South Carolina football recruiting class could drastically improve thanks to one week on the calendar

South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and his staff have been hard at work on the recruiting trail this summer. Despite having just one commitment in the class of 2025 near the end of April, the Gamecocks now have 18 pledges in the cycle. The most recent, 4-star wide receiver Lex Cyrus, picked the Gamecocks over the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Cyrus' commitment was a boon to the class, and according to both On3 and 247Sports, he is the top-rated USC commit. However, if things go the Gamecocks' way over the next several weeks, Cyrus' spot at the top will be challenged soon, something that will mean only good things for the program.

In particular, there is one week on the upcoming calendar that could drastically improve the South Carolina football recruiting class. From Saturday, July 27th to Saturday, August 3rd, some big-time Gamecock targets are planning on announcing their college decisions.

July 27th will be commitment day for big-time targets like 4-star safety Lagonza Hayward (Lyons, Georgia). 3-star wide receiver Giyahni Kontosis (Upper Marlboro, Maryland) also has the 27th set for his announcement; he has the Gamecocks in his top-5 but never took an official visit. Hayward is believed to be deciding between South Carolina and Tennessee, while Kontosis has a top-5 of USC, Maryland, Indiana, Cincinnati, and Tennessee.

On August 2nd, 4-star offensive tackle Juan Gaston (Atlanta, Georgia) will be announcing his college pledge. The big offensive tackle likes the Gamecocks, but the home-state Georgia Bulldogs have seemed to be the favorite. The Oregon Ducks and Tennessee Volunteers are also part of Gaston's top-4.

On August 3rd, 5-star EDGE prospect Jared Smith (Alabaster, Alabama) and 4-star offensive lineman Jaylen Gilchrist (Salem, Virginia) will make their college choices public. Both players were considered leans to the South Carolina football program, but late pushes from other programs have made things extremely close. Smith has a top-6, but the Auburn Tigers are the other favorite with the Gamecocks. Gilchrist is deciding between Carolina, Maryland, and Georgia.

Other South Carolina football targets (including prospects like Spike Sowells, Bryce Davis, Cortez Smith, and Jontae Gilbert) have set commitment dates over the next month, as well, and a long list of others have indicated that they would like to be done with their recruitments by the time their senior high school season begins this fall.

You can watch some of Hayward's film here.

You can watch some of Kontosis' film here.

You can watch some of Gaston's film here.

You can watch some of Smith's film here.

You can watch some of Gilchrist's film here.