5-star South Carolina football recruiting target makes college decision

It's a big weekend for South Carolina football recruiting. August 2nd and 3rd were the commitment dates for four highly touted players who named the Gamecocks as a finalist.

So far, 4-star athlete/safety Kendall Daniels, Jr. announced a pledge to the South Carolina football program, big 4-star offensive lineman Juan Gaston committed to the Georgia Bulldogs, and Jaylen Gilchrist (another 4-star offensive lineman) picked the Maryland Terrapins..

One more elite prospect had a Saturday announcement scheduled as 5-star EDGE Jared Smith was the final South Carolina football target to commit during the big weekend.

A little after dinnertime, Jared Smith made the call many had been expecting over recent weeks as he verbally committed to the Auburn Tigers, keeping his commitment in-state instead of taking a chance on USC. Smith announced his decision in a ceremony at a restaurant in his home town.

Missing out on Smith hurts because of his tremendous upside as a player, but the Gamecocks already have a large number of players committed in the class of 2025 who could wind up playing defensive end at the college level.

Jaquavious Dodd (4-star from South Carolina), Anthony Addison (4-star from South Carolina), and Kobby Sakyi-Prah (3-star from Georgia) are true ends, Taeshawn Alston (3-star from North Carolina) and Donovan Darden (3-star from North Carolina) are EDGE/linebacker combos who could play either position in Columbia, and Caleb Williams (4-star from Virginia) is a big end who likely will shift to tackle full-time with the Gamecocks.

The high school class of 2025 likely isn't complete for the Gamecocks, but the heaviest rush on recruiting is over. USC has big needs for next year at defensive tackle, and they would like to add a player or two at several other positions, including running back. In the age of the transfer portal, South Carolina football fans can expect Shane Beamer's team to look for players from other programs to fill whichever needs are still present this offseason.