Just over a month ago, five-star offensive lineman Darius Gray made his way to Columbia, SC, to take his official visit with the Gamecocks and head coach Shane Beamer.
Now, the South Carolina Gamecocks are just days away from learning whether or not their recruiting efforts were enough to land Gray's commitment, the OL prospect sharing that his decision day was scheduled for Friday, Aug. 22.
For the last year or so, recruiting experts have tossed around predictions about where Gray would end up, including many projections that he would be a future Gamecock.
NEWS: 2026 4⭐️ IOL Darius Gray has been predicted to South Carolina by On3 Insider Steve Wiltfong!
— Gamecocks and Cougs (@CougsxGamecocks) October 21, 2024
Gray(Richmond, VA) is ranked as the #25 player in the class of 2026, the #4 IOL, and the #2 player from Virginia, per On3!
Come home @dariusgrayy_ 🐔🐔 pic.twitter.com/acXcU2gU08
Currently, On3 and Rivals give South Carolina a 32.5 percent chance to land Gray's commitment, narrowly trailing the LSU Tigers, who hold onto 51.1 percent odds.
The good news for the Gamecocks? Columbia is just a five-hour drive from Gray's hometown of Richmond, VA. Baton Rouge, where the Tigers call home, is a whopping 16 hours from where the young lineman grew up.
South Carolina Gamecocks recruiting class of 2026
So far, Beamer has brought in just 15 commitments from the class of 2026, with zero five-star prospects signing their name over to the Gamecocks.
However, South Carolina has landed nine four-star prospects and five three-star recruits, including highly rated four-star defensive lineman Aiden Harris and elite four-star quarterback Landon Duckworth.
An addition like Gray to the slowly improving recruiting class could be exactly what Beamer and the Gamecocks need to garner some momentum on the recruiting trail, especially since the offensive lineman would be South Carolina's first five-star commit from the class.
Currently, South Carolina's class of 2026 ranks No. 17 in the nation and No. 8 in the SEC, a very small step up from Beamer's class of 2025 prospects, which ranked No. 18 nationally and No. 11 in the conference.
Gray's commitment is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Friday, and teams across the country will learn if their efforts were enough to earn his name on their roster.