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 4-star transfer defensive tackle Deandre Jules.
Welcome home, @djules0fficial! pic.twitter.com/7qzoIFet1h
— Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) December 20, 2023
Position: DT
Recruiting Ranking: 4 stars (247Sports), 3 stars (On3)
Measurables: 6'3"; 315 pounds;
Former Player Comp: Javon Kinlaw
Deandre Jules is a really good football player. Enrolling at Pittsburgh as a tight end and defensive end out of high school, he is now a big, athletic defensive tackle who is joining the South Carolina football program through the transfer portal.
With no proven nose tackles on the roster (Boogie Huntley and TJ Sanders sometimes played out-of-position at the spot), the Gamecocks added Jules and junior college product Jerome Simmons to help out in the interior of the defensive line.
Jules is big and strong, but he is a better athlete than most players his size. He can clog the middle, but he can also make his way into the backfield to help with the team's pass rush, as well.
As a player, he resembles former Gamecock defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. Kinlaw ended up being an All-American, so Carolina fans should temper those expectations a bit. However, Jules' ability to play both defensive tackle spots at a high level is something that Kinlaw did with excellence just a few seasons ago.
Next year, depending on the defensive front utilized by the Gamecock coaching staff, Deandre Jules could be in line to start. No matter what scheme USC runs, Jules will be a factor and should be able to provide the defense with a really good player in the middle.
You can watch some of his film here.