South Carolina football fans did not have an enjoyable experience in the 2023 season. The 5-7 Gamecocks were among the most injured teams in the nation, and the offense and defense alternated poor performances on the way to end-of-season rankings for both units that were far lower than preseason expectations.
But as is so often does, hope reigns supreme in Columbia. South Carolina football head coach Shane Beamer and his Gamecock coaching staff secured a really nice recruiting class in 2024 (ranked inside the top-12 nationally in average player rating and top-20 in America in overall rankings).
Two of the players signed in the class were 5-star prospects as EDGE Dylan Stewart and offensive tackle Josiah Thompson inked officially with Carolina last Wednesday.
The inclusion of two 5-star recruits in the class is only the 2nd time (2020 was the other) in the modern recruiting era in which the South Carolina football program has brought in two prospects in the same class who have been ranked as 5-stars by a major outlet.
So, let's take a look at every 5-star in the history of the South Carolina Gamecocks. This list will not include players like George Gause, Stephon Gilmore, or Shaq Roland who were ranked as 5-stars but fell off of that ranking.
***Not in order as multiple recruiting services are considered. All rankings used will come from 247Sports, On3, ESPN, Rivals, and the now-defunct Scout and will be cited.
South Carolina Football's All-Time 5-Star Recruits:
Defensive End Jadeveon Clowney (Class of 2011)
This list had to start here, right?
Jadeveon Clowney is still the highest-rated prospect of all-time, given an astounding 105 rating by 247Sports and being ranked as the #1 player in the class by every recruiting service.
The Rock Hill native was rumored to have been considered the best player in the nation even as just a sophomore, and if rated among the seniors during his junior season of 2010, he surely would have been placed at the top of the list.
Clowney lived up to the hype in garnet and black, breaking multiple records (and getting close on some others). He also was part of the three winningest teams in the history of South Carolina football and was the author of one of the most memorable plays in Carolina history, simply known now as "The Hit." #7 now has his jersey retired in Williams-Brice Stadium.
After finishing his Gamecock career, Clowney was drafted #1 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft and became the first player ever to be the top high school recruit and top NFL Draft pick. He has had a very good NFL career (though marred by injuries) as a 3-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro. His 2023 season is one of his best pass rush efforts, and he could be in line for his deepest playoff run yet as his Baltimore Ravens have the best record in the NFL.
South Carolina Football's All-Time 5-Star Recruits:
Running Back Marcus Lattimore (Class of 2010)
Before Jadeveon Clowney picked the Gamecocks, another 5-star elected to stay home and play for his home state team.
Byrnes running back Marcus Lattimore picked the Gamecocks over Auburn (and a slew of other offers), and the rest is history. Considered by some publications as an All-American as a freshman (not just a Freshman All-American but an All-American, All-American), Lattimore was a monster from the time he stepped on the field for the garnet and black.
Lattimore is the most patient running back in Gamecock history, and his combination of vision, strength, and wiggle made him a nightmare to bring down in the open field. He wasn't a speed demon, but he was fast enough that no one was catching him from behind. He wasn't running over too many tacklers, but one guy almost never brought him down alone.
Both Lattimore's sophomore and junior seasons were ended by awful knee injuries, and his second season-ender ultimately halted his football career altogether.
Even with the injuries, Marcus Lattimore is the 2nd-best running back to ever don the Block C on his helmet. How ESPN decided to rate him as a 4-star prospect (everyone else rightfully had him as a 5-star) is anyone's guess.
South Carolina Football's All-Time 5-Star Recruits:
Defensive Tackle Zacch Pickens (Class of 2019)
There is one South Carolina football 5-star who found his way to Columbia from Clemson's backyard. TL Hanna (Anderson, South Carolina) defensive tackle Zacch Pickens spurned the rival Tigers to join the Gamecocks in the class of 2019. In fact, many Clemson staffers were in attendance at TL Hanna's spring game to watch Pickens commit to the Gamecocks.
The big defensive tackle played pretty well for three seasons in Columbia, but it was his senior campaign that earned him an eventual 3rd-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. His overall numbers looked very similar to his junior season, but he was much more impactful as a player who stuffed the middle of the line, allowing for his teammates to make plays around him.
Thanks in part to Pickens' efforts, players like Jordan Burch, Gilber Edmond, and Tonka Hemingway had their best seasons up front for the Gamecocks. On the back end, USC produced two NFL Draft picks at corner (Cam Smith and Darius Rush) and two Freshman All-Americans at safety.
While the numbers didn't quite look like many (unfairly) expected from a 5-star player, Zacch Pickens was a good player for the Gamecocks who also represented the South Carolina football program very well.
South Carolina Football's All-Time 5-Star Recruits:
Running Back Demetris Summers (Class of 2003)
The second Gamecock 5-star of the modern recruiting era, Demetris Summers was believed to be the type of player who could challenge George Rogers' throne as the top running back in program history. However, that never happened.
