South Carolina Football: Gamecocks pick up transfer portal commit at position of need
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina football needed help at the wide receiver position in a big way this offseason. After some lackluster recruiting there in recent years, the receiver room was thin before Xavier Legette left for the NFL and five other wideouts departed in the transfer portal.
During the winter transfer portal window, the Gamecocks brought in three wide receivers as Jared Brown (Coastal Carolina Chanticleers), Gage Larvadain (Miami (OH) Redhawks), and Ahmari Huggins-Bruce (Louisville Cardinals) joined incoming freshmen pass-catchers Mazeo Bennett and Debron Gatling as newcomers to the position unit.
However, as spring practice played out, it became apparent that Carolina needed more. With very little size at the position other than Nyck Harbor (who hasn't been with the team much because of track), the Gamecocks scoured the portal during the spring window. In the last few days, USC had two transfer receivers on campus.
According to a report from GamecockCentral's Wes Mitchell on Tuesday, those efforts paid off for Shane Beamer's team as former Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs announced his commitment to the South Carolina football program following his visit to Columbia.
Jacobs, who has four years of eligibility remaining after redshirting in Tallahassee, is loaded with potential. He was a 4-star prospect out of the state of Florida in the class of 2023, and he was viewed by many to be undervalued by the recruiting industry.
Jacobs isn't tall (listed at 6'0"), but he has enough height and athleticism to be a factor on balls in the air, something very few Gamecock wideouts can claim. In high school, he was a major jump ball threat who combined a good vertical with good ball adjustment skills to make plays in 50-50 situations.
He also has some impressive burst and suddenness with the ball in his hands. Jacobs' high school film is loaded with him being used in the quick game and screen game, and his vision shown through on screen as he repeatedly found lanes that didn't appear to be there.
You can watch some of his high school film here.