Team talent ranking indicates South Carolina football should be better

South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and his staff pulled in two really nice recruiting classes in a row in the 2023 and 2024 cycles. With the Gamecocks signing top-20 national classes in back-to-back seasons and bringing in multiple 5-stars in the same cycle for the first time in modern recruiting history, the talent on the Carolina roster is better than some might realize.

This week, 247Sports released its Total Talent Composite rankings, a look into every team's entire roster based on their high school (and/or junior college) recruiting ratings. The composite does not factor in transfer portal recruiting rankings. All of the rankings are based on 247Sports' recruiting rankings.

The Gamecocks slotted in as the #21 team in the country based on these rankings, putting them as the 12th team from the SEC. In the league, USC trails the Alabama Crimson Tide (1), Georgia Bulldogs (2), Texas Longhorns (4), Texas A&M Aggies (7), Oklahoma Sooners (8), LSU Tigers (9), Florida Gators (12), Tennessee Volunteers (17), Auburn Tigers (18), Missouri Tigers (19), and Ole Miss Rebels (20). The rival Clemson Tigers are ranked 5th.

The Gamecocks' current roster makeup includes three former 5-star players (all signed in the 2023 or 2024 classes), 27 4-star prospects, and 47 3-star prospects. If the Total Talent Composite included the transfer portal rankings, Carolina likely would be ranked higher than 21st as players like Kyle Kennard and DeAndre Jules were 4-star transfers after being rated as 3-star recruits out of high school. Plus, All-SEC linebacker Debo Williams was rated as a 2-star prospect and wasn't included.

The Gamecocks have only been ranked as high as 21st (their Total Talent Composite ranking) once since mid-way through the 2014, after back-to-back top-10 wins over the Tennessee Volunteers and Clemson Tigers to end the 2022 regular season. Naturally, being ranked 12th in the SEC (and also behind Clemson) plays a big role in that, but the overall talent on the roster gives the fanbase some hope that things will be better this fall.

The season opener is just 7 days away as Shane Beamer's team will welcome the Old Dominion Monarchs to Williams-Brice Stadium on August 31st. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network and streamed on the ESPN app. Kickoff is set for 4:15 PM ET.