South Carolina Football: Major Gamecock recruit named state Player of the Year

South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer has mentioned since last offseason that the Gamecocks need help at the running back position.

Last year’s transfer portal cycle yielded some help in Newberry College transfer Mario Anderson who led the team in rushing. Anderson currently is weighing his NFL chances, but even if he returns to Columbia, USC needs more bodies in the running back room.

At times in 2023, the Gamecocks only had Anderson and true freshman Djay Braswell healthy, and with do-it-all offensive player DK Joyner graduating and scatback Juju McDowell to miss part of the offseason with a broken collarbone, the Carolina staff will need to bring in multiple backs this offseason.

4-star Georgia running back Matthew Fuller is committed to the Gamecocks in the 2024 recruiting class, and another big-time ball-carrier could be heading to Columbia when all is said and done, as well.

4-star Mississippi product Daniel Hill is deciding between South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee and will be making his commitment during the All-American Bowl this January.

This week, SB Live named Daniel Hill the Mississippi High School Player of the Year.

As a player, Hill is a big back (weighing in as heavy as 230 pounds during his recruitment), but he has plus-speed at the position as a Mississippi state track and field champion in the 110-meter hurdles.

He also has played all over the field in high school, excelling as a running back, wide receiver, and linebacker while even playing quarterback for much of this season because his team needed him to do so. His versatility and experience all over the field speak to his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and his physical toughness.

If Hill chooses the Gamecocks, he and Fuller could make a really nice 1-2 punch in the future out of the class of 2024. With Djay Braswell the only underclassman running back on the current South Carolina football roster, picking up two big-time ‘backs in this class could be huge for the Gamecocks.