South Carolina Football: Elite Gamecock target moves commitment date after USC visit

South Carolina football target Lagonza Hayward is an elite safety prospect out of the state of Georgia. The Gamecocks were not high on his radar in the early days of his recruitment, but USC defensive backs coach Torrian Gray has made a strong push that has Carolina right in the mix.

In fact, in recent weeks, Hayward has put the Gamecocks officially on his list of top-7 schools and commented in interviews that USC was "top-3" or "top-4" ahead of his decision date in August.

On Monday, though, Hayward made some changes, moving his commitment date up to July 27th and officially naming a top-4. The South Carolina football program made the cut.

A joint report from On3's Chad Simmons and Keegan Pope revealed Hayward's new top-4 to be the South Carolina Gamecocks, Georgia Bulldogs, Tennessee Volunteers, and Florida Gators. Hayward still has official visits scheduled for Knoxville and Gainesville before the new commitment date at the end of July.

Hayward's change of plans comes immediately following his official visit to Columbia. He also visited Georgia last week.

As a player, Hayward is a 4-star prospect at safety, but he's probably underrated still. He is a ferocious tackler who comes up in run support with bad intentions. He also has an elite knack for separating receivers from the football, both with big hits and by getting his hand between the would-be pass-catcher and the ball.

Hayward has enough athleticism and versatility that he could play multiple spots in a college secondary or even operate as an in-box player in dime and nickel packages.

Because of his size (already listed at 6'2" and 200 pounds), he has the chance to play early in the right situation. Helping his pursuit of early playing time is his ability on special teams, as well. He is a menace as a coverage player, and he has shown an ability to return kicks, utilizing his major athleticism with the ball in his hands.

You can watch some of his film here.