South Carolina Football: Gamecocks ink versatile 4-star linebacker

The Early Signing Period for college football began on Wednesday, and National Letters of Intent have been flying in from all over the country. While most of those NLIs are not sent in via fax machine anymore, commitments are not official until paperwork is completed. The South Carolina football program is hoping to have most of their class secured by the end of the Early Signing Period.

One of the players in the class who made things official is linebacker/EDGE Wendell Gregory.

Position: LB/EDGE
Recruiting Ranking: 4 stars (Consensus); Under Armour All-American
Measurables: 6'3"; 230 pounds;
Former Player Comp: Tony Guyton

Wendell Gregory was an early pledge in the '24 cycle for the South Carolina Gamecocks, and the consensus 4-star player is ranked as a blue chipper at two different positions (On3 and 247Sports have him rated as an EDGE player, while ESPN and Rivals have rated him as a linebacker).

Hailing from perennial Georgia high school power Walton in Marrieta, Gregory was an athletic freak for the Georgia state runners-up in 2023. A former high school wide receiver, after moving to outside linebacker, Gregory became one of the freakiest athletes in the country.

He has enough speed to chase down ball carriers from sideline to sideline as a stand-up linebacker, and he has enough length and bend around the edge to be a problem as a pass rusher. When he gets to Carolina, he likely will be part of the linebacker room as his 230-pound frame would not hold up with the full-time edge rushers.

Gregory is similar to former Gamecock Tony Guyton. Guyton, like Gregory, was a developmental prospect, but when he was ready to play, he became an impact contributor splitting his time as a traditional outside linebacker and a stand-up pass rusher. In his final two years as a Gamecock, Guyton logged over 170 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and 17.5 tackles for loss. If he progresses well, those numbers seem very realistic for Gregory.

Gregory will need some development, both in the weight room and with his technique, before being unleashed against SEC defenses. However, he has real potential to be a good player in garnet and black, regardless of which position he plays.

You can watch some of his film here.