South Carolina Football: Gamecocks make top list for elite offensive lineman

South Carolina football fans shudder when they think of last season's offensive line.

Between injuries and poor play, the Gamecocks' blocking unit was one of the worst in school history in 2023. The rushing output was the offense's worst-ever (just 85 yards per game), and the pass protection was awful as Spencer Rattler was among the country's most-sacked quarterbacks.

Most Carolina fans who pay attention know that there is help on the way. 5-star Josiah Thompson headlined a 3-man group of blue chips that signed with the Gamecocks in the 2024 recruiting class (Kam Pringle and Blake Franks were the others), and versatile 4-star players like Tree Babalade, Tro Baugh, and Markee Anderson all signed as part of the '23 cycle.

Even so, the South Carolina football program has to keep stacking talent in the offensive line room to make sure that 2023 never happens again.

One of the program's big (literally) targets in the 2025 class is Pennsylvania offensive lineman Michael Carroll.

On Monday, Carroll announced his top-12, and the South Carolina Gamecocks made the cut.

The South Carolina football program made Carroll's list alongside the Penn State Nittany Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Wisconsin Badgers, Texas Longhorns, Alabama Crimson Tide, Tennessee Volunteers, Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, Clemson Tigers, and UCLA Bruins. For what it's worth, Carroll's father played at Penn State, and his mom played basketball at Michigan State.

As a player, Carroll has enough size to play anywhere on the offensive line (6'6" and 300 pounds), and has played multiple positions during his high school career. He is rated by three of the four major recruiting services as an interior lineman.

Carroll is a bit of a project player as his technique and strength need improvement. However, he is viewed as a high-character young man an a hard worker, meaning that he should be a player who will put in the work that is necessary to fulfill his remarkable potential.

You can watch some of his film here.