South Carolina Football: 4-star Gamecock target sets commitment date

South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and his staff have had a good spring on the recruiting trail. Despite the Gamecocks starting the spring with just one commitment each in the class of 2025 and class of 2026, USC now has six public pledges in the '25 cycle and three in the '26 cycle.

There are several major Carolina targets who have recently announced that they would be making their college choices soon.

One of these prospects is Georgia native Cortez Smith, a consensus 4-star interior offensive lineman who plays his high school ball at Parkview High School. On Monday, Smith announced his top-4 schools and his commitment date.

The South Carolina Gamecocks, Miami Hurricanes, Georgia Bulldogs, and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are Smith's top-4, and he is set to announce his commitment later in the summer on July 20th.

As a player, Smith has played all over the offensive line for Parkview High School, though his future likely will be on the interior. As a center, he has experience operating both under center and in the shotgun, and he has gotten significant snaps at guard and tackle, as well.

Despite being listed at 6'4" and over 300 pounds, Smith is light on his feet and takes great first steps. Thanks to this athleticism, Smith is really good at operating in space, finding a lot of success at being a pulling blocker and getting up to the second level to spring longer runs. At the point of attack, he uses his strength and athleticism to pave the way for ball carriers behind him.

In pass protection, Smith is raw, but he has a strong base, and his good feet give an indication that he will turn into a really solid pass blocker in the years to come. When able to set his anchor, he stonewalls pass rushers.

You can watch some of his film here.