A string of off-the-field issues for Summers kept him from living up to his enormous potential. Some incidents while he was in high school foreshadowed what was to come as he faced several disciplinary issues before his dismissal shortly after Steve Spurrier's arrival in Columbia.
In his shorter-than-anticipated college career, Summers showed the ability that made him a consensus 5-star: he effortlessly coasted his way to a Freshman All-SEC honor in 2003 and had even better per-carry numbers in 2004. He never played at the collegiate level again but was still signed by the Dallas Cowboys when eligible in the offseason before 2006.
His NFL stint didn't last long, however, and he was out of football for a couple of years before getting another chance in the Canadian Football League. He hung on up north for a few years before his legal troubles caught up to him.
In recent years, things only got worse for Summers, and he currently is in prison serving an 8-year sentence for manufacturing and distributing crack cocaine among other charges.
To say he was the 5-star who most failed to live up to his potential is a gross understatement.
South Carolina Football's All-Time 5-Star Recruits:
Defensive End Jordan Burch (Class of 2020)
The only modern 5-star to play for the Gamecocks after graduating from a Columbia-area high school, Jordan Burch entered the South Carolina football program with unbelievably high expectations. He never lived up to the unrealistic Jadeveon Clowney comparisons, and many Carolina fans incorrectly called the Hammond School alum a bust.
What Burch was, though, was a good player. In his final year as a Gamecock, he led all SEC defensive linemen in tackles (60); however, because he never put up a big sack total, fans had mixed feelings about the talented defensive end. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Burch transferred to Oregon after his third year in Columbia.
Burch started off really well for the Ducks but tailed off some late in the year. At this point, he has not made an announcement about his future, but whether he returns to college or heads off to the NFL, he still has a lot of athletic potential that remains untapped.
Considered a 5-star player by all four major recruiting services (rated sometimes as a defensive tackle and sometimes as a defensive end), Jordan Burch is one of the most gifted players to ever wear "CAROLINA" across his chest. He didn't quite live up to expectations and left under less-than-ideal circumstances, but there's no denying that he has the potential to be the next great former Gamecock rushing the passer in the NFL.
South Carolina Football's All-Time 5-Star Recruits:
Running Back MarShawn Lloyd (Class of 2020)
The Gamecocks picked up a surprise commitment in May of 2019 from 5-star running back MarShawn Lloyd. The highest-rated Gamecock running back since Marcus Lattimore, Lloyd slipped a bit in the rankings before the process ended but remained a 5-star according to Rivals.
The hype around Lloyd was large, but things fizzled a bit when he tore his ACL prior to his true freshman season. When he was fully healthy again in 2022, he showed his enormous potential as the Gamecocks' leading rusher, despite missing more time late in the season with a quad contusion. That year, he had 11 touchdowns and 750 yards of offense despite missing four games and playing hurt in a couple of others.
Lloyd, like Jordan Burch, decided to leave the South Carolina football program after the 2022 season. However, he wasn't off to the NFL like some believed. Instead, he stopped showing up to the facility and transferred out west to the "other USC" without telling anyone.
For Southern Cal in 2023, Lloyd put up an All-Pac 12 season in which he averaged over 7 yards per carry and had over 100 yards of offense.
The limited time on the field as a healthy player and the thief-in-the-night type exit from Columbia left bad tastes in the mouths of South Carolina football fans. Even still, he was a 5-star.
South Carolina Football's All-Time 5-Star Recruits:
Linebacker Ricardo Hurley (Class of 2002)
A little-known answer to the trivia question "Which player was the first 5-star to sign with the Gamecocks in the modern recruiting era?", Greenwood High School product Ricardo Hurley, also a Parade All-American, elected to stay home and play for his home state school despite many outside suitors.
Hurley played well as a first-year player, earning Freshman All-SEC honors in 2002, but injuries and struggles with scheme limited him the next two seasons. As a senior, he played somewhat better for new head coach Steve Spurrier, but the starting job he once owned became a rotational role with sophomores Cody Wells and Ryan Brown, neither of which were nearly as highly touted as recruits.
Once viewed as a can't-miss prospect who was going to continue the recent run of linebacker brilliance seen from players like Kalimba Edwards (outside linebacker) and Kenny Harney (inside linebacker), Hurley played both spots during his Gamecock career but didn't live up to expectations at either position.
Hurley's NFL career lasted less than one season, and the Rivals and Scout 5-star never played like one after his high school career ended.
South Carolina Football's All-Time 5-Star Recruits:
Cornerback/Safety/Wide Receiver/Kick Returner Chris Culliver (Class of 2007)
One of the strangest on-field careers of any South Carolina football 5-star, Chris Culliver was the highest-rated player in a stacked Gamecock class in 2007. Big-name recruits like quarterback Stephen Garcia, running back Brian Maddox, and defensive linemen Cliff Matthews and Travian Robertson were all part of the class, but only Culliver was a 5-star.
