South Carolina Football: 4-star Columbia prospect releases top-10, Gamecocks NOT on the list

South Carolina football fans have seen too many talented high school players leave Columbia over the years to play at other schools.

Just in recent recruiting classes, players like Jalin Hyatt (Biletnikoff Award winner and NFL Draft 3rd-rounder), Channing Tindall (won a National Championship at Georgia and was drafted in NFL Draft's 3rd round), and Antonio Williams (Freshman All-American at Clemson) left Columbia to play at Gamecock rivals Tennessee, Georgia, and Clemson, (dis)respectively.

Back in the day, Columbia natives like David Patten, Airese Currie, and Michael Boulware all found themselves in the NFL after playing their college careers with teams other than South Carolina football.

On Monday, though the Gamecocks seemed to get all of "their guys" in Columbia in a solid 2024 class, news came out that makes USC fans nervous that another Midlands defection could be coming in the next cycle.

Class of 2025 4-star cornerback Onis Konanbanny, who attends Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, released his top-10 schools on New Year's Day.

Konanbanny's list includes Florida State, Tennessee, Penn State, LSU, Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Southern Cal, and North Carolina. Also conspicuously absent from his list is the other other in-state school in South Carolina, the Clemson Tigers.

To be fair, Konanbanny is not the typical "Columbia kid." A native of France, Konanbanny lived in France and England before coming to the United States a couple of years ago. In 2022, he played at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee High School in Rabun Gap, Georgia (the same program where current Gamecock target, 4-star Marshall Pritchett, plays), and he spent the 2023 season with the Heathwood Hall program.

A big reason why South Carolina football did not make it on Konanbanny's list is because the Gamecocks have not issued him a real scholarship offer yet. Why they are hesitant and/or are dragging their feet is unknown.

With one more year playing high school ball in Columbia, perhaps things will change for the Gamecocks and Konanbanny, but for now, his sights are elsewhere.

You can watch some of his film here.