South Carolina Football: 5-star Gamecock target announces commitment

South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and his staff have put forth a better out-of-state recruiting effort than almost any other Gamecock coaching staff in the history of the program.

While things haven't been perfect under Beamer, either, there had never been an out-of-state consensus 5-star to commit to USC until Nyck Harbor (2023) and Dylan Stewart (2024) joined the program (MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Culliver were listed as 5-star prospects by some outlets but were 4-star recruits in the composite ratings).

The 2025 cycle has put several other out-of-state 5-stars on the Gamecocks' radar, including Georgia native Zayden Walker.

Walker is a 5-star according to 247Sports and is within 5-star range in ESPN's rankings and Rivals' rankings, as well. As an outside linebacker/EDGE combo, Walker is rated as one of the best linebacker prospects in the country, and the South Carolina Gamecocks and Georgia Bulldogs were the clear leaders in his recruitment.

On Wednesday, Walker announced that he had made up his mind about the school to which he wanted to commit and, instead of waiting for his previously-announced decision date in July, he publicly revealed his college choice.

Despite many South Carolina football fans holding out hope for the Gamecocks thanks to Walker's younger brother (2024 4-star DB Jalewis Solomon) being a freshman in Columbia, Walker announced his commitment to Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs. He also added that he is shutting down his recruitment, indicating he will not take his official visit to Columbia this month.

Missing out on Walker stings for the Gamecocks, but they still are in a good position at the EDGE spot in this year's recruiting class. 4-star Anthony Addison is already in the boat, and USC leads for 5-star Jared Smith. Other '25 prospects like Taeshawn Alston, Bryce Davis, and Jaiden Braker are high on the Gamecocks, as well.