You can’t win them all when it comes to college football recruiting. The South Carolina Gamecocks were reminded of that once again Thursday. A key target for the Gamecocks was four-star linebacker Ja'Bois Smith, who is a top-ranked linebacker out of Georgia.
Smith, rated as the nation's No. 12 linebacker and 13th ranked prospect out of the state of Georgia, verbally committed to Florida Thursday. South Carolina was a finalist for the linebacker, along with Georgia, Texas and Texas A&M. The news of his commitment was first reported by Hayes Fawcett of On3:
BREAKING: Four-Star LB Ja’Bios Smith has Committed to Florida, he tells me for @Rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 29, 2026
The 6’3 210 LB chose the Gators over Georgia, Texas Tech, South Carolina, and Texas A&M
He’s ranked as the No. 1 LB in the state of Georgia (per Rivals Industry)https://t.co/lRgetIqPvY pic.twitter.com/uKSAvQxBh3
Smith took an official visit to Florida on May 28, and he clearly was so impressed he committed to the Gators a day later. The linebacker did have a visit on the books with the Gamecocks scheduled for June 12, but it's unclear if that will remain given his commitment. If it does, that opens the door for South Carolina to try and flip the new Gator commit of course.
The Gamecocks' 2027 class does not have a linebacker, so Shane Beamer and his staff will have to look elsewhere to fill the need if Smith remains firmly committed.
Per his 247Sports page, Smith plays on both sides of the football, and also runs track and field.
This is a big loss for South Carolina, but its 2027 recruiting class still ranks 31st nationally with nine verbal commits. We'll see where the Gamecocks turn to next.
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