4-star defensive back surprisingly removes South Carolina football from upcoming commitment ceremony

South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and his program are in the midst of an important stretch of the summer on the recruiting calendar. From July 20th until August 3rd, the Gamecocks will have had at least 9 targets announce their college commitments.

So far, 4-star EDGE Bryce Davis and 4-star offensive lineman Cortez Smith revealed their pledges to the Clemson Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs, respectively, but Carolina is still in the game for more big-time talents over the next couple of weeks.

Unfortunately, it seems like that number is is shrinking by one.

On Monday, according to a report from On3's Chad Simmons, 4-star safety Lagonza Hayward has changed his top-3 heading into his commitment announcement this weekend. While the South Carolina Gamecocks have been considered one of his favorites (in both top-4 and top-3 lists and even called a "co-favorite" with the Tennessee Volunteers earlier this summer), they will not be part of Hayward's announcement on Saturday. The Florida State Seminoles also have been included in some top-3 lists but have been excluded.

Instead, Hayward will make his decision between the Tennessee Vols, Florida Gators, and Georgia Bulldogs, meaning he will wind up with an SEC rival of the Gamecocks.

Missing out on Hayward is a blow to the Gamecocks' 2024 recruiting class, but it is one that could be made up for with other strong recruiting efforts at the position.

South Carolina football has another 4-star safety recruit announcing his commitment soon as Virginia native Kendall Daniels, Jr. is set to commit on August 2nd. 4-star USC commitment Damarcus Leach is a safety (though, some believe he could play safety at the college level), and 3-star pledge Chris Hatfield could win up at corner or safety. 4-star athlete Jaquel Holman is also a candidate to play the position.