South Carolina Football: Offensive lineman recruit canceled Gamecock visit, moves commitment date

4-star offensive lineman Elyjah Thurmon was supposed to be on campus to visit the South Carolina football program this weekend, but he never made it to Columbia. He also was supposed to announce his commitment on Monday, but he never made any public decision.

According to Phil Kornblut of SportsTalk, on Monday afternoon, Thurmon revealed that he was moving his commitment to the Early Signing Day, likely on the first day (December 20th).

Clemson was considered the favorite for Thurmon before offensive line coach Thomas Austin was relieved of his duties. With change in the Upstate, some thought that South Carolina and Georgia Tech (his other two finalists) could sneak back into the running. In fact, the Gamecocks were scheduled to have Thurmon in for a visit this past weekend alongside some of the top transfer portal talents in the country.

Thurmon did not make it to Columbia, and the belief around Thurmon’s recruitment is that the Clemson Tigers are back in front for the talented offensive lineman in a big way. Some rumors have floated that it was a mutual parting of ways, while others indicate that he is shutting things down on his own in favor of Clemson.

Either way, Thurmon’s commitment decision on December 20th should go the way of the Tigers. However, the Gamecocks are not hurting for offensive line talent in the class of 2024. 5-star tackle Josiah Thompson, 4-star tackle Kam Pringle, and 4-star interior lineman Blake Franks are all committed to the South Carolina football program.

Thompson was recently named the state of South Carolina’s Mr. Football and is ranked in the top-6 among offensive tackles by all four major recruiting outlets. Pringle is a consensus 4-star and is ranked in the top-200 nationally by both 247Sports and ESPN. Franks is a high school teammate of 4-star Gamecock wide receiver commit Mazeo Bennett and is a Rivals 4-star prospect.