South Carolina Football: Gamecocks make top list for intriguing lineman from the "other Columbia"

South Carolina football offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley has cast a wide net in his pursuit of bringing blocking talent into the boat this offseason.

The Gamecocks are in the game with major talents in the class of 2025, including 4-star players like Jaylen Gilchrist, Dontrell Glover, Shed Sarratt, and Cortez Smith, high-upside 3-star Isaac "Spike" Sowells, and 5-star David Sanders.

On Thursday, another offensive line target revealed that he was interested in the Gamecocks by nameing the South Carolina football program as one of the top contenders in his recruitment.

The South Carolina Gamecocks are joined by the Florida Gators, UCF Knights, Missouri Tigers, Kentucky Wildcats, Ole Miss Rebels, Purdue Boilermakers, Miami Hurricanes, Tennessee Volunteers, and Texas A&M Aggies in the top-10 of 3-star lineman Taren "TJ" Hedrick. Hedrick is a native of Columbia, Missouri, the home of the Missouri Tigers football team.

As a player, Hedrick is a big and athletic tackle who has shown a lot of potential that he can unlock if he receives some good coaching at the next level.

At 6'5" and about 305 pounds, Hedrick has a strong base and long arms, two important traits for college pass blockers. He also has good feet and movement ability that should translate to Hedrick being able to keep athletic rushers in front of him.

Though he plays with a high pad level, Hedrick's strength often overwhelms defenders, and when he catches a linebacker or secondary player in the open field, their play usually ends at that moment with them winding up on their backs. When asked to pull or fold around outside to create a path, he is a dangerous lead blocker who moves well enough to clear the way past an initial block.

You can watch some of his film here.