South Carolina Football: Gamecocks make top list for elite linebacker prospect

South Carolina football will be losing several important linebackers from the 2024 team to graduation as Debo Williams, Bam Martin-Scott, Demetrius Knight, and Bangally Kamara are all seniors and should be heavy parts of the rotation at the linebacker position this season. The Gamecocks have some young talent at the spot, too, but with at least four players on their way out next winter, recruiting high school linebackers will be important for USC this year.

Carolina is heavily involved with several class of 2025 linebacker prospects, but arguably the most talented of the group is consensus 4-star Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng. He is a top-75 national prospect according to three of the four major recruiting outlets. Over the weekend, Owusu-Boateng announced his top-13 schools, and South Carolina football made the cut.

The South Carolina Gamecocks are joined in Owusu-Boateng's top-13 by the Stanford Cardinal, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Florida Gators, Louisville Cardinals, Georgia Bulldogs, Michigan Wolverines, Texas Longhorns, Florida State Seminoles, Southern Cal Trojans, Oregon Ducks, Miami Hurricanes, and Ohio State Buckeyes.

As a player, Owusu-Boateng is a monster. Ranked as high as the #1 linebacker in the class (Rivals), the man they call "Wu" is a heat-seeking missile on the defensive side of the football. Wherever the ball is, Owusu-Boateng is surely on his way, and he arrives with ill intentions for his opponent. NOB is a big hitter despite weighing just 210 pounds.

Owusu-Boateng is a really good athlete who can stick with offensive skill position players in coverage, a needed skill at the college level. That athleticism is very visible on film as he routinely chases down offensive players and shuts down running lanes with his good closing speed.

Originally from Virginia (the Gamecocks have done really well recruiting the DMV and Virginia under head coach Shane Beamer), Owusu-Boateng transferred south to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The Gamecocks have not had a lot of luck recruiting IMG, but they seem to be real players in Owusu-Boateng's recruitment.

You can watch some of his film here.