Culliver was rated as a 5-star wide receiver by Rivals and a 4-star safety by Scout. The positional conversation was one for Culliver his entire collegiate career and hampered his development as a Gamecock, but he still managed to play close to 5-star level.
During his true freshman year, Culliver didn't play much. He sat behind veteran receivers Kenny McKinley and Moe Brown, and the tight end duo of Jared Cook and Weslye Saunders took snaps away from receivers like Culliver, as well. He became a defensive back in the offseason.
After moving to defense as a sophomore, Culliver was part of one of the best safety trios in SEC history as he, Emanuel Cook, and Darian Stewart (who often played the hybrid spur spot) held down the back end of one of the country's best pass defenses. After the season, though, Culliver almost died from complications after a routine shoulder surgery.
He returned to the field, however, and he made the All-SEC team as a safety in 2009 before making it again in 2010 as a corner despite missing five games with a torn pectoral muscle. He was taken in the 2011 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers and had a 7-year career in the NFL in which he made the key interception that sent his '9ers to the Super Bowl in 2012.
South Carolina Football's All-Time 5-star Recruits:
Wide Receiver Nyck Harbor (Class of 2023)
Nyckoles Harbor is one of the freakiest athletes this planet has ever seen. As a high school senior, the 6'5" phenom ran a 10.2 in the 100-meter dash while weighing in at over 240 pounds. Listed appropriately as an athlete, Harbor fell out of 5-star status with ESPN when it became clear he was playing offense full-time in college, but he remained a 5-star in rankings from On3, 247Sports, and Rivals.
Primarily an EDGE player who got some snaps as a slot tight end, Harbor moved to receiver when he arrived in Columbia.
Playing a new position in 2023, Harbor wasn't ready to be a major contributor as a true freshman, but he did still manage to catch a touchdown and secure a 50-yard jump ball against Florida. South Carolina football fans are hoping that 2024 is his breakout.
Harbor will also run track while at Carolina and has (realistic) dreams of running in the Olympics. It remains to be seen how track and spring football practice will co-exist, but considering Harbor missed most of fall camp with an injury last season and was forced into action before he was ready, getting as much practice time as possible is what the Washington DC native needs.
The wide receiver room is currently wide open for rising redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers as he presumably takes on the starting role next fall. A big step up from Harbor could lead him to being the Gamecocks' top option out wide and could quiet the ridiculous fans that have labeled him a disappointment after just one season.
South Carolina Football's All-Time 5-Star Recruits:
EDGE Dylan Stewart (Class of 2024)
The first out-of-state consensus 5-star player to sign with the South Carolina football program in the modern recruiting era, Dylan Stewart is just the 3rd modern 5-star from any recruiting publication to sign with the Gamecocks from outside of the Palmetto State (MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Culliver were the others).
Stewart will enroll this winter and instantly be the most talented pass rusher on the roster. He needs to add a little size if he is going to play with his hand in the dirt, but he is also athletic enough to play as a stand-up linebacker (rushing the passer or otherwise) in the Gamecocks' 3-3-5 base defense that they used late in the 2023 season.
Incredible burst and quickness are Stewart's calling cards, and because of USC's struggles getting after the passer last year, he could see a role on the defense as soon as next fall.
Like they did with Jordan Burch before him, some fans are already comparing Dylan Stewart to Jadeveon Clowney, and those types of expectations are not fair for the talented pass rusher. However, he does have a real chance to be a special player, and fans are right to be excited about that.
South Carolina Football's All-Time 5-Star Recruits:
Offensive Tackle Josiah Thompson (Class of 2024)
Spending most of his recruitment in consensus 4-star territory, in-state lineman Josiah Thompson got the senior year bump to 5-star stats by On3, and the ratings boost was sizable enough that he became a 5-star by both major composite rankings (On3 and 247Sports).
Thompson is a special type of athlete at the offensive tackle position, and if he can gain the necessary weight to hold up in the SEC, he might develop into the best pass blocker to ever play at South Carolina. He also has shown tremendous ability and aggression in the run game. In short, the sky is the limit for Josiah Thompson.
The Gamecocks had a bad offensive line in 2023 (both due to injuries and poor play), and there could be a need for youngsters to play in 2024. With Thompson's need for physical development, it is probably in his and the program's best interest for his services to remain unneeded next fall, however.
Whenever Thompson is ready, though, South Carolina football fans can expect greatness. His athleticism and length make him the ideal body type to block SEC pass rushers, and his tough mindset is key for a successful offensive lineman at the college level.
Josiah Thompson is a 5-star, and if he plays like one for the Gamecocks, he will go down as an all-time great alongside names like Travelle Wharton, AJ Cann, Jamar Nesbit, and Del Wilkes.