Bill Belichick beats out Shane Beamer for top South Carolina WR Amare Patterson

The South Carolina Gamecocks are trying to add to their 2027 recruiting class, which ranks 66th in the country. One of the biggest goals for head coach Shane Beamer and his staff this cycle is successfully recruiting prospects from the state of South Carolina. 

But over the weekend, the Gamecocks lost out to an in-state prospect to none other than Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels. Four-star wide receiver Amare Patterson from Ridgeland, S.C. committed to North Carolina on Saturday evening. Patteson picked the Tar Heels over his final schools including South Carolina, Georgia and Georgia Tech: 

Patterson, who plays high school football out of Bluffton High School, is rated as South Carolina's No. 5 prospect for 2027, per the 247Sports Composite. He is rated as the No. 33 wide receiver in his class. 

The receiver committing to North Carolina comes as a bit of a surprise, as Patterson took a surprise last-minute visit to Columbia on June 12. The receiver previously had an official visit for Florida  scheduled for Florida that same weekend. After his visit to Columbia Rivals' predictions gave the Gamecocks a 95% chance of landing the receiver after his visit to Columbia. In the end, both Florida and South Carolina lost out. 

Patterson is also a versatile athlete, running track for his high school, as well. According to MaxPreps, he had 51 receptions for 912 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, adding another 136 rush yards. 

There are a number of big-time prospects remaining on the board for South Carolina, like five-star cornerback Joshua Dobson and flip wide receiver target Iveon Lewis, who is committed to Kentucky. 

But Beamer has missed out on several top in-state prospects in recent weeks, such as running back David "Tre" Segarra, who went to LSU. Fellow four-star running back Aiden Gibson committed to Penn State, and blue-chip receiver Jaiden Kelly-Murray, who was previously committed to the Gamecocks' 2027 class briefly, ended up at Colorado. 

There's obviously still a long way to go for South Carolina's 2027 class, but losing out on guys like this after a 4-8 season last year isn't exactly the momentum you want on the recruiting trail. 

ALSO READ: South Carolina lands commitment from preferred walk-on Brooks Dow 

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