The South Carolina Gamecocks are working hard to build their 2027 recruiting class. In recent days, South Carolina has landed 4-star wide receiver Javien Robinson, as well as offensive lineman Jaxon Elston.
There have been reports in recent days that head coach Shane Beamer and his staff are heating up on the recruiting trail. As far as remaining targets, the next big commitment for South Carolina could very well come from 2027 safety Davion Jones.
Earlier this week, Jones included South Carolina in his final lists of schools, as well as Auburn, LSU, Georgia and Indiana.
NEWS: Four-Star Safety Davion Jones is down to 5 Schools, he tells me for @Rivals⁰⁰The 5’10 175 S is ranked as the No. 1 Safety in North Carolina (per Rivals)⁰⁰He’s locked in official visits to each of his finalistshttps://t.co/4MnZBjeWbE pic.twitter.com/9t5FpC4xjI
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 12, 2026
The Hough High School safety out of Cornelius, N.C. is ranked as the nation's No. 10 overall safety, and is seventh overall from his home state per the 247Sports Composite.
Why Jones might be trending towards South Carolina
There are a few signs that point towards the Gamecocks being in position to land the coveted safety. Jones has an official visit on the books set for June 19th in Columbia, which is the final visit out of all his other scheduled ones for his finalists. Starting May 15th, he'll visit all four of his other schools with South Carolina saved for last.
Chad Simmons of Rivals also recently added that Jones is "very high" on South Carolina. Plus, he said in a recent interview with GamcockCentral that he sees South Carolina as "DBU," which is a pretty big deal, given that he does have LSU on his list of finalists.
Jones could also be crucial in helping South Carolina land one of its biggest targets in five-star cornerback Joshua Dobson. The two are teammates at Hough in North Carolina, and coincidentally have the same visit date locked in for June 19th. Jones transferred to Hough in February of this year.
South Carolina does have a verbal commit from four-star safety Jernard Albright, who is rated as the No. 12 overall safety and No. 5 prospect out of Maryland. But there's no question that getting Jones added to the class would be huge for the Gamecocks' safety room.
The North Carolina safety spent the first three seasons of his high school career at West Charlotte. Per MaxPreps, Jones accounted for 120 total tackles with 11 interceptions and 19 passes defended across those seasons.
Here's a snapshot of Andrew Ivins of 247Sports' scouting report of Jones, from Aug. 2025:
-Quick to get on his horse and to the football, whether that be in zone coverage or run support.
-Spirited as an open-field tackler with his sound technique and will lower his shoulder to deliver a blow when the opportunity presents itself.
-Fluid enough to handle man-coverage responsibilities from an overhang posting and is quick to break on a pass, hence the ball production (17 PBUs and 8 INTs in 21 varsity games).
-Embraces the idea of contributing on special teams with his physicality.
-Should be viewed as a potential impact defender for a College Football Playoff contender that can fit into a variety of different schemes with his speed, tackling prowess and overall field vision.
Obviously there is still a way to go for Jones and his recruitment as he takes all of his official visits. And there is certainly the possibility that he commits before his June 19 visit. But there is certainly some buzz and optimism surrounding Jones and the Gamecocks that seem to have some real legs.
The Gamecocks' 2027 class is currently ranked 29th nationally per the 247Sports Composite, and checks in 10th overall inside the SEC.
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