to make his college decision on Monday, according to a report from 247Sports’ Anna Adams.
Adams is deciding between a top-3 of South Carolina, Clemson, and Georgia Tech.
Clemson was long viewed as the favorite to land Thurmon, but it is unclear how much Clemson offensive line coach Thomas Austin’s dismissal (and the subsequent hire of Matt Luke to the position) could affect Thurmon’s decision-making.
As a player, Thurmon is an athletic mover in space who will fit well as a pulling guard or backside-blocking center moving to the second level. He is undersized (under 280 pounds), but with some time in a college strength and conditioning program, that can be rectified.
Thurmon has a lot of experience pass blocking as he plays for a balanced offensive attack at the Bradwell Institute. Gamecock fans may recognize the Bradwell Institute name as former Carolina running back Kevin Harris and current Gamecock defensive back David Spaulding both graduated from the school.
Thurmon would be the Gamecocks’ 4th blue chip offensive lineman in the class if he commits to the South Carolina football program and would secure a top-3 overall offensive line class in the country.
You can watch some of his film here.
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